OK for kids 12+
Riveting fifth movie finds Harry angry, brooding.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that even kids who can't read know about Harry Potter, and some kids who are too young for the content will want to see this fifth Potter movie (which is especially well timed, since the seventh -- and final! -- book hits bookstores July 21). As has been the case with each succeeding movie, as the central characters have gotten older and taken on bigger challenges, the themes darken, the danger becomes more intense, and the climatic battle scenes with "You Know Who" and his minions are downright frightening. Spoiler alert: There's a very upsetting (but bloodless) death of someone near and dear to Harry. As a result, he grows even more introspective and angry. At the very least, he does enjoy his first kiss (no spoiler to Potterheads), and Ron and Hermione continue their flirtatious bickering.
- Families can talk about the movies' increasingly mature themes as Harry grows into a full-blown adolescent. Why is Harry so angry? Do you think Harry and his friends act and feel like real teenagers? Also, even though this movie and the last one are rated PG-13, they're heavily marketed to younger kids -- do you think that's OK, or are the later movies too scary for little kids? Potterheads: What parts of the book were best depicted in the film? What got left out that you would have included? What scenes included heavy foreshadowing of things to come?
The good stuff
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Messages: Harry's friends bravely agree to practice defensive spells to help him ward off Voldemort and his evil cohorts. In particular, Ron and Hermione refuse to let Harry go up against 'You Know Who' alone. Harry, his friends, and the Order of the Phoenix members act in a courageous, selfless manner. The movie's key lessons are that it's your choices and the actions you take that define you and that friends, family, and love make you more powerful than even the strongest evil.
What to watch for
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Violence: Scary images of Dementors, Death Eaters, and Lord Voldemort. Angry centaurs drag a character away. Professor Umbridge severely punishes Hogwarts students using a method that feels a lot like torture. A character is attacked by a large snake, with somewhat bloody results. The depiction of the battle at the Department of Mysteries is intense, and one key character is killed (though not in a gory way). Harry is painfully inhabited by the Dark Lord; he is also very angry during much of the movie.
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Sex: Harry and Cho kiss; Ron and Hermione continue their thinly veiled flirtation through bickering and glancing at each other.
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Language: The word "bloody."
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Consumerism: No product placements, but the film franchise includes a ton of merchandising deals, toys, and other tie-ins.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Harry and his friends meet in a run-down pub in Hogsmeade, but they don't drink anything.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
I heart Harry by nfernstrom2001
Even though I read the book and knew what was going to happen I was still on the edge of my seat most of the movie!
5
hary potter and the order of the phoenix by nasnan
fans who have not yet read the book will most likely be thrilled by the latest harry potter film. those who have read the book, however, will not. you cannot deny that the effects were fantastic, and the visuals were quite beautiful, but the story suffered in it's transition from book to screen. from beginning (the lack of a howler sent to the dursleys addressed the petunia) to end (the meaning of a prophecy fully explored), important events that shape the next book/movie were chopped and squished to fit neatly into 2 hours and eight minutes. i do not doubt that some may wish to pick up the book after seeing this film, to have many parts better explained, or to have a chance to become emotional over events that were flown through so quickly, you weren't quite certain they actually transpired. but despite everything, it is a movie everyone will be able to enjoy on some level. the casting was wonderful, especialy in the cases of luna, umbridge, and bellatrix. a must see for all fans.
5
good by tamney88
I think it was a gret movie. I am a pretty big harry potter fan and the movie was quite good. I am waiting for harry potter and the half-blood prince and for harry potter and the deathly hollows to come out. This is a must see movie but to intense for ages under 11 i would say
5
order of the phoenix review by fivestrngfreek
Absolutely amazing. the movie did Rowling's novel justice. Tthe special effects were awesome, the film score was moving in a way much more than that of Goblet of Fire, and the color palette of the film was fantastic. I also liked how the actors have grown into their characters, all three of the main characters are absolutely fabulous in their roles. This film and "Prisoner of Azkaban" are by far the best in the series, and I probably enjoyed this one more simply because the kids are more grown up, and their world is becoming a much more dangerous place to be. Awesome, AWESOME film.
