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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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Our Lady Has Left the Building

15:41 / 07.08.07

Has no-one really seen this?

I thought it was acebrill. Definitely the second-best of the films, after Prisoner of Azkaban, Gary Oldman put in a great performance as Sirius, I am disappointed that Tonks and Lupin had so little to do, as they do even less in the following two books. The whole concept of the Order of the Phoenix rather fell by the wayside after the first twenty minutes.

On the downside, a few bits of ropey acting, the girl playing Luna was fairly bad, though the character would be quite a difficult one to get right, but she sounded as though she were trying to do an ethereal voice and just hadn't got it. Helena Bonham-Carter however has no excuse and should be arrested for crimes against her profession, I think even James Lipton would tell her she was shit in this.

Keith, like a scientist

16:10 / 07.08.07

The Luna actress is actually exactly like that. She talks that way in real life. It's kind of scary.

I quite enjoyed it, but thought the final sequence could have been much better. The Voldemort/Dumbledore duel amounted mostly to jets of light hit each other. It was much more interesting as written.

Helena...yeah, she was a bit odd, but she got the character pretty well.

Overall, I thought it was a bit on the lean side. If I hadn't read the book, I'm not sure it would have made much sense, given how much they skipped over, plot-wise.

17:00 / 07.08.07

I quite enjoyed it, but thought the final sequence could have been much better. The Voldemort/Dumbledore duel amounted mostly to jets of light hit each other. It was much more interesting as written.

I think, the end sequence failed, because it got a special cinematic treatment: HP5 has screenings at the IMAX, and they advertise it "with the end fight being in 3D". So those sequences fall flat in the 2D theatre.

I also liked the movie, especially since HP5 is my least favourite book, and they made the best of this bloated novel. Imelda Staunton stole pretty much every scene and her kitten infested office made my eyes bleed. But with every movie since the third one, I wonder if people who didn´t read the novel understand what´s going on.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

19:05 / 07.08.07

I was wondering about that. Sirius' death seemed very flat, I'm not sure that it's entirely clear in the film that he dies, Bellatrix's line is muffled and someone that doesn't know the story might just assume that Sirius has fallen backwards through an archway and vanishes.

Kali, Queen of Kitteh

20:45 / 07.08.07

Thank you!!! When I read about Sirius' death in the book, it was heart-wrenching, but seeing it onscreen, it lacked the emotional impact I was hoping it would have.

Sadly, I think rank this one as my least favourite of all them and that worries me.

17:21 / 17.08.07

the girl playing Luna was fairly bad

Oh I actually quite liked her! On the whole I think the casting in the HP films generally has been their strongest point. The CGI often bores me, and as has already been mentioned the plot is often a bit confused because the books are so bloated (why did they stop editing her writing?!), but I always enjoy watching the cream of the British acting world putting on silly costumes and really getting into it all (Michael Gambon, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, and as many commentators have said, Imelda Staunton was brilliant). And the kids, all of them, including Luna and Neville, are just so much the characters for me now that they are who I see when reading the books - never had quite that cross-over of book and movie in my head before. Usually the two versions are in deep conflict in my head, with the book winning.

05:50 / 18.08.07

I saw the girl who played Luna in interview before I see the movie andhave to agree - she didn't act in the slightest. She really is like that, and I liked her very much. Ayanami?

06:46 / 18.08.07

Thanks Seth, for the image of Luna Lovegood limbs and heads floating in a tank full of red goo.

12:27 / 18.08.07

I was excited for this movie, but not terribly excited, as I'm not a HP book fan, but a HP movie fan. I had heard the climax was incredible in terms of visual....

Too bad this movie was boring. I was so disappointed that some of the greatest living actors were given so little to do in this movie and we got to watch the horrible acting skills of Daniel Radcliffe, et al. Imelda Staunton was awesome in her role, so deliciously evil. Scenery-chewing almost, like she understood that this is ridiculous.

I haven't read the book, but I hope there was more plot that moved the overall story forward, cause in the movie, there's about three things that actually move the overarching plot forward: the vague death of Sirius, the exposure of Voldemort, and the reveal of the prophecy. Otherwise, nothing happens in this movie. The status quo is practically reset at the end!

Sirius was the best character in this movie and his death meant absolutely nothing in the movie. It was horribly staged. It lacked any emotional bite whatsoever and when HP gets all mad and Lupin holds him back, the cliche of no audio is used.

What happens between Harry and Cho Chang is tedious. In fact, to figure out what's happening between them, Hermione has to tell the audience?!!?! I'm not sure how important Cho is in the book, but I'm sure it wasn't spelled out by Hermione.

The action sequences weren't long enough. I waited through shit acting and clunky dialogue expecting to have my socks blown off and when there is action, it lasted five minutes.

I had high hopes for this, and they were dashed against the rocks so expertly. This pales in comparison to the third HP and to a lesser extent, the fourth.

Also, I'm exhausted with critics proclaiming that each HP is "the darkest one yet!" SHUT UP!

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