Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Full-Screen Edition) dvd movie.|
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List Price: $28.98 Our Price: $15.99 You Save: $12.99 Features • Full Screen • NTSC In Theaters : 11 July, 2007 DVD Release : 11 December, 2007 |
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Full-Screen Edition) description Alas! The fifth Harry Potter film has arrived. The time is long past that this can be considered a simple "children's" series--though children and adults alike will enjoy it immensely. Starting off from the dark and tragic ending of the fourth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix begins in a somber and angst-filled tone that carries through the entire 138 minutes (the shortest of any HP movie despite being adapted from the longest book). Hopes of winning the Quidditch Cup have been replaced by woes like government corruption, distorted media spin, and the casualties of war. As the themes have matured, so have the primary characters' acting abilities. Ron (Rupert Grint), Hermione (Emma Watson), and especially Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) are more convincing than ever--in roles that are more demanding. Harry is deeply traumatized from having witnessed Cedric Diggory's murder, but he will soon find that this was just another chapter in the continuing loss he will endure. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned and, in an attempt to conceal this catastrophe from the wizarding public, the Ministry of Magic has teamed up with the wizard newspaper The Daily Prophet to smear young Potter and wise Dumbledore (Michael Gambon)--seemingly the only two people in the public eye who believe the Dark Lord has returned. With no one else to stand against the wicked Death Eaters, the Hogwarts headmaster is forced to revive his secret anti-Voldemort society, the Order of the Phoenix. This welcomes back characters like Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), kind Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), fatherly Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), and insidious Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), and introduces a short list of intriguing new faces. In the meantime, a semi-psychotic bureaucrat from the Ministry (brilliantly portrayed by Imelda Staunton) has seized power at Hogwarts, and Harry is forced to form a secret society of his own--lest the other young wizards at his school be left ill-equipped to defend themselves in the looming war between good and evil. In addition, Harry is filled with an inexplicable rage that only his Godfather Sirius seems to be able to understand. This film, though not as frightening as its predecessor, earns its PG-13 rating mostly because of the ever-darkening tone. As always, the loyal fans of J.K. Rowling's books will suffer huge cuts from the original plot and character developments, but make no mistake: this is a good movie. --Jordan Thompson |
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| ♥♥♥♥♥ | Entertaining |
| If you're a die hard, cutthroat Harry Potter fan, then the motion picture adaption of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" will raise quite a few flags. Much was cut out due to time constraints and to appeal to a wider audience, instead of only the "fans" of the book series.
However, that is not to say that the film adaption of the 5th book in the Harry Potter series falls along the ranks of box office duds "Super Mario Brothers", or the horribly mistaken "Johnny Mnemonic". "Order of the Phoenix" is a fine film that, while shifting the emphasis of certain parts in the book, creates a captivating film that only falters a few times. Dark dreams ravish Harry Potter in his sleep, dreams of Voldermort's return, and Cedric Diggory's death. In his 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, things are once again taking a turn for the worse. Voldermort has returned, and he is bent on eliminating the one person that can defeat him, Harry Potter. Dark dreams plague Harry's mind. The school comes under fire when a new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher is announced. control of the school is soon wrenched away from Headmaster Professor Dumbledore and into the hands of Ministry of Magic stooge Professor Umbridge, who bans defensive magic in her eager attempt to disable Hogwarts. The students, in rebellion form Dumbledore's Army. Meanwhile Voldermort is amassing his own army... If you're an avid fan or the casual reader, I'm quite positive there is much to enjoy here; if not for the themes then for the amazing picture quality and engrossing audio quality. The video quality is pristine, making every detail, every imperfection stand revealed. Its not really all that big of a deal, but I really enjoy the fact that I can make out the finest detail in every scene. You can see the minute detail on the castle walls, cracks, dents, and the general wear and tear on wood, and the pores and imperfections on the faces of each actor. Again, not a HUGE deal, but 1 more level of ambiance that really makes the film come alive. Colors are vibrant (especially the greens, reds, pinks and blues), the blacks are black (sometimes they get a little too black) and the whites are white. It is a treat alone to admire the amazing video transfer and the awesome audio. "Order of the Phoenix" is by no means a "demo disc", but it will probably turn some heads, especially during the blue screen shots, and the CGI-infused scenes. At times there is a noticeable amount of picture fuzz, mostly on faces and bright special effects, but it is so minute that it doesn't detract from the experience. The audio is excellent, especially if you have a nice surround system. I'm using a cheap RCA one, and it sounds amazing. Lots of bass heavy moments, very reminiscent of movie theater audio quality. The Harry Potter books have translated very well to the silver screen, and these films are a must for the avid Fantasy fan. The acting is of pretty high quality, especially noteworthy since the cast is mostly kids. The one problem with the Harry Potter motion picture film series is that, the only way to truly understand the story arc, you really need to start with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and work your way up. As far as character development in this series, it is constant and ever changing, but the primary groundwork for most of the characters was established in the first three films. "The Order of the Phoenix" doesn't delve too far into any of the main characters, aside from their feelings, and the casual dabbler may get lost in the intertwining story arcs. |
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