Order of the Phoenix (spoiler free)

[kokopelli20878]

As usual, the book was better.

The movie is visually sumptuous.

Mimublous Mimbletonia makes a cameo appearance.

Luna is not quite as I imagined her, but she's quite effective.

The Thestrals are not as menacing as I imagined.

Super-Hermione has been reined in - and Harry does a fair job of portraying Caps-Lock-Harry.

If you've read the book, it's a treat

Comments

[crumplehornedki]

If you've read the book, it's a treat - if you haven't read the book, you'd be a) bewildered and b) curious as to why you just spent $9.00 to see a movie that's hard to comprehend.

I'm not sure I agree with you there, it appeared that many people at the theatre I was in hadn't read the books as some people were confused when others were laughing at the little canon details, e.g. about a third of the theatre cracked up with the goat at Hogs Head, but pretty much everyone was saying that it was a good movie when they came out of the theatre.

Of course having read all the books it is hard to imagine not knowing the back story but I felt the movie did ok as a stand alone, but the enjoyment is much more when you've at least seen the other movies.

And no matter how hard they try I don't think any move would be better than a book it is based on.

[laurel_potter]

If you've read the book, it's a treat - if you haven't read the book, you'd be a) bewildered and b) curious as to why you just spent $9.00 to see a movie that's hard to comprehend.

I'm going to Studio 28 on Saturday morning, and spending 5 and a half bucks. Well, 11 bucks really, 'cause I have to get a ticket for my granddaugher.

[madderbrad]

As usual, the book was better. ... If you've read the book, it's a treat - if you haven't read the book, you'd be a) bewildered and b) curious as to why you just spent $9.00 to see a movie that's hard to comprehend.Yeah. The movies have never stood up well as independent efforts; I've always looked at them more as 'Selected Highlights from the Books!" compendiums. I enjoyed this one but only as a HP fan; the part of me that wanted a good rollickin' story was disappointed (as usual

[physicsteach]

My older daughter, who refuses to read the books for some reason that is completely opaque to the rest of us, didn't seem to have much trouble following the film; otherwise, I do agree with you.

I really liked the way the Death Eaters and Aurors were portrayed, visually, but that was completely out of synch with the book - they were way over-power with respect to the text, IMHO.

[celtic_meg]

Even reading this gets my "cry" going on again, so I'll point y'all in the know to Mr. Intell's journal, where I posted a better review reply.

I'll say here and now that it was a hard movie for me, not just because of expectations, but because of emotions. My fiance's Mom, Donna, died in February, and she was my biggest, local, HP fan. Damn it all, I was supposed to see this with her, and read DH with her and she's GONE now. That's not the only trigger for me, but it's been the worst of them so far.