Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is, by far, my favorite film in the series thus far. Ironically, it is my least favorite book.
The direction of the film is extraordinary. David Yates uses pages from the Daily Prophet to further the plot, and it is a breath of fresh air. And ingenious way to add little tidbits that aren’t worthy of their own scenes, but need to be included. The color scheme really fits, and he manages to get the best performances out of our trio to date. I can’t wait to see what he does with Half-Blood Prince.
Dan, Rupert, and Emma really step it up in this film. Emma no longer acts through her eyebrows, and Dan has learned the art of subtlety. While all of Ron’s great comedic bits are cut, he really manages to portray Ron’s hurt due to Harry’s pushing him away.
The newcomers are amazing. Evanna Lynch is the flesh and blood equivalent of Jo Rowling’s words. I don’t think it is possibly to find a better Luna Lovegood. Her kinship with Harry is very well played out, and I adore Lynch after this film. She’s a real kind.
Imelda Staunton is fantastically evil as Umbridge. Perfectly evil. Her “hem-hem”’s are absolutely spot on. You hate her right from the get go, and the scene where the Weasley twins finally give her what she deserves
I won’t lie: this is NOT a movie for Potter purists. The film moves fast and is missing much of what I considered to be the duller points of the book. However, the end is extremely truncated, and it really takes away from the power of it. I was so looking forward to Dan blowing up in Dumbledore’s office, breaking things and truly using all of his acting chops. All but three lines of the prophecy are missing, and everyone hears it.
However, there is far more good. The scenes with Dumbledore’s Army are brilliant. The montage is exactly what that storyline called for and it is used superbly. Harry’s anguish at being labeled a liar is very well played out. You feel sorry for him, not irritated (Jo Rowling came quite close to making me impatient with Harry’s stubbornness in the book). And the fight at the end and the very serious death are handled well (well, I personally had always envisioned the death differently, but the filmmakers did a nice job nonetheless).
The score is brilliant. While John Williams’s scores will always hold a special place, Nicholas Hooper has surpassed my expectations. Especially with his “Possession” them, which put me this close to crying when its scene takes place.
The special effects, also, are top notch, especially the thestrals. They may look like dragons, which isn’t how they are described, but they are beautifully done nonetheless.
The screenplay, finally, was bearable. Michael Goldberg did a fantastic job of keeping what needed to be kept, and getting rid of what needed to go. He kept in the most memorable lines from the book (many work for word) and as a fan, I really appreciated that. I really hope he is coming back for the sixth installment.
But really, the thing that made this film successful in my eyes was this: it made me like the book more than I had originally! I now want to rush and reread the book because the film made me remember that it wasn’t all narrative and irritating subplots. It is a rich story full of emotion and internal turmoil, and this film captured it beautifully. Had I not been there with my sister…I would have cried several times. I fully intend to see this film many more times before it leaves theaters. However, its release signifies a very hard and real fact: all of this will be over in ten days.