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

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