Order of the Phoenix

[Dirk Gently]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has opened accross the country.

SYNOPSIS
Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned. Fearing Albus Dumbledore is lying about Voldemort's return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the students.


Are you going to see it?
Can you be bothered or will you wait to see it on DVD, Sky or ITV?

[stuartdg]

This actually looks quite cool so ill be seein this on saturday i reckon

[WhiteCrow]

I thought the book to be dire, and I loved Harry Potter until then.

Whether we like it or not we'll be in Harry Potter overhype this July!

[Rob McCow]

I've read all the books and they're OK. But I saw the first two films and found them appalling in ways you can't imagine. The first was just bad, but the second was offensive.

So the fifth is a definite miss for me, I'm afraid! Even the lure of the rather groovy pink outfits for Miss Umbridge won't help.

[Dirk Gently]

We went to see it this afternoon (to avoid being in a room full of kids) and it was quite a fast actioned flick. There's so much to show that the 2 1/4 hours just flew by. It's not a bad representation of the book but naturally there is a lot missing.
I personally think that The Order of the Phoenix is the weakest of all the books & for me this translate to the silver screen well, by that I mean this for me is the weakest of the 5 films so far but that said it's still a good film & I'd give it 7/10.

The book had it's flaws that I noticed immediately but the film, with its reduced amount of information, has some rather larger flaws. But knowing the book I can fill the holes but those who've not read it, like my Wife, can't.
As such it is also rated 5th in her view as well.

Weird as it may seem if I think about it & rate all 5 films the result is rather odd.
1st Philosophers Stone.
2nd Chamber of Secrets.
3rd Prisoner of Azkanban.
4th Goblet of Fire.
5th Order of Phoenix.

No kidding, that's my order of preference.

[Andrew Curnow]

Oh pooh! I agree that the book drags a bit on the second, or third read, but we're really looking forward to the film - lord knows which bits they'll chop out this time round (all the house-elf stuff I suspect, sadly) but I think it'll still be a good afternoon's big-screen viewing. Little Miss is away with school all this weekend, so we'll be looking to watch it next weekend (the same time as the final book comes out, dontchaknow).

[WhiteCrow]

My problem with the book iis it's too long and should have been edited more. I only hope a film will have managed to edit the tedium out - but I'm not hopeful.

[Martin Penny]

I'm looking forward to it, the fifth book was my favourite. Despite Harry being a moaning git all the way through.

[Dirk Gently]

My problem with the book iis it's too long and should have been edited more. I only hope a film will have managed to edit the tedium out - but I'm not hopeful.

Well to be honest you'll like it then. After all you can't have tedium in a film that has to squeeze all the action that does go on in the book. Like I said, it is an action packed film because so much has to happen. For instance, the book takes half the pages to move from September to Christmas but the film reaches the snake attack in about 50 minutes I'd guess & the St. Mungo's stuff is removed entirely. Kreacher the house elf is there but not much, he could have been removed as well but by all accounts J.K.Rowling told the film makers that he had to be included & that tells me that he has a lot more to do with the ending of the series & must do or know something in Deathly Hallows.
If it's the tedium that bothers you then I think you'll prefer the film to the book.
As to the length, I don't mind a book being long just so long as it's engaging, Goblet of Fire & Half-Blood Prince are only about 100/150 pages shorter (sounds a lot but they are long books in themselves) but I found that although OotP is much longer it seems to be made up of unnecessary clutter which adds little to the story really.

[WhiteCrow]

As to the length, I don't mind a book being long just so long as it's engaging, Goblet of Fire & Half-Blood Prince are only about 100/150 pages shorter (sounds a lot but they are long books in themselves) but I found that although OotP is much longer it seems to be made up of unnecessary clutter which adds little to the story really.

I agree - I enjoyed both books either side of the Order of the Pheonix, but I found that Order of the Pheonix itself was in badly need of an editor, but then what editor could edit J K Rowlings material? She seems to take editing/reviewing as "the enemy", whereas some of us accept it as a process which allows us to produce the best written material possible.

Okay in my case it's technical documents, but the theory is the same - I'm currently 90% through my 300 page thriller about operating a camera module on an aircraft, including initialising protocols - beat that Rowling ...

[stuartdg]

Finally got round to seein this,its pssibly my 2nd least favourite of the films,nothing to with the plot(of which theres plenty) nor the acting Imelda Staunton is fantastic as Umbridge,just the pacing it took too long just setting things up,enjoyable all the same though...

[Dave Tudor]

I thought the Hermione nude scene was a little unneccessary.

Or perhaps that was just a dream I had.....?

[Dirk Gently]

My DVD fell to the mat this morning & I'm just about to look at disc 2.