Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Director:

David Yates

Writers (WGA):

Michael Goldenberg (screenplay)
J.K. Rowling (novel)

Release Date:

11 July 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Evil Must Be Confronted.

Plot:

With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.

Plot Keywords:

Mysteries | Torture | Studio Logo Segues Into Film | Rat | School

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 8 wins & 26 nominations

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe	...	Harry Potter
Harry Melling	...	Dudley Dursley
Jason Boyd	...	Piers
Richard Macklin	...	Malcolm
Kathryn Hunter	...	Mrs. Arabella Figg
Miles Jupp	...	TV Weatherman
Fiona Shaw	...	Aunt Petunia Dursley
Richard Griffiths	...	Uncle Vernon Dursley
Jessica Hynes	...	Mafalda Hopkirk (voice) (as Jessica Stevenson)
Adrian Rawlins	...	James Potter
Geraldine Somerville	...	Lily Potter
Robert Pattinson	...	Cedric Diggory
Ralph Fiennes	...	Lord Voldemort
Natalia Tena	...	Nymphadora Tonks
Brendan Gleeson	...	Alastor 'Mad-­Eye' Moody

Also Known As:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)
The Order of the Phoenix (USA) (short title)
Tip Top (UK) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Germany:12 | Slovakia:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Denmark:11 | South Korea:All | USA:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:IIA | Malaysia:U | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 (re-rating on appeal) | Ireland:12A | Norway:11 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U | Taiwan:PG-12 (original rating) | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Brazil:Livre | South Africa:10M | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Daniel Radcliffe came up with the idea that, as a gesture of respect to a teacher that Harry most certainly looked up to, he would wear a certain type of clothes that resemble the outfit worn by Prof. Lupin in his lessons from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), during his teachings. The director liked the suggestion, so that became the basis for his look during those scenes.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the Department of Mysteries scene, when Lucius is approaching the six students, in one shot he has his wand out, and in the next shot it's back in his cane.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Radio announcer: I don't know about you, it's just too hot today, isn't it? And it's going to get even worse. Temperatures up in the mid 30's Celsius, that's the mid 90's Fahrenheit, tomorrow maybe even hitting 100. So please, remember to cover up and stay cool with the hottest hits on your FM dial.

Movie Connections:

Features Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Soundtrack:

Boys Will Be Boys

A great movie, yet completely surpassed by the book

When I first walked into the movie, my expectations were not very high. The first two movies, I thought, were the best of the series mainly due to Richard Harris' dead-on portrayal of Dumbledore and screenplays that closely followed the original books. Though the third and fourth movies were very artistic and dramatic, I couldn't really connect to them in the way i had with the books. They glossed over many of the little things that made the Harry Potter series so magical in the first place, focusing on a select few plot lines and limiting dialog to only what was necessary to further the story.

As a result they've felt more like a collage of scenes, a series of puzzle pieces, thrown at the viewers faster than they can piece together, just leading up to a final confrontation. Pacing has certainly been an issue, leaving fans feeling disjointed, and those new to the series confused as to what exactly is going on. In this respect, Order of the Phoenix was very similar to the previous two movies. As a Hollywood film, it deserves praise, bringing this amazing world to the big screen, telling a compelling tale, and keeping the viewers glued to their seats for the duration of the movie. However, to the die hard fans of the books, you will undoubtedly be disappointed.

Many scenes that one would think invaluable to the story have been cut, replaced by the hasty filling in of plot holes. And while it pains me to ignore some of my favorite scenes from the book being left on the cutting room floor (St. Mungo's, Harry's Quibbler interview, the Quidditch fight, etc.), I realize that yes, not everything could be included in the movie. But in this watered down version of the book, there seems to be something missing. We still have all the drama and excitement, but some of the magic just seems to be gone.

Aside from Evanna (couldn't have made a more perfect Luna), the kids give simply average performances, never really reaching the full potential put forth by JK Rowling's writing. The same goes for Gambon, who seems to have ignored the calm, all knowing, endearing idea of who Dumbledore is, in favor of a more erratic yet powerful headmaster. Sure, this works well in the more dramatic scenes (specifically the final battle), but otherwise, his performance falls flat, lacking the eye twinkling charm we came to love from the late Richard Harris. Thankfully, Imelda Staunton more than makes up for this in an amazing portrayal of Dolores Umbridge, one of the more fully realized characters of the movie. As for the rest of the cast, it's largely hit or miss, determined by how each scene is written.

Overall, I would certainly recommend the movie for everyone, fan or not, as it really was a well made movie, despite a few wooden actors and some bad dialog. But when looking at the books, one really can't help but think how much more potential this movie could've had.