Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-11-12
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English, Polish
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 138 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
While many movie franchises slide as they reach their later instalments, the Harry Potter films just keep getting better. The latest, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is easily the darkest of the series to date, and it's also one of the best. For while it could easily have been little more than a holding film to set up the big encounters to come in the last two instalments of the series, it's to the credit of British director David Yates that the end result is really very good.

It finds Harry coming under suspicion from his wizarding colleagues, who don't believe his claims that the evil Lord Voldermort has returned. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix thus finds its title character on the backfoot for much of its running time, with a select band who firmly believe his story, and very powerful figures who don't.

Where the movie of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix excels though is in its three trump cards. Number one is a far tighter script than we're used to with Potter films, which, combined with trump card number two--the aforementioned David Yates behind the camera--cuts much of the slavish loyalty to the text away in favour of a film with real momentum. The third, and best, card though is the casting of Imelda Staunton as Professor Dolores Umbridge, who simply flies away with every scene she's in. It's a superb performance, and the film is poorer whenever she's not on screen.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is not a film without a few problems, certainly: it's a fair criticism that not too much actually happens, and one or two bits feel superfluous. But it overrides its problems with ease, to emerge as a compelling, highly enjoyable family film, which will leave you salivating for the Christmas 2008 release of movie number six in the series. --Simon Brew

Synopsis
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) experiences a bout of teenage angst as he harbours a crush on a fellow-student at Hogwarts. But a strange prophecy reveals itself, and Harry's wizard exams and raging hormones have to remain in the background as he is called into action once again.

Synopsis
Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community has been denied the truth about his recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort. Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort's return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students.
But Professor Dolores Umbridge's Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

Customer Reviews

A successful adaptation of the book
I have read some very derogatory reviews of this film here, which were invariably hugely unfair, as they seem to be from people who cannot bear the thought of the books undergoing editing to make them into manageable films.

The reason I am so impressed with this film in particular was that it makes those changes so effectively. I love the books, and of course if you want the true Harry Potter experience then you should read those rather than watch the films, but I am realistic enough to understand that, with almost any book, there are changes and cuts that need to be made in order for it to work on screen, and I think that to a large extent this film succeeds.

The book upon which this is based is arguably the weakest of the series, it is by far the longest but does not have the clear and direct plot device that the first 4 books have, so the result is that, while it is still a great read, it is definitely a bit too sprawling, and could do with some pruning.

To this end, the filmmakers have taken the longest book of the series, and produced the shortest film of the series so far. To do so without really losing the important aspects of the story is quite an achievement.

David Yates, who came to my attention first as the director of the excellent TV series State of Play, shows a fine grasp of both the dramatic and humourous parts of Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort is back, but the Ministry of Magic is doing its very best to make life difficult for Harry and Dumbledore, because it would much rather live in blissful ignorance than confront the alarming truth. As such, the meat of the story is much darker than the previous ones, as this is no longer just a schoolboy adventure for Harry, but a very serious fight against both an oppresive authority, who try to isolate him from the rest of the wizarding world, and Lord Voldemort.

The Ministry of Magic set is beautifully realised, and the Spanish Inquisition-like robes of the court bring a suitably menacing air to Harry's trial at the start of the film, and sets the tone for the further struggles Harry will face in the film.

The two main plotlines of the film are the Ministry's interference at Hogwarts, and Harry's visions of what Voldemort is doing.

The former plotline involves Dolores Umbridge, of the Ministry, taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, and rapidly initiating a despotic regime, with Ministry approval, of oppression of those who dare to disagree with official policy. Imelda Staunton is quite well suited to the role, but there certainly isn't quite the same air of petty vindictiveness and malevolence about the character as their is in the films, which is perhaps a shame, but the message certainly gets across that she is a very nasty piece of work indeed - and representative of the digraceful attitude of those in power, who are too attached and in love with that power to acknowledge anything that might threaten it.

In an attempt to fight back, Harry, Ron and Hermione start a secret Defence group, where Harry teaches any students who would like to learn how to defend themselves better, as Umbridge refuses to teach them any defensive magic. I think the film captures the sense of rebellion about this group very well, and shows that there is always value in standing up for what is right, even if it may land you in further trouble.

Harry's visions of Voldemort, and his unwillingness to do anything to stop them, eventually lead to the exciting set-piece ending of the film, a magical battle of a scale never seen before in the films at the Ministry of Magic, and again I think the action is handled very well, we do get a sense of the speed and danger of the fight, capped with the tantalising duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort, which again is pretty well done. The scene in which Harry is fighting being possessed is, in my opinion, very moving, and Daniel Radcliffe seems to have improved considerably as an actor for this film.

The acting in general is fine - as I said, I think Radcliffe has improved, Rupert Grint continues to do a good job with his natural comic ability as Ron, but Emma Watson is a bit too hammy as Hermione. Evanna Lynch is convincingly oddball as Luna Lovegood, and I think Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom also gives a creditable performance. The Phelps twins are much better in this one as well, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Weasley twins' chaotic exit from Hogwarts.

