SPOILERS added ;)
Dear Foodies, 
'An ardent fan, a new entry and a perfect stranger to the world of Harry Potter watched the movie together and walked out of the theater falling in love with it' !!Every theater in my neighborhood had a minimum of two special screenings at 12:00am and I am sure all of them were packed. That is the magic of Harry Potter. J.K Rowling created for us this perfectly beautiful parallel world, filled with magic and characters that grip our hearts; the kind that entices everyone from 6 yr olds to 60 yr olds and no matter how many criticize her books the fact that she rekindled the booking reading experience for thousands across the world is no small matter. For a book to be embraced by so many cannot be accounted to plain media hype alone, there is something the story offers to every age group that has endeared it to them.
This movie based on the fifth book is a perfect balance of intense scenes interspersed with light hearted ones capturing the attention of even a non-HP-believer (shudn't they be extinct by now :P) If you have read the book very recently you will find a lot of details skipped and confused with in the movie. A few characters that you thought would look ugly actaully look cute (Dolores Umbridge & Grawp) A few tiny bits of info like Cho's frnd being the tell tale and Dobby helping out in finding the Room of Requirement were not mentioned. And like the other HP fan has mentioned, Malfoy is lost in the crowd. The book is filled with a lot of mischief and funny scenes that are not showcased in the movie. But most of this comes under the microscope only if you read the book very very recently. If its been a while, then you will know all the main plots were covered.
One other thing that I thought was a blaring mistake was Sirius's death being downplayed. The book dedicated a few pages to it and it was a poignant tale of a devastated Harry and it left you depressed at the end of it. The movie on the other hand has a 'feel good' end. But all this I think is justified with the way the rest of the movie was handled. The tiny bits were left out since they would have involved a lot more character introductions and storyline connections with the previous movies. A HP fan would love it...but everyone else would be left out, so I think it was a wise decision to let go a few things. There has to be an advantage for reading the book right :)
Now for the good things :) The antics of the Weasley twins have been beautifully handled and played perfectly by real-life twins James and Oliver Phelps . They make you cheer them through their rebellion :) The director also made sure that he does not dwell much into lengthy details, making the movie appealing even to a total stranger and yet not being disloyal to the ardent fans, now that is a commendable task. Each character was perfectly etched and actors artfully picked to play the roles. Dolores Umbridge is one of the new characters introduced in this book, perfectly played by Imelda Staunton in the movie. She will fill you with spite against her by the end of the movie and you will wish you could harm her. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a very fast paced movie that gradually but surely makes you to hope that the movie never comes to an end !! I could go on and on about the movie, but you guys need to watch it yourself ! So get you tickets right now :)
Go watch the movie and come back here to tell me what you think about it, even if you don't like it (gasp!!) My suggestion 'Don't read the book to refresh your memory before you watch the movie ! Enjoy the movie for what it is and let the Director tell you the story. You will love the movie :)
Another HP fan's review here.
10 thoughts:
non-HP-beleiver, extinct..haha.. Looks u enjoyed every bit. Will go and watch it :)
I am posting this comment even b4 reading the post (am thinking.. have u revealed anything that should be a surprise!!??) ..
am going for the movie on my _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!! though I have read this book maybe half a dozen times, i am VERY eager to see the movie!!
Hi Priya,
You certainly seemed to have enjoyed the movie. Personally, I liked the last movie the best(Goblet of Fire). I think the main reason for my disappointment was probably because the book was still fresh in my mind(I "revised" the whole series for the *ahemm* fifth time a little over a week ago). I also beilieve I have a very wild imagination and that makes the book come alive in my mind (while reading it) with such clarity that anything less is bound to disappoint me.
And by the way, I totally agree that non Harry Potter fans should be extinct by now! :)
Great review Priya...I just saw this today and loved it too... Harry sure has grown up, eh? :) . My one gripe with the movie was the casting of Umbridge actually, isn't she supposed to look like a toad? She was too pretty if you ask me, but totally hateable nevertheless. Oh and the Cho-Harry romance was totally downplayed, and it was her friend who betrayed DA, not Cho... ok, let me shut up now... :)
You must watch it Suganya and you also have to come back to tell me your views :D
No spoilers here Manasi, infact with all the books out I don't think there is scope for a spoiler :P and Have a wonderful b------y ;) the movie will surely be a treat :)
I did enjoy the movie Nabeela! I had made it a point not to refresh my memory by reading the book :D No 2hr movie can express everything the book narrates,the book is in a different plain altogether. This movie was a perfect summarization of the movie. The director dealt with all the main points n saw to it that some one even vaguely familiar with HP could enjoy the movie. A few points did get lost in the screenplay but I don't think anything of major importance was left out. And for the imagination part, I was disappointed in the first movie itself with the way the Great Hall was shown, I had something even more magical in my mind. I nearly live thru the situations created in any book I read :)) In this movie I loved the Family tree painting in Grimauld Place, it was just like how I imagined it :D
Now I can't wait to read the final book...
Yup, Umbridge shud have looked like a toad Sig, but with the way Imelda played the role the character looked a lot more uglier :))The Cho-Harry relation was surely downplayed and so was Sirius's death I must say. The book was a lot more poignant and ended in a slightly depressing tone, the movie on the other hand has a mellow 'feel good' ending. The members of the Order also were not introduced well as done in the book. So there are loopholes, but on the whole I think it was a perfect summary. The Weasley Twins are my absolute favorites and their exit was fantastic.I think the best part is when my roomie who is not much in HP dint feel left out and actually wants to read the books now.
Thank you guys for indulging me in HP talk, I was bursting with enthu to discuss it with other HP fans :D
It was a pleasure reading others views on it too...thank you for starting this discussion!
Great one Priya! I am an ardent fan of the HP series and am eagerly waiting for July 21st for the last book!
Hey Priya.. I watched the movie yday and I was quite impressed. I agree with you that Sirius' death being underplayed. The book was more scary in most places and I think the director underplayed most of them purposefully for the PG-13 certification. Also, the reason for Voldemort's quest is not properly justified. Even Neville's character is underplayed. There was only Harry in the movie. But nevertheless, I enjoyed it
watched the movie on saturday and myself and noel enjoyed it thoroughly, the best ever!!
Man, its so great to know someone is as huge an HP fan as meee!!!!
I clicked on this post even before seeing anything else:) Sorry, I'll go through your food now:)
-Mansi
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