Review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) by Richards — 29 Jul 2007
The Potter series can be divided into 2 - 1. the first four books which were each lean, full of mystery and adventure - each was a standalone story of merit and 2. the last three books which have a single story laboriously told across the three books.
As a result the last 3 books are pretty boring, longwinded, and crucially bereft of new magic and thrills. TOOTP has no central storyline, unless you think that the revelation that Voldemort is back is actually a story in itself.
As a result the story is really lacking. True to the last 3 books Harry is crushingly dull - one-note whinging and feeling story for himself all the time. God help us when book 7 comes to the screen. Having a "bleak" or "dark" story doesn't make it better - just bereft of fun.
The good news is that the acting from the adults is first rate. Oldman and Staunton are superb. Just a shame we can have more Thewlis, Smith, Gleeson and others. Gambon is great as usual too. The kids aren't too bad.
JKR cannot write action scenes at all - they play so much better on screen than on the page. The battle scene at the end is far better than anything JKR has written. The Army practice scenes also have great effects.
This review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) was written by Richards on 29 Jul 2007.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has generally received very positive reviews.
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