Reviews of Order:
I’ve got my ticket for tonight’s midnight showing. Anyone else going tonight? My plan is to take a nap when I get home from work so that I’ll have enough energy to write the review as soon as I get back from the film. I’m still inexplicably optimistic about this, even though the reviews have been mixed. A good number of movie reviewers have no clue what the books are really about. Big time Potter fans get mad when the films differ from the books. I’m sort of in the middle: I want the film to be able to stand alone, but to carry the spirit of the books onto the big screen. That’s what I’ll be looking for tonight.Â
I promise my review of the film won’t spend too much virtual ink on complaining about Michael Gambon. A new poll, “Which movie is your favorite,” will be up by tomorrow morning. Please don’t vote until you’ve seen Order!
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{ 24 comments }
I was unaware that The Order of the Phoenix was so loathed. Odd, I think I like it best (so far, pending July 21st naturally).
The chief criticisms seem to be that the movie is dark. Sounds good to me.
The review I read in my local newspaper was bland. It bothers me that the complaint was about the lack of visual effects, mentioning that only the climax of the movie provided any sort of entertainment. Why can’t they realize that the series isn’t some Hollywood lights fest and that it is supposed to be philosophical? They keep expecting a children’s movie or at least a visual effects extravaganza, repeatedly underestimating the fantasy genre.
Considering that the 5th book was the least liked I’m not surprised at the bland reviews. However, I think the movie will do the book more than justice and will provide what is needed for the sixth which is bound to be fantastic and hopefully loved by the media in addition to serious fans.
I think reviewers have to realize that the book was dark and depressing and therefore the movie is bound to be too. The review said that the Order of the Phoenix movie failed to “rise from the ashes”. I think this criticism is leveled out of misunderstanding. I suppose I’ll have to see if such criticism is justified this Wednesday. I hope not. I’ve been waiting for the movie with some hope despite its dark themes.
At least we have the book to look forward to if the movie isn’t fantastic.
Not to lengthen my already-too-long comment, but I think the reason the movie has recieved so much criticism is because critics are used to being delivered near-masterpieces in the Harry Potter movie franchise and feel dissapointed that this one is different. I understand their dissapointment, but I think their reviews are unneccesarily harsh. I’m sure this movie is just as spectacularly well-made, they’re just sour that it is different and so they’ve given it negative reviews.
If this movie stood alone, unaccompanied by its predecessors, it would probably win greater praise.
It’s a tough standard to continue living up to, especially in a world that is eager to judge harshly all that is popular while simultaneously embrasing it. (Rita Skeeter would love the current media climate.)
I expected bad reviews, too. This is the darkest and most misunderstood book by far. The fact that almost every review calls it the worst book of series highlights this. And unfortunately, much of fandom agrees. Order was not well-received.
But it’s my favorite book of the series so far, so as long as the movie captures the spirit of the book and does justice to Harry’s “dark night of the soul” experience, I’ll be happy.
We’re going to have to wait until tomorrow night to see OotP, but at least we have a babysitter lined up (hooray for my mother-in-law!). We’re pretty excited!
Travis, I’m with you on the whole “middle ground” on the HP movies. I always expect the movies to deviate from the books, but so far, I think the films have been a pretty good supplement to the print versions. Can’t wait to read your review!
Guys on average this movie is getting the best reviews out of the all of the HP movies to date. It has so far been a real hit with MOST critics. Being such a big book and turning it into a movie will naturally cause some issues but I think we are all in for a fantastic ride.
Being in OX it opens today but after 9am. I’m bee singing it at lunch time.
OotP and HBP are loved and then not loved by various age groups. Though I have to say that I see more adults enjoying the laster two in the series. Putting aside the love triangles in six, the last two books have made more of the kids, adults and make for a real challenging read, being so close to the final book.
Travis, I’m with you in many ways. OotP and HBP are by far the most ambitious of the novels. Consequently, their successes are far greater; but their failures are also a bit more glaring.
I also don’t sense that critics are bashing the film, either. Four out of every five reviews I’ve read (quite a few in total to this point) have praised the film as at least really good. The reviews collected at Rotten Tomatoes are very positive. And if you can win over the snooty film-school wannabes at NYT, then other critics have to love your work…
It also seems pretty clear that Roger Ebert is oblivious to the source material, and many other critics are, as well. My favorite bits of criticism?
“Their plots, alas, seem more serious than the mischief Harry and friends would have thought up in earlier days. Yes, I know time passes, and the actors are eight years older than when they started filming. But if a kid starts watching ‘Potter’ movies with this film, would he guess they used to be a little more whimsical?” (Ebert). Forgive me my bluntness for a second, but this has to be one of the most assinine things I’ve read about any film, far more so for Harry Potter. It’s right up there with Harold Bloom’s dismissal of the books as pop culture tripe.
