So, here are my first impressions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the Movie.
Great, rocking movie but no longer for little kiddies. The overall acting in this movie is great and Daniel puts on a very angry and frustrated Harry, just like in book 5. Outstanding performances by the entire adult cast. They have clearly all grown into their characters.
Alan Rickman is Snape the way we like him, sarcastic and velvety voiced. The way he faces Dolores is breathtaking. Imelda Staunton is Dolores Umbridge in a very sadistic way. I shivered when I saw her sitting in that chair enjoying the torture of the lines being written into the hands of DD’s Army.
Gary Oldman is sweet as Sirius. Ralph Fiennes is very scary as Voldemort, especially dressed in a nice handtailored Muggle-suit with tie!
I would have loved to see more of Helena Bonham-Carter as the sexy but utterly crazy Bellatrix.
The real revelation of this movie concerning acting is Evanna Lynch. She truly is Luna Lovegood. Loved her voice, her attitude, her sweetness… all of it.
And then of course we have the performance by Jason Isaacs. He makes Lucius Malfoy hot hot hot!!!
Softly spoken, upper-class gentleman and pureblood, he gives you the impression of being a softly natured pleasant guy, while at the same time you can feel his murderous heart bubble in his chest. Scary and sexy all the way. I loved the way he sweetly persuades Harry into handing over the Prophecy at the Ministry of Magic. And the leather outfit is indeed great on his body.
The SFX of the movie are impressive without being over the top. The battle in the Ministry is very action-driven and the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort is breathtaking.
Overall I give this movie 4 stars on 5. David Yates did a great job of the most difficult book to film so far in the series. Be warned: the movie is dark and very, very adult and prooves that the story has now evolved into serious adult stuff. Life in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in his 5th year has become harsh and grimy real.
