Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images. (Fair enough I suppose, in fact, this rating is right on the nose.).

Directed by David Yates (Good Job dude, I’m looking forward to seeing you direct The Half Blood Prince. I never Heard of you before, but I’m gonna make it a point to go back & look at your previous works, you left me impressed. Good eye for detail.)

Written by J.K. Rowling (Creator, if you never heard of her, I’m afraid I’m going to have to hit you with an anvil or an iceberg or something else blunt & painful, like maybe Michael Moore!) Michael Goldenberg (Screenplay, He also wrote the 2003 Peter Pan screenplay).

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Gary Oldman, Jason Piper, Charles Hughes, Jamie Waylett, Alfred Enoch, Joshua Herdman, Alan Rickman, and a whole slew of others that turned out an amazing performance.

Okay, before I start, I’d like say one thing. This is the first Harry Potter film I review, so I am going to apologize to my fan(s?) for what I am about to do. In deference to Ms Rowling & the younger portion of her readership I am going to put down my verbal chainsaw & pick up my fencing foil. By this I mean I’m going to keep it clean. Yeah, that’s right, me, John, the potty mouthed reviewer for theWPD.com is not gonna swear or hit any adult themes. A Starbuck’s addicted buddy of mine pointed out that this review would be the first one I write that would probably not just be read by fanboys, kids were gonna be reading this one & that got me thinking about the last time I talked to a kid about Harry Potter. They like the fact that it’s a topic they can talk to adults about & won’t get talked down to & condescended at. So I decided to do this one for the kids & for the usual suspects. So you won’t see a single swear out of me this whole article. If any of you want to hear me swear, just call me & wake me up, I’ll be more than happy to rip into you.

So I saw this movie Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix. Wow, not only is this the first blockbuster this summer to be long on plot, it had loads of other stuff too. Like onscreen character development, intrigue, underlying subtext, foreshadowing, & loads of other nifty tricks that good storytellers use to keep the audience captivated. This isn’t an edge of your seat action blockbuster. No way, its better, this film is not action driven like the Transformers, nor is it driven by lurid escapism, like Pirates of the Caribbean: at Worlds End, or even name recognition, like Spider-Man 3: Men in Extraterrestrial Tights.

This movie has a great story, great cast & a great storyteller at the helm. It’s a combination that is going to knock this one clear out of the park. It’s about time too, the constant spectacle of special effects driven films was leaving me a bit jaded. I think I quite enjoyed seeing a story along with my senses shattering special effects. I know that a lot of critics are saying the film has “lost its magic”. Those guys are full of…uh…vomit flavored jelly beans. If they can honestly say that, they didn’t see the same movie I saw. I think they are just saying that because they need to work the word magic into a review quote & they are trying to be negative. The film Rocks, it rocks really hard. That’s all you really need to know. You can stop reading after my quote if you want, the rest will just be details. Here’s my quote;

”Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is like nothing I’ve ever seen before on the big screen. Jedi Knights can only wish they were this cool.”

Take into consideration that I am the guy who is harsh to movies I like, I’ve ripped movies to shreds that I have given the highest marks to because I had something negative to say about it while at the same time acknowledging it’s a good movie. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is not only a great film, but it has left me unable to talk smack about it. A rare occurrence this summer, especially after all the lackluster blockbusters. This one is a total jaw dropper. And I hate dropping my jaw at the movies; the floor is so sticky I need to call an usher to pick it up.

Now parents out there, I have some good news. I think they may have dumbed this one down for parents. I am basing this on the fact that I saw many less kids explaining the storyline to their parents than in any other Harry Potter film. (That’s actually my favorite part of the movie, I love that!) So parents, this one won’t make you feel stupid.

The cast was great as usual. The returning characters where likeable & believable, while the new characters where welcome additions. In fact I felt the casting of Imelda Staunton was just plain wrong, I had envisioned Dolores Umbridge as Jennifer Saunders as I read the book, but I have to admit that Ms Staunton did a masterful job and I owe her an apology. I’m sorry I doubted you, you rocked that role.

Speaking of rocking, Helena Bonham Carter did a great job as Bellatrix Lestrange, the character was just what I came to expect, 3000 pounds of crazy, 4000 pounds of evil all compressed into a cute little bundle of obsessive compulsive homicidal tendencies. And yet she wore it well.

Evanna Lynch joins the cast also as Luna Lovegood, perfect casting I thought. She’s cute; she’s jolly; she’s creepy; she’s quirky. Imagine Wednesday Addams on Ritalin & you’ll have a good idea what I’m talking about. But she does tend to steal a few scenes

While watching Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson & the rest of the younger cast members up on the screen, am I the only one who wonders if these actors we are watching will be the ones to replace the adult A listers of today. Will this be the ensemble cast of Ocean’s 27 in 25 year’s time? Are we watching a future James Bond in the making? (I am now putting my money down on Rupert Grint being a Bond someday, I know he’s the long shot, but you never know, the kid might surprise you, why didn’t I bet on Radcliffe? He’s playing Harry Potter now; Bond would be a step down for him. Besides, I see him as the kind of actor who looks for roles that challenge him, and Bond just isn’t that complex a character. Not compared to what he’s playing now. I could be wrong, I have been before.) It’s hard to say that they aren’t doing a good job or giving a good performance, after all, each of them is doing such a good job at selling you on their characters that they make the unbelievable, believable just as much as the special effects department does. It’s the sense of fun and wonderment of the Hogwarts students that adds so much to the films appeal in my opinion

Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Staunton, Jason Isaacs, and Helena Bonham Carter all do a superb job as the villains of the story. Fiennes is a very sinister Lord Vauldemort, he’s evil, he’s scary, and he’s as dangerous as he looks. Voldemort seems like the boogeyman incarnate, he is a force meant to be feared. He isn’t so much what you are scared of as much as he’s the fear itself. The rest of the villains are great too. Staunton’s Umbridge is like an insurmountable, yet well mannered, obstacle placed in the hero’s paths. Jason Isaacs is back as Lucius Malfoy, all full of contempt, & holding back the viciousness in his eyes. This is the character that kids find as scary as an abusive parent (That’s really scary folks, think about it.) He was an adult willing to throw down on a kid in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, most adults didn’t think twice about it, but trust me, the kids did. Helena Bonham Carter brought a tanker truck full of chaos into the mix, at her most lucid moments Bellatrix Lestrange is barely restrained; Ms Bonham Carter brings this to life in a very believable & scary way. What I like best about this Harry Potter is the fact that it has great villains, scary villains, & Evil villains, but they aren’t glamorized or made to look like they are someone to emulate or identify with. We can clearly see that these are bad people & they should not be admired for being great villains. I actually like that. Too many people in films make it all about the villain & make the villain cooler than the hero. This series has many great villains, but it never lets us forget that they are the bad guys. I know it’s kind of old school storytelling, but there ain’t no school like the old school, that’s why they keep coming back to it.

In summation:

Just go see it! What are you waiting for? You won’t be wasting your time!!!