Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2007]

I've read all the books (deathly Hallows is my favourite), and watched all the movies. At first i was dissapointed, because of how much had been taken out, but i decided to wait till book 7, before i would make my decision about this one. In the end, the changes that were made, actually make things a little easier for the movies, e.g. kreacher's betrayel doesn't actually amount to anything at the end of it (i mean, harry forgives him, sort of, so it's actually easier to not have it in). There are other examples i could come out with, but that would take a full page. Put it this way, they kept in just about enough, and the things they haven't kept in, could very easily be put back into 6 or 7. Now, onto the movie itself. The direction was brilliant, though this director admittedly, doesn't have cuaron's flair, but he simply uses that vision to enhance his own, which is fair enough. Allows for good continuity, i suppose. The acting is something i was most impressed with, especially Daniel Radcliffe. Honestly speaking, looking at his performance in film 4, i felt that he didn't have what it took to pull off film 5. However, i felt there was a chance if he was pushed the right way, and the director certainly managed that. Rupert Grint, unfortunately doesn't get much screen time (I have to admit, i did miss 'Weasley is our King'), but he still made the most out of what he did have. Emma Watson (who is beautiful. Yes, i admit it), was actually very good in this, and gave probably her stongest performance as Hermoine (even better than film 3). Though, admittedly, Emma still has a few problems, but they can be rectified with maturity and some good direction (which Harry Potter has had a lot of). Finally, i was actually entertained all throughout, which i found quite surprising, since the book did have a few dull moments. Overall, i'd still say that Goblet of Fire is the best film, but this is right there with it.

***Spoilers***I liked this movie a lot but I hope they have directors cuts of all the movies coming. The two things I did not like about the movie was they didn't explain Harry's anger with Ron and Hermione at the start of the movie very good. They should have had Harry receiving letters with no news or something at the start of the movie. Also, the talk with Dumbledore at the end of the movie is just pathetic. It should have been one of the longest scenes in te movie and it was like five lines. Warner Bros., the directors and the screenwriters have really been cutting the last two movies, even three, short on the ending. This is the most pivotal talk in the entire series. And one of my favorite chapters to reread. And they hack it off to nothing.That said, I think this movie is the best in the series to this point. The scene in which Sirius and Harry are dualing together with a couple of Death Eaters, and Sirius says "Good one James" to Harry, captures everything of the relationship between Harry and Sirius. Sirius wants a friend in Harry and see's James in Harry, and Harry just wants a father figure and someone to talk to. Also the scene where Black dies and Lupin is holding Harry back is just amazing. Couldn't hvae done that scene better myself. And the scene where Voldemort and Dumbledore are dualing and the part where Harry is possessed by Voldemort and Harry has flashes of the worst memories in his life, then he see's his friends and his heart swells with love and Voldemort can't possess him because he can not stand possessing someone full of so much love. I think they captured that perfectly in this movie.The acting was perfect among the entire cast and the trio has really come a long way. Dan, Emma and Rupert played their parts perfectly. Dan put on one of the best performances I have ever seen.

... for Christmas, which is when we usually get the Harry Potter DVDs. I intend to get this when it appears ...To reduce 750 pages to a feature film of whatever length is a hard ask - perhaps JKR should have edited more ruthlessly before the "Order of the Phoenix" book appeared. Well, that's history now. However, I disagree with some of the other reviewers regarding the actual content of the film. I have little doubt that Rowling was strongly involved in the production, and having read books 6 and 7, I can't think of anything omitted that is going to cause problems in later films, for those people who haven't bothered to read the books. Inevitably, the experience you get when you read the books is very different, by virtue of the difference in the medium. All I can say is, read the book as well - preferably first!However, the film is really well produced. The grimmer parts (Harry's detention with Umbridge, Sirius' death) are done effectively but not gruesomely; the mental link between Harry and Voldemort is conveyed well; the new characters (Umbridge, Luna, Bellatrix) are very good. I think the only thing that left me unsatisfied about the film was that I felt that by book 5 - even by the later part of book 4, really - Hermione was somehow more mature and steely, whereas in the film she occasionally seems rather girly. But that's a small issue.This is a high quality film of a high quality story, and merits a place in most good DVD collections.