Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Movie Review)

Order of the Phoenix (Year 5) is my favorite book in the series. And I loved the movie. I think that they did the best with the crappy time frame that Warner Brothers gave them. This movie deserved 3+ hours. I saw it at the IMAX in 3D and that was WAY cool! If you get a chance to see it at one it is worth the cost of admission. I think that Imelda Staunton nailed Dolores Umbridge! She made you hate the character even more than in the books. And Evanna Lynch nailed Luna Lovegood. Not bad for a girl who was just a fan of the serious and won the open casted role! She was amazing, IMO. I loved Kreacher and I think that they captured his mood very well. Would have liked to seen more of his mutterings. I am glad J.K. Rowling told them to put him in the movie. I was disappointed in the way they handled the scene with Sirius Black dying. First, I always pictured that gate with an actual curtain, not some hazy thing. Second, he dodged her first shot and then got hit with the second which knocked him backwards into the veil. In the movie it appeared that he was dead as he fell back into the veil. According to the book Bellatrix Lestrange shot one curse at him that emitted a streak of red light that Sirius dodged and then she hit him with another one that knocks him through the veil, but the color is never mentioned. The Avada Kedavra emits a green light. The red one is unknown, so far but his commonly known as the stupefy curse, in the Potter world. To me that was quite a bit different between the movie and the book. I did not like the way they did Fred and George's exit. They left out their challenge to the students to get rid of Umbridge and the swamp. Everything else was great about it though! The kiss scene was a waste of time, in my opinion, and that time could have been used towards other much more important things. They should have done it just like Rowling had written it in the books. I like how Harry went into the DA lessons with not too much confidence, but gained it over time. Which is like how it was in the book. So I thought that that was okay. I missed the brain scene in the Ministry of Magic. All in all it was a great movie and the best of the bunch, IMO. Next week I get to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! I am looking forward to spending the evening at Borders with my wife for the midnight book release party. Yes, I am that geeky!