Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (DVD)

These films are excellent !!! All of them have been successful.
The storyline and plot have been great fun.
A must watch

In modern Hollywood fantasy, black is the new black. The Harry Potter series, which was once as colourful as a Christmas tree, is engulfed in gloom for this, the fifth instalment. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has never seemed so oppressive, and even the tidy suburbs of Little Whinging are haunted by soul-sucking Dementors. This new maturity makes for a spooky atmosphere, but the glum visuals can't hide the fact that not much actually happens.

David Yates' film has the misfortune to be based on the dullest book in the series so far. This is the one where Harry goes all Kevin the teenager, while author JK Rowling pads out her meagre plot with heavy-handed educational satire. The meddling forces of OFSTED - sorry, the Ministry of Magic - are personified by Harry's ghastly new teacher, Dolores Umbridge. Imelda Staunton plays her as a kitsch Torquemada, evil distilled into a doily. Harry's private war with Umbridge forms the bulk of the film, and the story sparks sporadically into life as he defies school rules to give his fellow pupils secret magic lessons. The young stars are as good as they've ever been - Rupert Grint's Ron has finally stopped mugging - and Gary Oldman's delightful Sirius Black shifts the gloaming whenever he appears.

"STEPPING STONE TO LATER, GREATER THRILLS"

Order of the Phoenix is entertaining enough, but it feels like a stopgap, a stepping stone to later, greater thrills. It takes an awfully long time to get going, but fans will be rewarded with an action-packed final third full of duelling wizards, portentous prophecies and Helena Bonham Carter giving plenty of loony as Bellatrix Lestrange.

'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' is the fifth film in the series based on magical books by JK Rowling. Following straight on from the events at the end of The Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger begin their next year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Most of the wizarding community doesn't believe Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore's news that Lord Volemort has returned and has been restored to full power along with his army of Death Eaters. The news is seen as a lie due to The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge who doesn't want to believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back. Fudge feeds false information about Harry and Dumbledore to the Daily Prophet, the main newspaper that is read by most wizarding folk, which makes them believe that Harry and Dumbledore are liars and their stories cannot be trusted.

Fudge also appoints a new Hogwarts Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Delores Umbridge, who steadily begins to take over Hogwarts through the support of the Ministry. Harry, Ron and Hermione immediately dislike Umbridge as she refuses to allow them to discuss the return of Lord Voldemort, and teaches them with no practical lessons. In rebellion of this, and for personal safety against Lord Voldermort and his Death Eaters, Harry begins his own, secret Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons with other Hogwarts students, calling themselves Dumbledore's Army.

The film is an extremely good attempt at capturing the story from the book...for the first half at least. Up until the point where the Room of Requirement is discovered nearly everything is spot-on to the book, then the scriptwriter has seemingly gone off on his own storylines, missing out important plot pieces and characters that are essential to the next book(s). For example (without giving too much away) - the R.A.B. locket!? There are way too many differences to list here.

If, like me, you are a big fan of the Harry Potter books and know the "real" storyline well, this film may come of a bit of a let-down and it will have you commenting "why did they cut that out?" and "why did they change that?" for pretty much the whole second half of the film. Don't get me wrong, this is a very, very good film, maybe the best in the series even and a fantastic addition to the movie saga with some top quality acting, action, sets, comedy and special effects but there is just way too many changes to be able to say it is as good as the book but still a very good attempt at fitting a massive book into two and a half hours. For anyone who has seen the other Harry Potter films and not read the books, this film will probably seem like the best yet.

Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year of studies, only to find that the magical community seems to be in a curious state of denial about his recent encounter with the sinister Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the fifth installment of the popular fantasy film series based on the best-selling books by author J.K. Rowling. Rumor has it that the dreaded Lord Voldemort has returned, but Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) isn't so sure what to make of all the hearsay currently floating around the campus of Hogwarts. Suspecting that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may be fueling the rumors regarding Voldemort's return in order to undermine his authority and lay claim to his job, Fudge entrusts newly arrived Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) with the task of tracking Dumbledore and keeping a protective watch over the nervous student body. The young wizards of Hogwarts will need something much more effective than Umbridge's Ministry-approved course in defensive magic if they are to truly succeed in the extraordinary battle that lies ahead, however, and when the administration fails to provide the students with the tools that they will need to defend Hogwarts against the fearsome powers of the Dark Arts, Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Harry take it upon themselves to recruit a small group of students to form "Dumbledore's Army" in preparation for the ultimate supernatural showdown.

These films are all excellent and i've loved watching them all and i can't wait for the next one but 2009 is a long time to wait ;0(

All of them so far have been a wonderful successful. The storyline and plots have been great fun to follow.

A must watch but for me the books are always gonna be miles better as it feels like while reading them your one of the gang at hogwarts ;0)

But my kids loved the films so thats all that matters to me.

If you were new to the HP story/films this would be extremely confusing. The film is very 'bitty' - no continuity of narrative - just a series of events with HP (Daniel R.) continuously hissing in pain. As we now know the next HP book will be covered in 2 films - this should have been 2 films also to give it justice. They have missed a trick here by condensing it down so much. Special effects and production standards are superb - enjoy - let's hope the next films hang together better.

Harry Potter is my favourite. Read all the books and watched all films. Very good, highly recommended.

Not the usual standard of previous Harry Potter films. Found it a bit slow going, not held to it as in the other series. Hope the next one will be more exciting. Bought this to complete set so far.

Was a good price and a DVD that we wanted for a long time. very quick delivery and in good condition.

