PG
Written by Michael Goldberg
Based on the novel by JK Rowling (duh!)
Directed by David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter

In order to review this, I've got to do my spiel about the first four movies.

I loved Sorcerer's Stone. It was VERY loyal to the book and well done. Plus, since it was the first movie, everything was new and unexpected. It was definitely a children's movie, but a great children's movie.

Chamber of Secrets was well done enough, but was my least favorite of the movies so far. That was mostly due to the fact that it was my least favorite of the books. But the movie was faithful to the book.

Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite book so far, so I loved the movie. It was much more grown up and dark, and director Alfonso Cuaron did a much better job on this movie than Chris Columbus did on the first two. Plus, come on, it had Gary Oldman as Sirius Black! I was a bit disappointed in how certain details from the books were skimmed over (nobody who hadn't read the book had a CLUE what Hermione's time-turner was about, for instance) but the movie was so well done that I forgave it.

Goblet of Fire directed by David Yates, stuck with Cuaron's vision and it worked. But it was a long book and lots of details were missing from the film. Plus, I was disappointed that Alan Rickman (Snape) and Maggie Smith's (McGonagall) roles were diminished and Gary Oldman only appeared for a minute as a CGI face in a fireplace. Boo!!

So now we come to Order of the Phoenix. It was the most faithful to the book since the second movie, which is impressive, considering how LONG the novel was. Yes, a lot of plot points were cut, and although I mourn the lack of Quidditch scenes in this film, most of the other things that were cut were done quite well. For instance, the demise of Harry and Cho Chang's short relationship, which I thought dragged out in the book, was much more cut and dried in the movie, and done logically. As a matter of fact, MANY of the sequences that seemed too long in the book were shortened in the film, and I didn't mind at all!

The performances were first rate. Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson have been playing their roles for so long that they seemed completely natural and comfortable in their characters' skin. Helena Bonham Carter was wonderful, as well, and it was great to see more Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman, as well as David Thewlis (Lupin).

The special effects, cinematography, and direction were also fabulous.

I have a few complaints, though:

1. Maggie Smith was barely in this movie. Again. And Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) was barely in it, either.
2. One of my favorite new characters in the 5th book, Tonks, was also barely in the movie. She was a major player in the novel but only had a couple of lines in the film.
3. I don't think the movie did as good a job as the book as portraying how desperately alone Harry felt while the entire wizarding world was publicly calling him a liar.

That being said, I still thought this movie was fantastic overall. Well done, well-acted, and faithful to the book. Go see it!