Film Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Part 3

We’re at the halfway mark now and things are getting very dramatic now. Also, as you’re reading this I’m going to be in Edinburgh, getting all dressed up and having my photo taken for my graduation. Truth be told, I’m feeling quite nervous about this and way more exciting about the prospect of letting my hair down and playing around with my camera at Edinburgh Zoo tomorrow. So as you’re reading this review today, think non-tripping thoughts for me making my way across the stage!

Last week we left Harry and Cho kissing in the Room of Requirement which was fun, so this time things are getting more serious to keep the balance right. Mr Weasley gets seriously injured, Christmas happens, Deatheaters escape and Umbridge is onto Dumbledore’s Army!

81. Ron and Hermione’s discussion with Harry about the snogging is great. I know it’s taken from the book, but it plays out so well in the film. ‘Emotional range of a teaspoon’ is a brilliant line, and I love all the natural laughter after it.

82. But we can’t be happy for too long, so we have a little break for some more visions. This time a wee bit clearer. Oh look, it’s Mr Weasley and he’s being attacked.

83. McGonagall looks so worried about Harry.

84. They’ve toned down Shouty!Harry quite a bit in the film from the book. I think it gives moments like when Harry shouts at Dumbledore to ‘Look at me!’ a bit more impact.

85. In the book doesn’t Harry get whisked off the Grimmauld Place at the same time as all the Weasleys? Not complaining about getting to see a little bit more of Snape and I guess it does kind of make more sense to go straight into having these lessons right away to help Harry block out Voldemort.

86. I miss the trip to St. Mungo’s in this film, that was always one of my favourite bits in the book, especially seeing Lockhart again.

87. I always like the Christmas interludes, Christmas is magical enough and then they add actual magic.

88. Hermione is just kind of randomly spending Christmas with the Weasley’s without any explanation.

89. Fred and George have got Doctor Who scarves!

90. It’s sweet how Mrs Weasley calls Mr Weasley ‘Daddy’ in front of the children. Like she’s done it so long that she just can’t stop, even though all the children are growing up.

91. Mr Weasley’s toast to Harry, without whom [I] would not be here – yeah, because he was the snake attacking you!!!

92. Wish we could’ve gotten to see a little bit more of Kreacher. I miss the scenes at the beginning with them clearing out the house. It really would’ve set things up for the next film a little bit better.

93. I love the family tree tapestry. I’d quite like to have one of those myself. Nice little nod to have Helena Bonham Carter’s face shown as Bellatrix, can’t say I’ve ever paid much attention to that before.

94. Funny to hear Harry talking about how angry he is all the time, compared to Book!Harry you’re not that bad.

95. Love Sirius talking to Harry about good and bad/light and dark and choosing to act on those choices. Reminds me of The Lord of the Rings.

96. When Hermione says time to go does that mean they’re actually going back to Hogwarts on Christmas Day? Or has Christmas been delayed for them because Mr Weasley was in hospital and that’s why they’re doing presents now?

97. Proper family, Sirius? Oh dear. I hate knowing how this film ends.

98. Hogwarts looks so cool from above. I love the courtyard bit that we only just started seeing from the third film.

99. Random comment: I like Hagrid’s windows. They seem to be made up of bits of someone else’s windows. Perhaps they’re former school windows which were broken by students.

100. Umbridge kind of threatens Hagrid, liked it in the book when she just stubbornly refuses to understand him.

101. And now the Deatheaters want to recruit the giants and it’s not worked out so well for Hagrid seeing as he’s all beaten up. Looks like Hagrid’s crockery comes from Central Perk.

102. Lots of foreboding with wind blowing and clouds getting all dark and foreshadowy. Is that not a word? It should be.

103. And now we see Bellatrix licking her Dark mark and laughing… yep, she’s crazy.

104. Oh look, a whole bunch of Deatheaters have been released, let’s pin that on Sirius Black as well. Wizarding law enforcement leaves a little to be desired, doesn’t it.

105. More funky Daily Prophet pages. Someday I’m going to try pausing it to make out more of the headlines on the pages.

106. At least this seems to prompt a change of heart from Seamus. Now he believes Harry. We don’t get to see what Harry’s response to this is.

107. Nice little moment between Harry and Neville which basically gives us the information we would’ve gotten if they’d done the St Mungo’s scenes. It’s sweet to see both boys looking at the photo of their parents in the original Order of the Phoenix and reflecting on them. I’d still have rather gone to St Mungo’s and seen Lockhart again, though perhaps it’s better for it to look the way it does in my head when I read the book rather than having them do it in the film and changing the way I see it.

108. Like to see what Patronuses (Patroni?) everyone conjures up. Ginny’s got a horse, Hermione’s got her otter, Ron seems to have a dog, Luna a hare/rabbit. I can’t remember how many of these are mentioned in the book. I remember Hermione’s making it in. I think your Patronus must be a bit like you Daemon in His Dark Materials.

109. I like how Luna’s Patronus takes a moment longer than everyone else’s to disappear, it kind of highlights how she’s not quite as with it as everyone else.

110. And now Umbridge is breaking in to the Room of Requirement, and making quite a mess of it in the process. Not sure I’d noticed them pinning it on Cho Chang before, clearly I don’t pay much attention. I prefer the book way of it being her friend, but this kind of serves to split up Harry and Cho just as effectively.

111. Nice to see Percy back in this film. He’s smarmy and annoying even when he’s not saying anything.

112. Dumbledore takes full responsibility for Dumbledore’s Army. Siegfried, I mean Fudge, orders him to be taken to Azkaban, because that’s worked out so well for them recently.

113. I like that Fawkes takes Dumbledore away instead of relying on Kingsley Shacklebolt to cause a diversion and Kingsley’s commenting on the fact that Dumbledore’s got style.

114. And now things are very different at Hogwarts as Umbridge has taken over. We get lots of gloomy music letting us know this with pictures being taken down, more rules being enforced and the whole of the DA in detention scratching words into their hands. Umbridge looks on in a sort of throne being generally evil.


Next up Hermione gets a new admirer (Krum’s got competition), Snape’s teaching technique is almost as bad as Umbridge’s, and two of the Weasley’s decide to leave Hogwarts for bigger and more exciting things.