And other critics have complained of the “awkwardness” of the kiss between Harry and Cho.
Heh heh…intellectually astute, these folks are…
Yeah, the obliviousness of critics to the source material is bothering me too. They criticise it for not being happy Quidditch cheering and witty Nearly-Headless ghosts.
I’m not worried, though. From what I’ve seen of preview film clips (which, I hate to admit, I’ve been watching in their entirety), everything looks so wonderfully handled. Order of the Phoenix has become one of my favorite books of the lot (beaten only by Half-Blood Prince and Prizoner of Azkaban) and the movie looks, if anything, to be fantastic.
Let the critics say what they want, the movie-goers and fans have the last say at the box office.
I’m in no hurry to see the movie. It’ll keep till the week-end when we usually see movies.
But I have pre-paid for book 7 and will be there at the stroke of midnight to seize and devour my copy. The only act of self-control I promise myself is not to start reading it right there in the parking lot but wait until I get home.
My point: it’s only a movie. It’s some director’s vision of Harry, brought to life by the actors. It’s not JKR’s vision. You can make a great movie out of mediocre material or you can make a dud out of a masterpiece. And the movie is supposed to stand on its own feet. So I will try not to get twisted by the ill-informed reviews unless I really like the movie and decide that it was well-made in and of itself.
BTW, some of the interviews of the stars I’ve been reading suggest that they are not much like the roles they play, and may not even be particularly admirable people. Something tells me that the next three years (DH is supposed to be released in 2010) may be rough going, actor wise.
Reyhan, I think you have a good point. The movies are their own entities, with their own intentions.
It’s a hard tension to negotiate, the line between a film version and a book version of what is ostensibly the same narrative. A lot of literary critics would argue that they should be regarded as, at least, different versions of the same basic story/legend/myth. It would be akin to examining OotP, the film as being as removed from OotP, the book as both are from some of the source material (the Bible, Arthurian Legends, etc.).
Films and books are different media with different constraints. If the film succeeds as a film while maintaining at least a grain of the story logic and thematic integrity, then I’ll walk out of the theater all smiles.
Exactly guys. I see the movies as fun pieces of eye candy. They are a good way of portraying the books but are nothing more, for me at least. I hope this one turns out to be the best one yet. It looks so awesome. I love book five, I can only hope they do this one justice in the movies.
We’re going tomorrow, I’m not interested in reading reviews beforehand. I’ve tried to stay away from all of the clips online as well. When I saw GOF, I felt like I’d seen 80% of the movie already on the fan sites.
I’m trying to decide if I should go to the inexpensive close by theater where, last time I saw a movie there, I exited the theater with a big wad of bright yellow bubble gum stuck firmly to the back of my pants, or should I go to the mall theater that charges a criminal amount of money and actually has a commercial on their phone line before you can hear any information about the theater. At this point, the only reason I’m even going is because my kids want to and because it’s going to be 90 degrees or more here again tomorrow and the thought of a dark cool movie theater sounds great. I’m taking a flashlight to check the seats before I sit down, though.
I expect to be somewhat disappointed. They can’t recreate the book on the screen. I’m wondering if they’re going to show Harry using the Floo Network but just sticking his head in. They mangled that so badly in GOF with Sirius that I wonder if they just have to skip it this time rather than try to explain why it looks different than last time, or would they actually have Harry’s face all molten like that? I sure hope not. Maybe they’d show it from Harry’s perspective, peeking out of the fire into the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place.
I think this whole bit about Harry seeing Voldemort on the train platform (and, am I reading too much into it to think he’s going to see him all over the place at school too?) is very strange and just confuses the issue, but I guess I’ll have to wait to see the movie to know for sure.
I just saw it guys! And… I really loved it. I won’t spoil anything until more of you have seen it. I just wanted to say it was a bloody awesome movie. The best one yet. It really captured the essence of what book five was about.
Travis, I love book five and actually know a lot of others who really enjoy it. I think, unlike the others, it was one the fans either loved or didn’t love. I love it. I can re-read it again and again.
Michael, I just saw it, too. I’m in the middle of a very lengthy review, which I’ll probably finish and post tomorrow….erm…or later today, to be accurate.
I’m with you, Michael. I loved this one. I’ve enjoyed all of them, but then when I’ve watched them a second or third time I find things that really bother me.
This one has two things that bothered me, and only because I think they are important enough that they should have been dealt with for the proper set up for HBP. But I won’t say what they were until the rest of you have had a chance.
