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Let the Harry Potter Mania commence!

With the movie premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight, we are about to embark on a two-week period (at least) of Extreme Harry Potter Mania, capped off with the release of the seventh and final Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, on July 21. Like many Potter fans, I'm both thrilled to see the film and read the book and saddened that the series is nearly over.

Thankfully, Order of the Phoenix is only the fifth installment, so there are two movies to look forward to after this one. In Phoenix, Harry and his friends are in their fifth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Harry is suffering from some bad publicity (to say the least) after the death of his classmate Cedric in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately, most people don't seem to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, and Harry's attempts to convince them fall on largely deaf ears. Stymied by bureacratic red tape, he begins training his classmates to fight against the dark arts, forming a secret extracurricular group called Dumbledore's Army.

The reviews of the movie have been pouring in all week, and so far it's getting generally positive reviews. Here's what some of them have to say:

According to the Village Voice: "The director, David Yates, brings an energy and efficiency to Potter Land — this is the series' fastest-moving (and, at a mere 139 minutes, shortest) installment — and infuses the heretofore storybook atmosphere with a grittiness that's as startling to our senses as it is to young Mr. Potter's." The Voice also detects a whiff of allegory in the film: "This is, after all, a movie in which ineffectual bureaucrats refuse to acknowledge an imminent threat to their people — and their power. Make of that what you will."

USA Today, like nearly all of the film's reviews, gushes about British actress Imelda Staunton, who plays Professor Dolores Umbridge: "Staunton brings her own disquieting flourishes to the part, as well as superb comic timing."

Rolling Stone praises the director, "the lesser known David Yates, behind such British TV dramas as Sex Traffic and State of Play, who truly raises the bar with this fifth installment. There's a new humanity to the story now."

Rolling Stone also gives props to the young actors: "One of the joys of this film is watching Daniel Radcliffe, 17, grow so impressively into the role of Harry. ... Among Harry's core group, Emma Watson paints a striking portrait of emerging womanhood as Hermoine Granger. And blimey if Rupert Grint doesn't storm the barricades of boyishness to find something emergent, touching and vital in Ron Weasley."

The New York Times calls it "a sleek, swift and exciting adaptation" and "a tense and twisty political thriller," but says that it still doesn't compare to the books themselves: "Perhaps by design, the films never quite live up to the books. This one proves to be absorbing but not transporting, a collection of interesting moments rather than a fully integrated dramatic experience."

In one of the less positive reviews, Roger Ebert bemoans the growing adulthood of the series: "My hope, as we plow onward through 'Potters' Nos. 6-7, is that the series will not grow darker still. Yet I suppose even at the beginning, with those cute little mail-owls, we knew the whimsy was too good to last."

Personally, I enjoyed the whimsy of the earlier books but have also really enjoyed the growing darkness of the series; the drama and intrigue are part of what makes the Harry Potter series so memorable and re-readable.

I'm also taking the next two weeks as an excuse to fully engage in all the Pottermania I care to. That's right, maybe I'll even read some Hermione fan fiction! To get me started, I recently took The Ultimate Harry Potter Personality Quiz, which I have mixed feelings about. It's fun and slick and full of flash, but it also seems to be written by teenage boys with an Asian fetish. Nonetheless, I persevered and the results actually made me feel pretty good: I'm Ginny Weasley!

Last but not least, here's a behind-the-scenes video about making the film:

What do you think about Order of the Phoenix? Are you seeing it tonight or this weekend? And how many other Ginny Weasleys are out there?

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  • MsWoo's picture

    seeing it tomorrow

    can't wait! :D

     

    I too came up Ginny
    perfectflaw75's picture

    Blimey! I'm Harry

    ... according to the personality test.

    I'm not going to see Order of the Phoenix this week, but a friend and I agreed on waiting a little longer so the movie theaters won't be bursting with screaming little kids.

    The only thing I can say for now is: WTF happened to Cho's hot sexy Scottish brogue?! 

