Angsty Potter
July 12th, 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is without a doubt the best Potter movie of the 5 released thus far.
David Yates directed this one, and it’s his first time helming a Harry Potter flick. i havent seen any of his work prior to this, and because the directors of previous Potter movies were highly disappointing (sigh yes even Cuaron), i didnt expect too much out of this one.
but i was won over within the first minute of the movie! Yates’ style is clearly quite different from those of the previous movies, and it was lovely to indulge in that gorgeous indie mood at the beginning of the movie. i was just so wowed by the playground scene and the Dursley’s living room scene; they were shot in such a down-to-earth and simplistic manner, and really showed how bleak and uncolorful the Muggle world is compared to the wizarding world.
and then when the movie phased into Hogwarts and the wizarding world! oh my god! what is not to love about those broomstick scenes where they flew across London in the night! and when Mr Weasley brought Harry to the Ministry of Magic via the phonebooth! they were totally fabulous displays of cinematography and special effects, and a fantastic segueing into the grandiosity of the sets and scenes to come.
i thought the screenplay was actually not bad. it is only to be expected that many things will be omitted from the book, and i think they did a pretty good job of compressing a 700something-page book into a 2hr 20minute movie. the plot was intact and easy to follow, without making the audience feel like they were being led by the hand. key events like Ron and Hermione being made prefect (and thus alienating Harry even further) were plucked out, but the point to get across here was that Harry felt alone, and they tied up that loose end nicely with the conversation between him and Luna.
ooh, Luna! the girl who played her got the loopy airyness down to a perfect 10. i’ve been hearing so much about how she’s fantastic and born to play Luna Lovegood, but i didnt believe it till i watched the movie. she is really that good. cant say the same for Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, though. the former was never good to begin with, and the latter’s talent is slowly fading. it’s as if they are being swallowed by the movie; as the stars of the show, they do absolutely nothing to command the movie and make their presence felt.
and let’s not even talk about Michael Gambon who plays Dumbledore. i have never liked him and i dont understand why they still keep him around. why does he have to hunch like that! and is it just me or does he always stand tilted to the left! but Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge was awesome. you really did feel like you wanted to slap her.
besides the Weasley twins’ exit, i also really liked the final battle scene at the Department of Mysteries. it was exactly how i pictured it when i read the book! but i wish it had been longer. the battle was over way too quickly, and although i thought Sirius’ death could have been hammed up a little more, he left us suddenly and unexpectedly, just like how it was in the book. totally didnt see it coming and i thought that was great. though i must say the relationship between Harry and Sirius wasnt developed too well in the movie due to book-to-movie constraints, and thus the emotional magnitude of Sirius’ death would have been lost on audience members who havent read the book. but for those of us who have, it was a total SIIIIIGH moment :(
hmm what else. i liked the flying aeroplanes. and even though Draco Malfoy was totally ke le feh, that didnt stop me from sighing lustfully everytime he came onscreen! we also started singing ‘I’m Too Sexy For My Shirt’ and whispering lines from Potter Puppet Pals when Snape made his appearance. hahahaha! Severus Snape, we do love you! we can still quote Bothering Snape verbatim.
and omg the Cho/Harry kiss! EVERYONE started groaning, not just us okay. sieutheng wanted to throw popcorn at the screen hahaha. noise we made during the kiss scene :
Cho : oh harry! you’re such a good teacher!
Us : oh harry! you’re such a good teacher! spank me!
Us : hahahahaha
Cho : *conjures up mistletoe* look, mistletoe!
Us : shut up lah it’s not even christmas!
and many other silly things. haha why are we so like that. and actually i have to go pack for my weekend trip now, so sampai sinilah coretanku untuk tatapan saudara-saudari. bottom line is that this movie was actually quite good! worth the watch, most definitely. and thou shalt all wear black to watch the flick like we did :
i’ll be heading to Kuching in a couple of hours for the Rainforest Festival that’s taking place this weekend. who’s going? gimme a ring if you will be there, or drop me a line at my email addy. then we can all partay together :) and take lots of photos, but of course.
edit : i missed my flight grrrrrrr. thank goodness the next flight still has seats. i swear i need to stop doing this being late thing.
