Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (with optional 3d)

They had already made four very good movies before this one, so would this one be bad? Every director has brought a different style and flavor to the series, and this one is no exception. It's much darker than any of the others, which is good and suits the story well. The kids are also getting older, which this movie reflects, and it feels more like an action movie than a fairy tale.

For me the most interesting thing about this movie was seeing many of the characters act opposite from what you'd expect from them. Harry relying more on himself than on his friends, Ron being responsible and somewhat serious for a change, Hermione misbehaving and being just as cruel as the other kids, Neville summoning bravery for the first time since the first movie, Fred and George standing up to The Establishment rather than trying to cheat their way through it, Sirius Black being a jerk, James Potter being a world class jerk, Snape becoming vulnerable enough to sympathize with, Dumbledore ignoring a student in need, and Voldemort showing fear. There is also a strong newspaper presence in this movie. It reminded me of just how dependant our society is on the news media to help us make decisions about the world we live in, and how often that information is manipulated or simply wrong.

Another thing this movie did well¹ is make the audience share in Harry's isolation. The first time I saw the movie I left it feeling it had a lot less in it than the others had. The second time I saw it I concentrated on keeping track of how much happened² to see if I was right. There is a lot of stuff going on, but the sense of isolation you share with Harry causes you to feel that you've lost out on some quality time with many of the main characters, and you miss their company. It fits the story very well, but deep down inside you wish there had been more Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and even a bit more Malfoy.

The new characters were either really good, or pretty lame. Dolores Umbridge and Luna Lovegood are really well done. Umbridge personifies how unnerving cheerful politeness is, and Luna is the kind of eccentric that you can't help but want as a friend³. Bellatrix Lestrange showed up every now and then to cackle, and yeah killed an important character, but for the most part she didn't do as much as it seemed a character liker hers should. I'm sure that in the book Nymphadora Tonks had a bigger part than just being annoying, but in this movie that's all she did. Also, I wish that Hagrid's brother had been a real actor⁴ made to look huge by special effects, rather than a very unconvincing CGI character.

The thing I liked least about this movie was that the first time I saw it, the big last battle was all in 3D, which made it harder to follow. Otherwise, just like the other four, this is a good movie, and I can't wait for the next one!

high points: Lots of characters from past movies, creepy politeness, creepy sweetness, battle battle battle!
low points: Time flies when you're sharing someone's isolation, I miss my old friends, creepy insanity, creepy annoyance, fake giant, the kiss wasn't that exciting and lasted too long.

1) Which I resent, but in resenting makes me appreciate it that much more.
2) And how many times Luna Lovegood blinked all movie long, which was between 3-5 times... creepy little girl.
3) Plus she wears Converse All Stars!
4) Maybe even Robbie Coltrane without a beard.