I’ve only read one review–Moira McDonald in the Seattle Times, who liked it as well. Why hers? I’ve found that I tend to agree with her movie reviews–the praises and the criticisms, and I just find most of the rest of the critics irritating–especially Ebert, who is beginning to sound more like Bloom all the time–not just on Potter. But he is especially clueless on HP. Does he really think people want to see the same movie seven times? Of course, it’s changed–that’s life, Roger.
And I find the jab about the kiss being awkward to be just silly–it’s Harry’s first kiss, of course, it’s awkward.
I was most apprehensive about this movie, because book 5 is my favorite–it was on my first reading and it still is. (Actually, I listened to the last chapter in the theater, so I had just finished before the movie.)
I was so afraid they wouldn’t get the darkness of the book, but they did. They really captured the essence of this one, which was all I wanted. (And Michael Gambon was not so irritating in this one, IMO.) Things had to be condensed, but so much of what I liked in the book is in the movie, just not exactly the same.
I’m not sure that you can expect a movie that is part of a 7 book series to stand on its own, unless it’s just episodic. The Indiana Jones movies do that–each adventure is a separate thing. But with HP, by the time you get to the 5th one, you’d spend half the movie filling people in on what happened before, and there wouldn’t be time for the story.
I do have to say one thing, though–Mrs. Lovegood–your namesake was spot on in this movie–Luna is fabulous, absolutely. And Umbridge is . . . perfect.
Pat
Oh aren’t they! Those two female actresses are perfection. I had a friend who’s a fan of the movies (doesn’t read the books) and I laughed out loud when he told me Umbridge not only reminded him if his sixth grade teacher, but that he just wanted to throw very large, hazardous objects at her. That WAS Jo’s objective with Umbridge.
Wanna know who else was perfect? Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix. They certainly could have stood to have more of her in the film. She was brilliant.
I’m still working on the full review.
OMG YES! Am I the only male who found her… hot? Putting the bad teeth aside, Helena is gorgeous. And perfect as Bellatrix. Oh my mouth waters at the prospect of having an opening scene with her and Snape in movie six.
AGH! I wanted to go see that movie so badly last night, but I would have had to go alone and my hubby wouldn’t hear it. Now I have to wait for him to find time off work AND get a babysitter for our two boys before I can go see it TOMORROW night! I really can’t wait, though…what color was the spell that Bellatrix used that caused Sirius to fall behind the veil in the MoM? I HAVE TO KNOW!!
It was green. She even said Avarda Kedavra. I am not taking that as canon though. In the book, Sirius was still alive when the spell hit him.
Awww…that is discouraging. But maybe Book 7 will redeem my theory about the stunning spell. Not sure how they would be able to work that out in the final movie, though. Thanks!
Hmm. “Avada Kedavra”? A bit redundant, seeing as he fell through the veil, and that probably lessens the audience’s understanding of the world beyond the veil being the afterlife. (Of course, I suppose we don’t even know that for sure, but I’d say we’re 99% sure at this point.) It doesn’t bother me too much, though. Nah.
I read in MTV’s review that although much has been cut, certain things will be introduced in Half-Blood Prince (ex. the locket, Lily, etc.).
To quote Voldemort in the GOF movie…I confess myself disappointed. It felt even choppier than GOF and without a good strong central theme. I fear for HBP honestly.
Low points: Sirius’s death was awful (I was not even remotely moved by how they did it, though Gary Oldman was excellent otherwise), Snape’s Worst Memory was like 15 seconds with no Lily and not near the vitriol, there was very little inner Trio conflict, the centaurs were disappointing, the snake attack on Arthur seemed completely random, there was no chemistry in the kiss (though thankfully their relationship was downplayed), virtually no explanation of the prophecy (which was incomplete in the film) from Dumbledore in the debriefing sans huge angsty tantrum Harry, Draco had a little screen time, but no real lines, wasn’t really feeling the Voldemort/Dumbledore showdown, the possession was unclear, and on and on…
High points: Michael Gambon was actually quite tolerable and the rest of the main adult actors were excellent (Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, and Jason Isaacs sure did a lot with the small amount of screen time they had and Imelda Staunton was sufficiently evil). The acting of the kids was better (Emma Watson still needs to learn to control her eyebrows, yikes) and Evanna Lynch did fine. The thestrals were pretty neat (the baby one was unexpectedly cute). Overall, it was okay but it rang kind of hollow for me.
All: I’m going to disable comments on this thread for now. I’m still working on getting my own review up, and I want that to be the only place where there are spoilers. From this point forward, refrain from commenting on the actual movie itself until I’ve had a chance to post the review.
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