    _ _ _ _ _

    "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." (Dr. Seuss)

    JenJen567's picture

    YAY I'm a Hermoine Granger

    I saw the movie last night and it was great. Hermoine was adorable and i totally love Tonks. Go see it!
    Robin91's picture

    I'm Harry!

    Not sure whether or not that's good. Anyway. I went to see the movie yesterday at midnight, the very first showing here. It was completely sold out, and the whole atmosphere was great. I absolutely LOVED it. It was SO much better than Goblet Of Fire, they really stuck better to the story this time. Of course, they left some things out that should have been in it (Quidditch, Prefects, etc.) but overall, it was pretty great. 

    One of the things that pissed me off most though, was the fact that they totally underused Tonks. She's one of my favourite characters in the book, and she only had like 2 lines in the movie. She should have gotten a lot more screentime, cause she was actually really cute. Oh well, there's always Emma Watson, who makes my heart melt everytime she's onscreen (I can say that! We're about the same age).

    Clonchi's picture

    just me?

    I also loved Tonks in the book, she was awesome, and when I saw that first scene where they go to Little Whinging, my jaw dropped to the floor. She's just amazing!

    I was very very dissappointed that she only had (I counted them) 4 lines. But I laughed out loud when they entered "Headquarters", and she looked back at Harry and tripped on something. lol.

    I got this huge gay vibe from her, but seeing her kinda hooked on harry, was hilarious.

     Hermione... she's my one true love... I'm sorry, it's skeezy, but I can't help it

    Oh, and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix was sensational... Actually, ALL female characters were great! I HATED Umbridge from the moment I saw her as part of the Wizengamot at Harry's trial... Kudos to Imelda Stauton, she made the character justice, because when I read the book, I wanted to burn every page that even mentioned Dolores Umbridge!

    Anyways, so much to say, and so little space!

    misajingles's picture

    Yeah... Well...

    I'm Draco Malfoy....

    I have no words....

    watchlisarock's picture

    I got Malfoy too.

    i can't disagree or agree with that result.
    kiss_hester's picture

    I'm Dumbledore!

    That's not so bad!:D I love him!

    Anyways, I'm going to the movie tomorrow night. I'm not really the biggest fan, so I haven't been looking forward to the moment for months. But I think this is probably a really good film, so I have to see it. I just want to see all the movies, so I know what everyone is talking about. Ok... I do enjoy them:p
    Doc McG's picture

    How fitting

    I'm Draco Malfoy.

    I'll be putting the moves on Hermione any minute now.

    AngelRocker15's picture

    Harry Potter...

    It was sooo awesome. Went to the Harry Potter Screening a midnight. I'm not a huge follower of it. I haven't really gotten into the books, but my best friend and i had this massive movie marathon yesterday. It took me so long to see how dark each movie get as it goes on. They're so cute as kids. Emma Watson... one word... adorable...
    GertandBernie's picture

    Chhyeah.

    Emma Watson just keeps getting more and more attractive as the films go on. And I can say that skeeze-free, since we're about the same age. Even though I am a bit skeezy.

    I always wanted all the girls in Harry Potter to ditch the guys and go to the wizard's equivalent of Dinah Shore. Hell, they can Expecto my Patronus any time they want. You know they're gay, you just know it.

    ifancy_england's picture

    eww

    im malfoy..damn it hes a bastard!! cant stand him.. that quiz is rigged im not malfoy!!
    TheWeyrd1's picture

    Yea!!! Hermoine Granger!!!

    For once I'm the HOT girl....lol

    ABBAGirl's picture

    love tonks!

    i have mixed feelings about the film.  it was great, on one hand, and lived up to the commercial fanfare, but having loved the book, i expected more and wished it could have been a bit truer to the book.  i griped about it already here, right after getting back from seeing the film today. 

    i wanted more of nymphadora!

    she's cute, funny, and has 'tude! 

    ------------------------------ 

    'twas brillig, and the slithy toves

    did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

    all mimsy were the borogoves,

    and the mome raths outgrabe

    kcoss's picture

    nymphadora!!!