Of course, it isn't a perfect film - the problem with converting a series as rich as Harry Potter into films is that you will end up with important characters being reduced to little more than cameos, with no real chance to develop or shine. Dumbledore is probably the most significant character who suffers in this way, as his role and paternal bonding with Harry is no where near as strong in the films as in the books, and the role is underwritten, but it is not a major issue, and his important moments in this film are still handled pretty well.

All in all, this is probably my joint favourite (with Prisoner of Azkaban) film so far, and considering how much better the Prisoner of Azkaban book is to the Order of the Phoenix, that is very high praise. I feel that there are very serious 'adult' themes in this film - the fight for the truth, standing up for what is right, coping with isolation and loss, and that those themes are put across very well. An excellent film.

Brill
Hi i'm the daughter or Corene. I like this film. I think its really gd. Its one of my fave films. My dads fave is the 3rd one.!!
U I would bi it if i was u. If you have little ones then i wouldn't let them watch it by there selths (especislly if it's the first time they have ever watch it). Bi Bi
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I suspect nargals are behind it.
Based on the fifth book in J.K Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, "The Order of the Phoenix" first hit the big screen in 2007. The film opens with the end of the summer holidays approaching, in a playground close to the Dursley family home. Harry and Dudley are enjoying a little verbal sparring, which is unfortunately brought to a sharpish end when a group of Dementors attack the pair. Harry naturally performs the Patronus. However, this leads to a rapidly delivered letter from the Ministry, threatening our young hero with expulsion - although the cavalry, led by Moody and Tonks, aren't long in arriving. Harry is quickly escorted to 12 Grimmauld Place - the ancestral home of the Black family and headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix.

The Order of the Phoenix is a secret society formed by Dumbledore, consisting of people who had fought Voldemort previously. Its members include Mr and Mrs Weasley, Tonks, Professor Lupin, Mad Eye Mooney and Harry's godfather, Sirius. Harry's parents were also members, and Harry is quite keen to join the fight. However, it soon becomes clear there are differences of opinion within the Order on how much Harry should be involved - with his age being only a partial concern. Sirius, naturally, believes Harry should be told everything...however, it appears he's been kept in the dark on Dumbledore's instructions. Still, Harry is relieved to learn the threat of expulsion has been withdrawn - pending a hearing at the Ministry.

It proves to be a tough year for Harry. This year, he's due to sit his OWLs - wizard's exams - so his workload has increased dramatically. Things aren't made any easier by the series of nightmares he suffers from - generally centred around Voldemort. Furthermore, after the events outlined in "The Goblet of Fire", both Harry and Dumbledore are being viewed with scorn by the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet. Neither organisation is willing to believe that Voldemort is back, fully recovered. Therefore, they're attacking anyone who says differently - Harry and Dumbledore are the two biggest targets. (Dumbledore reckons Fudge is anywhere but in his right mind - largely due to fear). As a result, it's barely a surprise that the Ministry decide to interfere at Hogwarts. Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry employee who is devoted to Fudge is appointed to the staff as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She proves to be an absolute nightmare : she loves pink, squeaks a great deal, oozes insincerity and inspires more contempt than even Malfoy. As the year progresses, she increasingly interferes with the running of Hogwarts, and bullying anyone she feels isn't following the party line. Additionally her teaching is woefully inadequate. She believes a purely theoretical approach to the Defence Against the Dark Arts will be sufficient as, she claims, there are no Dark Wizards the pupils need to defend themselves from.

Harry feels a real sense of isolation during the year - Dumbledore appears to be avoiding him, while Hagrid is missing for long stretches. Some of the other pupils feel his claims about Voldemort are making their lives unnecessarily complicated and, at times, he even pushes Ron and Hermione away. In fact, at times his letters to Sirius seem to be his only way of getting things off his chest. However, it's not all bad - he makes some nifty progress on the Cho front, and he also finds a new friend in Luna Lovegood. Luna, played by Evanna Lynch, totally steals the show. Luna is something of a conspiracy theorist and is picked on and gossiped about behind her back. However, for all the apparent ditziness, she occasionally gets things that no-one else does and is quite clever in an un-Hermione sort of way. She's also able to get through Harry's defences and offer him a bit of help and support just when he needs it the most.

Unsurprisingly, given the length of the book, not everything makes it into the film. Despite the fact there are OWLs on the horizon, nobody - not even Hermione - seems to be remotely concerned. There's no Quidditch and a little more time spent on Neville would have been nice. While Harry made big progress with Cho, I thought it odd that the post-mistletoe events were brushed over. However, the film is hugely enjoyable : in addition to Luna, Tonks is gorgeous, Gary Oldman was great as Sirius and Helena Bonham Carter was outstanding in her too-brief appearance as Bellatrix. (Hopefully, we'll get much more in the films to come). Some of the sets are fantastic too : Grimmauld Place is very stylish in a tatty and dusty sort of way, while the Ministry is hugely impressive. Great stuff overall, certainly recommended.