Entry Filed under: Reviews
29 Comments Add your own
1. benjamin and yus | July 12th, 2007 at 11:12 am
OMG !
that is such a cute little black dress ?
where did u get it ?
it will look perfect on me too … i think
2. secretbear | July 12th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
I’ve seen it too!
Luna Lovegood is hawt.
As usual, they missed out on a lot of scenes like omfg what happened to quidditch!! But yeah, compared to the other movies, this one was a whole lot more understandable. For the previous movies, if you haven’t read the book you wont get what’s going on.
Last book coming out soon omgomgomg. =D
3. Michael | July 12th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
seen it yesterday…dun quite like it somehow, maybe cos the book was much more better~
P.S: ur sooooo hot in that black dress LOL
4. daniel | July 12th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
girl on far right is hot
5. foreverjas | July 12th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
haha.you really look so so hawt in the photo! yap, the movie is really nice compare to the previous one.i just love harry potter! pity draco is so kehlehfeh lah. LOL.harry is so aww.
6. Becky | July 12th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
hey. i kinda read ur blog every once in a while. and i saw ur HARRY POTTER thingy majingy! ahhh!!! i sooo agree with you that it’s d best movie yet. and omggm la, did they have to show Harry kissing cho so long??? i mean small peck enough la right?! lolz. went on for like a whole minute!!! sigh. it was quite saddening. quite only! ;) love the hat btw.
7. DolphyN | July 12th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
lol. the movie was great. i didnt really mind harry n cho kissing though….kinda liked them as a pair. o_O. well at least u guys just wore black. my fren was wearing a personally printed maroon shirt wif the gryffindor emblem on it. harry potter fan to the max, that girl. heehee.
8. gaelan | July 12th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
oooo, looking forward to the review, since i’m gonna catch it soon, or rather tomorrow *excited grin*
wonder what’s wrong with the kiss even though cho chang ain’t that hot, or cute, or pretty. to me, at least.
9. lishun | July 12th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
wait…am i the only person who DOESN’T think daniel radcliffe is hot?
10. pinkpau | July 13th, 2007 at 7:54 am
benjamin and yus : it’s not a dress but a top and a skirt :)
secretbear : eh u know i totally forgot there was quidditch in this book. didnt even remember it to lament its omission.. haha. omg ya ya ya ya book 7 !!!! i is very excite
michael : the book will always be better coz our imagination facilitates it. haha thank u for the compliment!
daniel : that is me, you idiot -___- gasp, does this constitute a compliment from you!
foreverjas : yea i wish they gave draco longer scenes, sigh!
becky : that kiss went on forever didnt it! but i suppose they felt it was an important scene. actually it was quite sweet lah.
dolphyn : you like cho chang and harry?! =( but why! she’s so annoying! and haha your friend is awesome
gaelan : okay here it is! the kiss is wrong because cho chang + harry is not right. just not right
lishun : *hands up* i’m a draco malfoy girl
11. foreverjas | July 13th, 2007 at 11:17 am
haiz. i dun like the man who play dumbledore lah!!! dun have the “feel”. the previous one is better.. but.. sighs.. T.T
12. dawn_1o9 | July 13th, 2007 at 11:43 am
If they ever show the movie in my country, I’m gonna go watch it, dressed in black too. (Now where did I put my Halloween witch’s hat?)
13. dawn_1o9 | July 13th, 2007 at 11:49 am
P.S: I dun like Cho Chang either.
14. Janice | July 13th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Pink Pau Pink Pau…. stop being late la! hahahhaa…. i hate cho maaaannn…. pink pau can be a better cho :p
15. sheon | July 13th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Harry Potter…..gotta watch the movie! I’ll never miss a blockbuster! Even tho i’m not a fan…hehehe
16. amanda | July 13th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
i jst watched it yesterday but somehow i didnt rlly like it. and i dont like cho chang. they could’ve so chosen another girl.
