Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Well, so far, the new Harry Potter is the best movie I've seen this summer. I don't know if that means its really good, or because I was really hoping for better out of Pirates of the Caribbean and Spider-Man.

Part of it might be that this was my favorite book in the series so far (with Prisoner of Azkaban coming in a close second). This is where the series, in my mind, really started taking a turn for the dark and "grown up." Harry's universe was never safe, but now you get to the point where things really start getting into shades of gray. Sirius Black even makes a note of it to Harry, explaining how the world isn't divided into good people and bad people, but that everyone has good and bad inside of them. Those who once set him on a pedestal are now villifying him to serve their own ends. Poor Harry even discovers that his father wasn't the saint he imagined him to be.

Imelda Staunton was perfect as Dolores Umbridge. Uptight and obsessed with "sweet" on the outside, sick and twisted on the inside.

The one thing I really missed from the book was George and Fred's antics. Oh, they had their silly practical jokes represented well, and their explosive exit from the school. But they also used their sense of humor to lampoon the fear surrounding Harry, and to incite rebellion against the ever-more-draconian environment at the school.

I also thought the ending (after the big battle) was stumbling and unsure of how to finish things. But I vaguely remember the book being that way, too.

But hey, I try not to judge movies (or games) for what they aren't, but for what they are. And I really enjoyed the film. It made me want to go back and re-read the book. And the next one. Just to make sure I remember what's going on when the final book of the series comes out in two weeks...

Labels: Movies

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 6:57 AM (Permalink)