I actually was lucky enough to see this at a sneak preview when it come out last year. The "experience" was lousy, but the film was good...IF you take it as a separate entity from the series of books. If you separate the film from the book, you won't be disappointed.

For the negative...there were, of course, MANY things that were omitted from the film. As a huge fan of the books, I still must be realistic. I knew there would be a lot of information left out. There were a few things that I felt could have made the story richer if they had been included, but I won't go into detail so I don't give away any of the film's changes. There were a few changes that made me frown at times, but as the story played out, it did make the film flow well. One of their worst casting decisions, Michael Gambon, was actually tolerable in this one, for the most part. I am NOT a fan of his portrayal of Dumbledore, but I guess he worked for this film simply because, for the majority of the story, he is supposed to be acting somewhat aloof towards Harry. That worked for him. I miss the subtlety that Richard Harris brought to that role, and, while he wasn't dreadful in this one, I still believe that there are countless other well known actors in the UK that could have done this role better justice. There wasn't enough Molly or Hagrid for me though. I love both of those characters.

On a positive note, the special effects were very well done. The thestrals were marvelous--eerie, but strangely peaceful creatures. Evanna Lynch could not have been more spot on as Luna. Her voice, mannerisms and demeanor were amazing. My only complaint about her was that she wasn't on screen enough. :o) Imelda Staunton, as Umbridge, and Helena Bonham Carter, as Bella, have to be two of the BEST casting decisions that they have with regard to these films. They were SO incredible. I was actually quite impressed with Dan, Rupert and Emma as well. They have come quite far in their acting abilities. They have finally achieved the art of saying a lot without necessarily opening their mouths. The scene in the common room following the kiss between Harry and Cho was hysterical. Kreacher and Grawp were great additions to the films. Fred and George's exit was very well done, albeit slightly different. The film, if taken by itself, was really good. Unfortunately, it's a lot different from the book. But, as I'm doing a film review and not a comparison, I'll give it 8 out of 10, because I was highly entertained.

Our "sneak preview" was interrupted in the middle due to a problem with the film, and I think we still missed some of it. We lined up 3 hours before the movie was supposed to begin, it started late, it was interrupted in the middle for over 30 minutes, we were wanded for metal and electronics every time we went in or out...I think we'll just wait until opening week next time. It's crowded, but a lot less trouble.

i thought it was an amazing film as long as i seperated it completly from the books, as soon as i started referencing it to the book i just got completly enraged about the lack of it following J.K. Rolings origonal amazing storyline.

the ongoing saga of harry potter was not disappointing. i waited until i
had peace and quiet so as not to be disturbed and watched the dvd unfold bringin
to life things i had forgotten about in the book.the visual effects were fabulous and the characters maturing with each of their trials and tribulations
deffinately a must see film. i can't wait for the next one

Having bought the other previous dvd's it was only right to own this one too.Personally i wouldn't rate it the best but then you have to see for yourself.

I have not watched the film yet and I am looking forward to doing so,however the seller was exelent! the DVD was still factory wraped and delivered in perfect condition within 48 hours what more can you ask for.

i think this is the best one yet,with more action,excitment and breath taking moves it is a fantastic film and i can not wait for it the next one!!,although they have missed some parts from the book(which you will have to read the book in oder to find out what!!!) lord voldemort is back but the ministry of magic is doing everything they can to keep the wizarding world from knowing the truth,ron hermione convince harry to secretly train a group os students for the war that lies ahead,,can they cope,,prepare for battle!!!! i can watch all the harry potter films over and over and read the books,i really enjoy them and so do the rest of my family!

I bought this dvd for my two teenage sons who are really still into the whole harry potter thing....
This is the film version of the fifth harry potter book...
It has some additional scenes.. the hidden secrets of harry potter in which you explore all the movies in the series to look for clues the the mystery of harry`s true destiny. Plus Nymphadora Tonks, takes you on a personal tour of the set. The dvd run time is 132 mins and carry`s a rating of 12. all in all a great film and value for money too.

The seller was an excellent ebayer, very helpful. The communication was first class, letting me know when they were going to dispatch the item and again when it was dispatched.

The dvd was brand new as stated and I have watched it to check it was as it said in the discription.

I'd highly recommend this ebayer to anyone, and would gladly deal with again.

LIKES: Very dark and a very new interpretation of a very familiar story! Seems much more internal than the previous films, satisfying for those who often crave a more intellectual insight into the characters! Not to mention the excellent story.

DISLIKES: Other than how much of the book was cut out...very little to complain about! I even liked the acting! Daniel Radcliffe has come on in leaps and bounds, especially since Equus. The other two have always been sound.

Brilliant film. This is a must see film. Very exciting and entertaining to watch. If you've seen the other Harry Potter films this is a must see film.

A really great film. completes the series so far. can't wait for the others to come out. Alot of magical effects loks so real.

i had to add the film to the other films in the series,i could not fault the special effects and the darker the series seem to be heading.but i did not find the film as pacey as the last outing in the series.

I rate this as the joint best Harry Potter film. (The other one I particularly like is The Prisoner of Azkaban)
The atmosphere is terrific, there is a real sense of rising tension & paranoia ! The overall standard of acting is excellent, particularly Alan Rickman‘s wonderfully sardonic performance as Snape. All in all a cracking evenings entertainment.

I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan but my daughter is. The film is a 12 certificate and I feel that this is about right as it continues from the Goblet of fire. The story,the characters are quite dark and it is a film you can watch several times and learn something new. It is a must for every Potter fan and leaves you wanting to see the next film.