17. Adrian | July 13th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
How long will you be in Kuching? Givin a miss to the RMF again. :(
18. JustAnotherTragedy | July 13th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Lets go for kolomee!
19. guiltyquilty | July 13th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
Hey,since you’re going for the Rainforest Festival,I think you’ll be interested in WOMAD that’s gonna take place in Singapore end of August :)
20. foreverjas | July 13th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
har!!! u late for the flight?!!! swt x.x”‘
21. sieutheng | July 14th, 2007 at 3:45 am
she missed the next flight too.
22. lishun | July 14th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
i’m a weasley twins girl! lol. am so in love with them.
just watched the movie. i cannot believe you liked the screenplay. the script was incredibly groan-worthy. what happened to all the witty one-liners that were such an integral part of the previous movies???
i do agree with one thing though. yates made one heck of a good-looking movie. i particularly liked the phone booth scene. there was something about that corner and the phone booth that really really worked.
23. phing | July 15th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
the actress that played Doleres Umbridge is really good ! and she always has that evil smirk on her face. haha.
as for the scenes with snape in it are funny. well, i’ve always liked snape to begin with.hehe.
as for ron, it felt like he was just there you know. he hardly had any lines.
and i guess they tried to make cho chang less irritating cos i find her really annoying in the book.haha
24. Michelle | July 15th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
My review is totally different from yours. And my OOTP book has nearly 1000 pages. How come yours is just 700 over?
25. pinkpau | July 16th, 2007 at 5:50 am
foreverjas : agreed. richard harris was so totally a better dumbledore!
dawn : but of course they must show harry potter in burma! wont they?! :O
janice : haha shits lah always late dont know why. omg i dowan to be cho chang. no actually i want
sheon : read the books! u will be converted! trust me on this. i was like u when i was 12.. but then i picked up goblet of fire (4th book) and i was hooked. have been hooked for the past 6 yrs :P
amanda : doont u leke her scootish excent!
adrian : for 6 more hrs only!! why u never call me!
justanothertrad : now only say, im leaving in abt 6 hrs!
guiltyquilty : womad? hey i gotta google that. thanks for the heads up! :D
foreverjas : haha missed two flights in a row, can u believe that. i only got on the plane 3rd time around
sieutheng : sieutheng dun say all my teruk things lah =( only i can say my own teruk things!
lishun : eh very groanworthy meh the script! i dont remember anything particular forehead smacking. maybe except that part where hermione goes ‘exciting isnt it, breaking all the rules!’ but most of the ‘witty’ parts should come from the book, yes? and totally concur abt the phonebooth + corner. it looked very very cool. woulda been a painting i would hang on my wall
phing : imelda staunton! i last watched her in freedom writers and she was excellent as well. ohhhhh snape :D and now that u mention it, it’s true that ron didnt get many lines! but his presence was felt tho. haha cho was irritating to me in the books and the previous movie. she wasnt so bad in this one. looked sweet actually :P
michelle : dunno.. maybe urs is the adult -cover version? mine is the yellow and blue book
26. sheon | July 16th, 2007 at 8:21 am
dang………i’ll go steal a book then….. *wicked laugh*…..
27. bodicea | July 17th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
i didn’t like the movie at all. meh. cut banyak-banyak.
cho chang not “extremely pretty” at all.
Harry actually had a haircut. I didn’t even see his scar in the poster. as usual, poor acting. i swear the dark-haired boy from Narnia movie could’ve done better.
Hermione’s hair was straightened and…copper blonde?? wtf?
Ron the usual. Snape the usual. McGonagall not strict/stern enough. wtf wtf wtf.
If there’s any wise old fatherly wizard for hire, it should be Ian Mckellen. I don’t care if people will think Gandalf or Magneto when they see him
Sirius not goodlooking/dark and brooding enough. Lupin was ok lah.
etcetcetc
i swear J.K. Rowling was brainwashed into approval
28. albert | July 20th, 2007 at 10:04 am
jia lat find ur signature on the harry potter card board!! u really was there….kakaka
29. hitomi | July 20th, 2007 at 11:08 am
although i haven’t watch it by myself but from what my brother’s review on that, i thought it is dreadyl enough to have the movie deviated from the content of the book. now even the J.K.Rowling wants to sue them…oh shit~~
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