    I saw it yesterday...well technically today since It was over at 3:00am, but damn well worth it...this whole row of dykes whistled when nymphadora came out (well don't call her that)...thought she was so hot...oh and also Hermione, but where are them breasts girl?

    courtneywoah's picture

    Loved it!

    am not really a huge fan of the Harry Potter series but my girlfriend is and we went to see order of the phoenix last night and I thought it was amazing! It was fun to see all the energy and enthusiasm people bring to the movies. 
    sayonara's picture

    I *heart* Tonks

    Did anyone else think while reading the books that she was gay gay gay??? I mean, spikey pink/purple hair, goes by her last name, says "wotcher" a lot....in any other universe she would be teh gay.
    Ace14's picture

    I thought so too

    When I read Order of the Phoenix, I had a fleeting moment of hope after reading how she was initially described and characterized. But, alas... She's still a fun character, though. I'm looking forward to seeing how she's portrayed in the movie.
    rarticalsista's picture

    I loved it!

    I watched it at 7am. But damn... I agree with all the Tonks fans, there should have been more of her. The movie was excellent though.
    slcpunkster01's picture

    Oh, the seething hordes!

    Yep...I bravely went to an afternoon showing, which was like 90% kids, but I couldn't wait. I got hooked on the series when I started to read them to my little sister and have been a dedicated follower since.

    The movie was good, but I'm glad I read the book to enrich the experience. Also, the actress that played Luna Lovegood was really good!

    TheLGirl23's picture

    I am Ron !

    My favourite character ! ;)

    "Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost"

    dismantled_woman's picture

    midnight showing

    i went to the midnight showing last night, and i was thoroughly disappointed in the film. i've never been a big fan of the films because the filmmakers often make decisions that seem so odd and irrelevent to the story.

     i did, however, like it much better than The Goblet of Fire, which turned into Harry Potter: Die Hard during the TriWizard Tournament.

     in any case, if you're Potterite (as I like to call them), see the film. but don't be surprised to see the story twisted and manipulated (and often neglected) at the expense of a few extra ticket sales.

    clg's picture

    just watched it!

    as an obssesed book fan, i'm yet to watch a potter movie that truly leaves me satisfied although i HAVE to say, this is the best one so far since they tried to be as truthful as possible to the book.... another thing this movie did for me is that now my slight crush on hermione has sky-rocketed and has becomed  a full time obsession... damn u emma watson! Im kinda sad the series are over... i think ill drop dead after july 21st. Nothing left for me to wait.

    TheWeyrd1's picture

    Yes there IS reason to live on...

    Emma Watson in two more Harry Potter movies!
    xuanie's picture

    ZOMG!

    Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Harry Potter! *thud*

    I didn't like who I was so I took it until I got who I wanted. Does that count?

     

    Cho Chang looks fiercely asian hot in that picture. If that makes any sense...

    Liz456's picture

    Idc

    I don't care that I didnt like the movie, all the girls = hotness!
    especially tonks lol
    Southpaw's picture

    Iffy

    I was iffy on the movie.

    On the one hand, its pretty to look at (Hermione, Tonks and Luna oh my) and the special effects were amazing.

    But on the other, watchin the movie, I forgot why it was called Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

    I went to an employee screening at the theatre I work at and most of the people were disappointed with the movie, even people who hadnt read the books.

    Ah well. Once again. Very pretty to look upon at least

    -out

    PS: I want that poster of Luna, Hermione and Cho. Tho Id rather have Ginny on there, shes so adorable
    Kennedy612's picture

    hell yeah!!!

    i saw OotP at 12:01am!!! my friends and i met up at 10:30, to get good seats. and it was AWESOME!!!I must say this was my favorite movie, so far.

    And while i loved Hermione, I have fallen in love with Tonks. ♥ Love her in the books; and they did a fantastic job casting Natalia Tena...she fits the role well. More screen time would have been nice, especially at Sirius' in the beginning. And we didn't get to see many of her metamorphmagus/auror abilities :(

     

    oh, and...i'm a ginny weasley, too.

    junglequeen's picture

    i went to the midnight

    i went to the midnight showing last night, and i absolutely loved the movie!

    i do wish the movie was longer...i would have enjoyed seeing the duel at the end follow the storyline better.

    buuuut, i was happily surprised by bellatrix lestrange...even though she was evil -- she was quite hott :D anyone else agree?

