Product Description

Lord Voldemort has returned but few want to believe it. In fact the Ministry of Magic is doing everything it can to keep the wizarding world from knowing the truth - including appointing Ministry official Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. When Professor Umbridge refuses to train her students in practical defensive magic a select group of students decides to learn on their own. With Harry Potter as their leader these students (who call themselves "Dumbledore's Army") meet secretly in a hidden room at Hogwarts to hone their wizarding skills in preparation for battle with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. . New adventure - more dangerous more thrilling than ever - is yours in this enthralling film version of the fifth novel in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. A terrifying showdown between good and evil awaits. Prepare for battle!Running Time: 138 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY/FANTASY UPC: 012569593268 Manufacturer No: 1000014849

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #174 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2007-12-11
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 139 minutes

Amazon.com
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 Hopes of winning the Quidditch Cup have been replaced by woes like government corruption, distorted media spin, and the casualties of war.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

Customer Reviews

Does not deliver
I was recently on a plane in which I was not tired and didn't have anything to read. Thus, I had to determine what to do with three free hours. I decided the in-flight movie, Harry Potter #5, would help me get through the flight.

In this installment, Harry Potter is getting a bad rap because no one believes Big V is really back. Hogwarts gets an obnoxious new headmaster, who rubs most people the wrong way. Harry starts teaching his own "Defense Against the Dark Arts" classes, which basically consists of telling people how to point their wands, say the magic words and have enough confidence that it works (does magic work on faith?).

The movie succeeded in helping pass the time, but not much more beyond that. The characters are not very believable or sympathetic. For me, it's hard to get very excited about a storyline where all problems can be solved with magic. I know this puts me in the minority, since most people think Harry Potter and friends are the bomb, but I just don't care about them. Granted, the books are a much better read (and I have not read this particular book) than the movies are to watch, but I can't really recommend this to anyone who isn't already an avid HP fan.

VERY INTENSE
The world of Harry Potter has changed considerably from the 1st film. Gone is the light hearted wizardry and magic and in is the dark challenges and sorrow. Harry Potter continues in this film to endure tradgedy oafter tradgedy but somehow is able to go on. An inner strength that picks him up time and time again. In this installment Harry takes action. He teaches his fellow students self defense after the ministry of magic goes into denial about voldemort. Harry and Dumbledore are seen in a different light because the wizard community will not accept the fact the he who can not be named is back. Harry and his fellow students havea showdown with voldemort with dumbledore again to his aid. But again Harry faces loss. In the end he learns that he and voldemort can not exist as long as the other lives. His tragic life seemingly hopeless and filled with despair but Harry manages to rise above it all.

Dark "Phoenix" captures essence of fifth Harry Potter story
Many arm-chair quarterbacks have slammed David Yates' turn at the helm of the "Harry Potter" franchise, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." These killjoys need to take to heart Anton Ego's soliloquy on criticism at the end of Pixar's "Ratatouille" and remember how hard it is to create something, but how easy it is to criticize.

This is by far the most difficult adaptation of Ms. Rowling's beloved series of novels. "Phoenix" is the darkest and longest of the first five novels, easily containing enough material for two films if one took the same stance as Chris Columbus and threw everything from the books into the movies. Yates didn't have that luxury, and so drastic cuts were needed. For devoted fans, this movie likely feels like "highlights from Harry" instead of a true movie, but such is the fate of most film adaptations.

The question is, how good an adaptation is it? For the most part, the movie triumphs brilliantly. Harry is traumatized by Voldemort's murder of Cedric Diggory at the close of "Goblet of Fire," but it seems that only (some) Griffindors and Albus Dumbledore are willing to admit that Voldemort is back. The Ministry of Magic sticks its head in the sand and questions both Harry's and Dumbledore's credibility, leading to a dark analysis in the story of media manipulation and government paranoia.

Not for nothing is there not a single mention of Quidditch in the entire movie.

The acting is all top-notch, particularly from the three kids we've seen grow up before our eyes in this series. The cast of experienced British actors is at their typical excellent best. But the movie is practically stolen from our favorite heroes by a villain, and not Lord Voldemort. Insead, Imelda Staunton swipes the movie with her evil schoolmarm, Dolores Umbridge. This lady says more about evil with a polite 'hem-hem' and a glassy stare than any number of foam-mouthed rants by lesser actors - she is a riveting, horrible pleasure to watch.

Special kudos also go out to newcomer Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, Harry's spacy classmate. This moon-unit's a charmer.

The DVD is also chock-full of the usual DVD extras we've grown to appreciate from the Harry Potter series. While nothing rises to the level of Peter Jackson's four-DVD sets for the Lord of the Rings movies, these are excellent additions for the kiddies (lots of games and whatnot).

A must-see for any fan of Harry Potter, although die-hard fans will likely grab their dog-eared copy of "Phoenix" to see what exactly Yates left out.