5
thrilling by ththomas1103
Unlike many, I have actually read all the Harry Potter books. Different from the other movies, I felt this one included more of the book and didnt leave people who havent read the book guessing throughout the whole movie. (Muchlike HP and Goblet of Fire) I would reccomend this movie to anyone and truly think it is a must-see.
4
Best Potter Film Yet by magaloops
David Yates is a brilliant director, as shown in this new Harry Potter movie. He picked up the pieces, left by three other directors and made a fabulous film that (in my opinion) is the best Potter film yet. The death eaters were frightening, the acting was more realistic, and the story made sense. Even if you had never read the book, you still would have known what was going on. This movie has you hooked through the whole thing and never leaves you thinking "huh? what was that supposed to be?" like some of the other films. This being said, you still have to remember that this is a movie based off of a book (the longest book in the Potter series), so of course it leaves things out. I am a very big Harry Potter fan, but I was not disappointed with the things Yates chose to leave out. This is the only Potter film that follows the theme of the book so well that you don't need to know every detail of the book in order to follow the plot of the movie.
5
The Best Yet! by badazbidness
This movie was the best harry potter film that has hit the scene. The film focused on the book better than the last two. Every one expects the movie to be exactly like the book. It's impossible. Things must be taken out to insure good timing and less confusion. The only big things that were not in the movie was Dobby the house elf (him finding the room of requirement) and when harry went into the department of mysteries (there were a lot of rooms that were in the book but not in the movie); there was also no Quidditch and the setting was twisted in some places. But I must say that even though there were many book facts left out, it did not do as nearly as much damage to the book as the Goblet of Fire did(Goblet of Fire movie was the worst out of the series). Other than that the movie was quite amazing and entertaining. I would say the battle between Dumbledore and Voldermort was a the greatest part of the movie. Warner Bros. really out did themselves with this soon to be classic.
5
Very Enjoyable. BUT MOVIES ARE NOT BOOKS. by mas3778
If you want every word and every scene on the screen; all the HP movies would be between 5-15 hours long. Think of the movie as yet another kind of telling of this story. There is the book and there is a movie; never shall the two be equal. ........For a movie of HP, it was wonderfully enjoyable. Fast, smart, the important characters were given time to develop. I felt like the school was real and the students felt like actual teenagers. ....The movie is just one version of the story of HP. They did not destory the book. You can read the story and enjoy it all over again.
2
Not All I'd Hoped by kdittman
It was a poor stand alone movie and if you haven't read J.K. Rowling's HP: TOOTP don't see the film until you do. For the many new characters the development was poor. The transitions between events were very abrupt. Too many things were left out for non-readers to really know what was going on, for ex. Kreecher the house elf roaming through the house grumbling to himself,talking to the painting of Sirius' mother. The painting was behind a curtain so the audience never sees her or knows who she is and she's not even shouting, only someone who's read the book would even know what that scene was, so it's basically wasted space. The Weasley brother's dropping out of school, although entertaining, didn't live up to Rowling's version at all and was one of the very few joyous moments from the book that made it into the movie. No Quidditch! The other HP movies always had a good balance between the highs and the lows, this one is all emotional lows. The SFX were good at least. Disappointing.
4
This was a tough book to adapt! by thngwhtsqks
Of all the HP books, this was the toughest adaptation IMHO because it is so long and so episodic, this one book would actually work as it's own miniseries. Bearing that in mind, I think they took the key elements and made an enjoyable workable movie that holds true to the spirit of the book and beautifully depicts key scenes like the Ministry of Magic battle. Maybe I'm even in love with this movie simply for how much better it is than "Goblet of Fire," which made horrible choices - could it have killed them to spend a little more time bringing us in to the movie by doing an actual Quidditch scene? OotP the movie nicely moves along the greater story-arc and brings us the supremely nasty yet disgustingly cute Dolores Umbridge. Dobby and Winky may be missing, and Barty Crouch Jr. may be a bizarre Dr. Who with a snake-tongue move that drove me nuts, but it's still worth seeing and even owning for fans and newcomers alike.