Spring Break
'Order of the Phoenix' does little to disappoint Potter fans
By: Aditi Dubey
Issue date: 7/13/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Originally published: 7/12/07 at 11:56 PM EST
Last update: 7/12/07 at 11:55 PM EST
Originally published: 7/12/07 at 11:56 PM EST
Last update: 7/12/07 at 11:55 PM EST
Hundreds of fans lined up around 3 city blocks by the Bridge movie theatre at 40th and Walnut Tuesday evening to see the special advance screening of the latest Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and high expectations were in the air.
They weren't let down. Directed by David Yates, this movie is undoubtedly the best in the series. The producers seem to have picked up on the mistakes they made over the first five installments, and the result is a refreshing, new movie which you will like whether you are a fan or not.
Harry is home for the summer from Hogwarts and is being kept out of the loop on everything by his friends, headmaster and godfather. Voldemort has returned but the wizarding world is refusing to believe it. The movie opens in a small park in Little Whinging, where Harry Potter and his cousin, Dudley Dursely, are having a not-very-polite conversation. There is a sudden attack on the boys by the Dementors, followed by Harry's expulsion from Hogwarts pending a disciplinary hearing staged like a criminal trial.
He returns to Hogwarts with his friends to find that things have changed drastically. Dumbledore is distant, Hagrid is missing and there is a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who works for the Ministry of Magic. There are new rules and regulations imposed everyday, professors are being stripped of authority, and everything is running as if the school were a dictator's regime. Harry is constantly having visions about a dark room and can sense Voldemort's feelings. Students are not being taught any defense magic in classes so students are taking it upon themselves to teach each other Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Harry as their teacher. After a series of fortunate and unfortunate events, the movie progresses to a climax matching that of an action-packed thriller with raging duels between the good and bad wizards, right inside the Ministry of Magic.
The editing and direction are superb and Michael Goldenberg's screenplay deserves applause. The plot has been adapted from the book in a way that it doesn't disappoint the reader and yet keeps the others interested. There is no Quidditch, but you don't miss seeing the broomsticks and the thrills of the game. Likewise, there are some emotional sequences but you don't feel icky because of the melodrama. The cast has been retained for the most part, the main newcomers being Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge, Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood and Helena Bonham Carter as the deranged Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange.
They weren't let down. Directed by David Yates, this movie is undoubtedly the best in the series. The producers seem to have picked up on the mistakes they made over the first five installments, and the result is a refreshing, new movie which you will like whether you are a fan or not.
Harry is home for the summer from Hogwarts and is being kept out of the loop on everything by his friends, headmaster and godfather. Voldemort has returned but the wizarding world is refusing to believe it. The movie opens in a small park in Little Whinging, where Harry Potter and his cousin, Dudley Dursely, are having a not-very-polite conversation. There is a sudden attack on the boys by the Dementors, followed by Harry's expulsion from Hogwarts pending a disciplinary hearing staged like a criminal trial.
He returns to Hogwarts with his friends to find that things have changed drastically. Dumbledore is distant, Hagrid is missing and there is a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who works for the Ministry of Magic. There are new rules and regulations imposed everyday, professors are being stripped of authority, and everything is running as if the school were a dictator's regime. Harry is constantly having visions about a dark room and can sense Voldemort's feelings. Students are not being taught any defense magic in classes so students are taking it upon themselves to teach each other Defense Against the Dark Arts, with Harry as their teacher. After a series of fortunate and unfortunate events, the movie progresses to a climax matching that of an action-packed thriller with raging duels between the good and bad wizards, right inside the Ministry of Magic.
The editing and direction are superb and Michael Goldenberg's screenplay deserves applause. The plot has been adapted from the book in a way that it doesn't disappoint the reader and yet keeps the others interested. There is no Quidditch, but you don't miss seeing the broomsticks and the thrills of the game. Likewise, there are some emotional sequences but you don't feel icky because of the melodrama. The cast has been retained for the most part, the main newcomers being Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge, Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood and Helena Bonham Carter as the deranged Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange.
beth heitz
posted 7/14/07 @ 12:49 AM EST
I HATED THE MOVIE.sorry to say, but i read the book first and the producers killed the movie. every thing is a lie. the only thing that was right was the first part about the dementors. (Continued…)