    Heartsease's picture

    HBC

    I've always liked Helena Bonham Carter and recently posted this photo of her on another thread:

    Note: I also bought a shirt that was quite similar to this after seeing this photo. ;-)

    Oh...and I was "Harry" (when I took the quiz). 
    How did they know I had a scar on my forehead?  ;-)

    zenarcade's picture

    I'm so amped about the film

    And I haven't even liked the other films that much.

    Yes, I've preordered Deathly Hallows!

    Oh, and I was Harry Potter in that quiz ... boo.  I wanted to be Hermione.

    kcoss's picture

    I am a Harry

    kewl

    Ashley Green's picture

    I saw it yesterday, and I

    I saw it yesterday, and I guess I have mixed feelings about it. Order of the Phoenix was by far my least favorite book, but oddly enough, I felt myself yearning for some of the elements in the book to end up in the movie, and they didn't. It was overall an ok movie- I especially liked all the female characters- but it just didn't compare to actually reading the books.

    "The quick to think are never sure"

    --Tiresias, Oedipus Rex

    LizzBlizz's picture

    I'm so dissapointed!!

    I'm pissed off! I didn't think the movie was good. There was no smooth transitioning in the movie. They changed a lot of good things in the movie. For ex: Occlumency, the Room of Requirement. The 3rd is still my favorite. I wish the next movie is 3 hours long. Don't worry I'm still a big fan!!

    spotticus's picture

    Going to wait for the crowds to thin out

    I came up in the quiz as the Weasley Twins.  Huh?
    Pesto the Pirate's picture

    The Girls in the Film

    I saw it at the midnight showing.

    Man, Emma gets more pretty every single year. In the beginning she was cute and now she's extremely hot. I just wish there was more of Hermione. And the other girl that I wish they had more of was Tonks. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her when she first appeared in the beginning of the film. How sad that she only had like 3 lines. Helena Bonham Carter was incredibly great as a witch. She always have a way to play the roles she picks.

    Overall I thought the film was a bit disappointment, but there was a parts in the film that I enjoyed watching. Like the Fred and George scenes. All the scenes with Tonks, Snape and Sirius. They should have had more of Snape! One of the better characters in the book. The battle scene at the end was really good.

    rzr_247's picture

    I'm so excited to watch the movie!

    Me and my friends decided to watch it this saturday and I can't sleep because of excitement. Before, I'm not a fan of Harry Potter but when I watch the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I just amazed with the story and I was fascinated with Emma Watson there. I love her!
    squee's picture

    Seeing it Tonight

    I'm going to see it tonight. My little sister is staying with us for the week and my girlfriend got advance screening tickets (it's not out properly in Ireland til Friday) for the two of us. My girlfriend is not a fan so this way, she gets us out of the house and gets a few hours free from Harry Porter talk.

    I don't think she realises how much worse it will be when we get back from the cinema, I mean it will have to be analysed in depth, that goes without saying!!!

    cyclone's picture

    HELL YEAH...i was first in line!

    of course i went to see it tonight i wanted to go to the midnight show last night but nobody else would go.   i'll also be on line in 2 weeks when the book comes out.

    this was MY FAVORITE of all the films, it mixed the darkness and the humor well.  and UMBRIDGE was perfectly cast and great.  i am a McGonagall fan and was disappointed by her lack of screentime but i got over it, because the rest of the movie came together so well.

    _mcCutcheon's picture

    but... nooooooo!

    stupid quiz says I'm voldemort!? wtf!?
    trypr's picture

    Argh...I still need to see the last one xD

    I'm Hermoine it seems :D

    Huzzah! ^^

    I think Ravenclaw is probably my house, but I suppose Gryffindor isn't bad :)

    mmmariek.'s picture

    SSSSSnape ^^

    I'm Snape :p I just love him (aLan Rickman too)! jeeeey!

     

     

     

    girl, 19, charming but insane...

    notchegeva's picture

    Yeeepppppppeeeeee I'm

    Yeeepppppppeeeeee I'm Hermione!!!

    My life is awesome!!! Now I have to go finish my rererereading of the books. See you.

    "I'm gonna give you all a nice, fun, normal evening if I have to kill every person on the face of the Earth to do it"

    SweetMyst's picture

    Sirius Black

    waitaminute, doesn't he get topped or something...

    ~Strike while the Muse is hot~

    artsyamy's picture

    The girl who played Luna was

    The girl who played Luna was awesome. I wish that there had been more of Tonks, Emma Thompson's Trelawny is awesome, and omigod Umbridge was freakin' scary (cat dishes n all).

    I just wish that the Twins' escapade was even bigger, and that we'd had some more Centaurs.

    But, guys, it was really great!!!

    timerunning's picture

    can't wait

    to see the movie. i'm seeing it tomorrow night!!

    though yes, i am a HUGE fan of the books and will prob nit pick the movie tearing it apart about everything that was different from the book ... ugh, like the last movie with the stupid 1st task - what was that about with harry and the dragon chasing him? stupid!

    anyways, at least i've heard pretty great things about this one so hopefully i won't be disappointed.

    btw - i took the quiz and im harry lol.

    one question- does tonks have long hair in the movie or is it short and spiky like it's supposed to be?

    opiateeyes's picture

    My girlfriend and I just got

    My girlfriend and I just got back from seeing it. We went to the first showing this morning and it was just full of adults cuz all the kids are still at school over here. I thought the film was pretty good but I'll need to see it again before I make my final decision on where it stands compared to the others. I was quite sad they cut out all the Weasley is our King stuff though. And the Twins escape should have been bigger. And obviously there should have been more Tonks.

    When Harry got to Grimmauld Place and hugged Sirius at the beginning did anyone else notice Lupin lurking close by Sirius in a coupley kind of way? HARRY'S GOT TWO DADS!

     

    www.myspace.com/stopstartstall - acousticy music type stuff.

    tilthemorningbreaks's picture

    Absobloodylutely brilliant!

    I went and saw the movie last night and I must say that it has been the best Harry Potter film made yet! Though they did leave out some aspects from the book I didn't get an empty feeling when it was over like I did with the third and fourth movie. I'm a major fan of Harry Potter, films and books, and I am glad to say that this movie failed to disappoint me.

    There were so many good looking girls too! I fell head-over-heels in love with Luna Lovegood and whenever she came on the screen I gave a slight sigh of longing which my sister didn't like. Emma looked great in the film too. She surely has grown up quite a bit. I have become even more infatuated with her now! Cho was pretty but like in the fifth book she just rubbed me the wrong way. Tonks was incredibly hot! I nearly fell out of my seat when she first came on screen. I expected her to have her spikey hair and look kind of butch in a sense but instead she looked absolutely stunning. Even Ginny looked hot. That is sort of skeezy to say because she's really young but, oh well.

    The only thing I didn't like was having to sit in close proximity to this one girl who obviously hasn't seen or read any HP books or films. When something surprising that true fans knew was going to happen happened she would give out a loud gasp and giggle annoyingly. I wanted to throw some of my Junior Mints at her to shut her up.

    Democrats are sexy; no one ever says "that's a nice piece of elephant."

    Aidan P's picture

    ASAP

    I am going to see the film ASAP when my schedule allows. But on another note, did Roger Ebert miss the memo Rowling handed out when she first started writing the books and she said something like, "Hey, the books are going to get darker and more violent as the characters get older." I personally love the darker more grown up turn the books have taken and cannot WAIT to get my hands on the seventh book.
    jennifer from pittsburgh's picture

    Transitional

    Caty and I went with the boys to the first matinee showing of the movie yesterday. I didn't think that it was nearly as good as GoF, but it was still a very good movie, and probably, in retrospect as was the book, more of a transitional piece meant to build for the final two installments.

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