Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 
At long last, the movie version of the fifth installment in the Harry Potter series is finally out, and the verdict is in. Which votes have it? Yay or Nay?

Overall, the movie version of HP book 5 is pretty good. It captures the essence of the story quite well, and focuses on the more important parts of the novel. There were no deviations from the novel, and the special effects were quite outstanding. Then again, no movie comes without shortcomings, and this one is no exemption. Though the author watched the movie at a premiere cinema, there were a couple of instances when cuts were clearly discerned in the screenplay. Why these portions of the movie were amateurishly edited out remains a mystery, but it certainly didn’t add to the overall quality. Also, while most of the crucial parts of the story were given enough time and coverage in the movie, there were some cases where it may have been a bit lacking. This may just be the author’s faulty perception, but the conflict scene between Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort just seemed a bit short to give it justice (not to mention Sirius’ death, which was all too quick and sudden). Add this to the other portions of HP book 5 which, though not crucial to the storyline, would have been nice to see in the movie (take for instance the mirror Sirius gives Harry in order to contact him for any emergency - a factor which helped prove Sirius was really dead in that part of the book).

Nevertheless, the movie was overall a success and truly another great example of movies which made the transition from print to silver screen beautifully.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars