Order of the Phoenix

Well, I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night and must say "I confess myself disappointed." Don't get me wrong when I say that I love the idea of putting words to visuals in the respect that the novels are being put onto film. But, when you transform a book that was over 850 pages to a movie that was two and quarter hours long, you might have some issues. Order of the Phoenix was the five book and movie in a seven part series. It was one of the more darker books in the series, mainly due to the fact that Harry was being possessed by Lord Voldemort the entire book and Harry never knew it. Also because Harry was very emo the entire book, lashing on everyone he could. It also introduced Dolores Jane Umbridge, the evil dictator-like character from the Ministry of Magic sent to look after Hogwarts. The reason being that the Ministry and most of the wizarding world don't believe Harry and Dumbledore are telling the truth of Voldemort's return at the end of the fourth book. The mood of the book was transformed to the movie somewhat well. Harry was full of angst and anger the entire movie, but it really wasn't evident throughout the entire movie. The movie does play on the aspect of Harry feeling like an outsider and alone throughout the book, but most of all, it wasn't that great. I am one that can split myself into the three types of Harry Potter fans. Those who just read the books, those who just watch the movies, and both. I can make myself look at through the eyes of the latter two types and break down the movie to tell you how much it sucked. Which, it really did. For those on the book and movie side, this movie left you feeling blank. The movie cut out a lot of the more fun parts of the movie and left you feeling like you wanted more. This book was massive and their was a lot of subplots to fill the book, but they really didn't focus on any of them. Quidditch was missing, the house-elves weren't there (with the exception of Kreacher, which is interesting on a whole other level), and Harry's true relationship with Cho was missing. There were mentions of Harry wanting Cho and the other way around, but they never really went into detail of why they were together, the whole torn feeling Cho was feeling for Harry, and their eventually (true) breakup. The Department of Mysteries was nonexistent; there were only apparently two rooms there. Dumbledore's Army was there, but it really wasn't explained how they met (the Galleons Hermione created), the challenges of meeting (like Quidditch and other after-school activities), and the eventual demise (which isn't Cho like they said in the movie). There were some good aspects of the movie. The final battle between the Order and the Death Eaters was definitely worth the money. It definitely a great battle between the sides, especially Voldemort and Dumbledore. On the movie only side, I believe those people were the most confused. The other four movies were up-to-par on advancing the plot of the series well, the first and second being the best. The third was great and the fourth was lacking, but still advanced nonetheless. This movie was too fast, didn't allow anyone to gather any information, and was generally confusing. At the end of the fourth movie, you are never really told that Fudge doesn't believe Harry or Dumbledore. The beginning was ok, advancing somewhat smoothly. The dementor attack, the advance guard, and Grimmauld Place were all there, but never explained on why Harry was moved or even where. I think the most confusing part would be why Harry was having dreams throughout the movie. It was explained a little with Snape in his Occlumency lesson, but never explained after. Dumbledore is nonexistant in this movie, but for the most part he was in the book. The Prophecy of Harry and Voldemort was never explained, so those watching the sixth book are going to start out confused. Sirius dying was kind of anti-climatic, since he wasn't shot with Avada Kedavra, but a stunning/disarming charm. That pretty much gave him a way of "coming back" possible. I am ranting on and on. But, on the whole, this movie was bland. It was too fast, tried to teach you too much, and really didn't explain a lot. I was rather disappointed. So, that's all I have to say though.