Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- The First Test Screening Reviews are In
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger, Fandom, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels
As per usual, AICN is the destination for the latest test screening reviews written by folks plucked off the street, shown a free flick and asked not to say anything about it. But in the case of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, did you really expect these test screening viewers to keep their mouths shut longer than, say, 10 minutes? Yeah, I didn't think so. Set to hit theaters on July 13, it seems Potter landed in Chicago last week where a few people were lucky enough to be the third audience to check out the latest big-screen installment in the Harry Potter franchise. Is it good? Is it bad? And, does Harry order his Phoenix rare or well done?
According to one viewer --who asked to go by the name 'Rosncranz' -- the film " is a success in many, in fact most, aspects." While the writer doesn't ruin the entire film, there are some mild spoilers included within ... so beware. Right now (and keep in mind there's probably still some editing to be done), pic's biggest problem seems to be its pace and running time (which currently clocks in at 2 hours and 30 minutes). Says 'Rosncranz', "The movie moves along at a good pace until about halfway through and then gets bogged down a bit for most of the rest of the film." Bonus points were awarded for the acting, with Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) being the "standouts."
Another problem Rosncranz had with the film was that, while he/she certainly enjoyed it as a whole, they felt the story was a little too weak -- almost to a point where it could have been stuffed into one of the other films. Since I'm not exactly a Harry Potter pro here, I'll ask you: Is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix one of the weaker books out there? Where would you rank it?









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-05-2007 @ 12:24PM
Neoxkc said...
In my opinion, Order of the Phoenix isn't a weak book necessarily, but the pacing is definitely sluggish at times. Though it is my least favorite of all of them, but I haven't read it in a while.
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3-05-2007 @ 12:41PM
Lindsay said...
For anyone who needs to brush up on their HP background before the release of the OOTP movie, wiseGEEK has put together a collection of articles about Harry, Hogwarts, and other happenings! There's predictions and theories for us experts, but also lots of definitions and background for HP novices!
I thought it'd be a great resource for you and your readers:
http://www.wisegeek.com/the-life-and-times-and-possible-death-of-harry-potter.html
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3-05-2007 @ 1:17PM
Jim Kosmicki said...
order of the phoenix is a very internal book. A lot of it has to do with the main characters not talking to each other and being mad at each other (at least as I recall). The adults are all trying to position themselves to deal with Voldemort's return, and the kids feel left out. There are a few set action scenes with lots of magic flying about the room, but it's more of a mood piece. I remember reading it and saying to my wife that it would be difficult to turn this one into a strong movie, so we'll see.
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3-05-2007 @ 1:18PM
Tony said...
I liked Order. I just finished rereading it. I am more afraid the movie will cut out too much of the book. The producer, I think, already said there will be no Quiddich in the movie. That takes out a big storyline with Harry, Fred and George being banned for life, so Ginny and Ron join the team. And that also leaves out Weasley is Our King. As these books get longer and the studio still dictates the running time, I hope they are filming extra stuff so they can do a directors cut later one. While I loved the Goblet of Fire movie, but it felt a little hollow because alot of the book got cut out or changed. I realize movie adaptations aren't the same as the book but the first Potter movie was almost spot on to the book and with a fan base like Potter has, they can afford a longer movie, or even releasing it in two parts like Tarantino did with Kill Bill.
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3-05-2007 @ 1:20PM
Martin said...
As an elementary school teacher, I do find that this is the sluggish of all the books. This will probably effect the movie. But the sixth book is much faster and more enjoyable. So this just maybe a movie to get to the final chapters.
http://blog.mctimages.com
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3-05-2007 @ 3:59PM
Eklen said...
Not sluggish. The movie should have a certain feeling of..i dunno, it should def. show the repression and all in the school, but i doubt it will. I didnt think the previous films were all that good, but hopefully this one will nail it
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3-05-2007 @ 4:14PM
Cath said...
I found it one of the more compelling books with some of the most intensely real school events of the series. But too often the films spend too much time on ancillary things while disregarding the emotional direction of the story. The prior one was so fantastically directed, it tends to put the others in more obvious contrast.
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3-05-2007 @ 5:07PM
Joseph Land said...
I loved OotP just because of the whole Dumbledore's Army idea. I think that if they don't cut that out then it should be enjoyable.
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3-05-2007 @ 5:19PM
Tony said...
Well I just read a review over at Mugglenet by someone at the screening who is a Potter fan and I am left disappointed. It seems they cut some good plotlines altogether, and the one I feel will be the oddest is they changed from the book and had Cho be the person who told Umbridge about the DA, and then used that for the reason Cho and Harry broke up. I know they have to cut the book to fit a movie in a two-three hour timeframe, but thats just sloppy and it could come back to bite the movies in the butt if Cho plays largely in Deathly Hallows after being made out to be a traitor in the movie. I wonder if she will also suffer the hex Hermionie used or if she will even be involved in Dumbledore's dismissal from Hogwarts.
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3-06-2007 @ 3:03PM
Emily said...
The book actually is the worst book of the whole series so far - not only did the plot actually have holes in it and loose ends, but it rambled on for hundreds and hundreds of pages. Not surprised the movie plot is similar, but I was kind of hoping they'd clean it up for the screen.
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3-09-2007 @ 6:58AM
kim said...
i wouldn't say book 5 was terrible but i do agree it is the worst of the potter books. rowling herself admitted (forgot where) that there are some parts that can be edited out. *SPOILER* i definitely didn't like sirius dying and harry kissing cho. the girl's too emotional for him. i don't think the book being sluggish will have too much of an effect on the movie though. what i'm worried about is the marauders. they weren't really established in the third film and they have a flashback scene of them in OotP. non-readers may not get it.
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3-14-2007 @ 3:05PM
Touya said...
I didn't find OOTP sluggish at all! It was very good, and though it was the thickest, I felt everything in there was essential to understanding Harry's depression at the end of the book. Everything falls into place at the end, and it is one of the finer books of the series to date. I don't feet OOTP could have been fit into another book at all! The plotline might not be as definite, but for the most part, the story is about Harry growing up. Had this book not been just the way it was, Harry would not be as understandable a character as he is today.
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3-23-2007 @ 4:45AM
Dockery said...
Good points about Order of the Phoenix; but I still feel that it was a bit rough... I feel like it was two books in one, and way too packed. Maybe it would have came out better if the pre-Hogwarts and the Hogwarts parts were better blended.
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4-16-2007 @ 1:53AM
Ryan said...
"As an elementary school teacher, I do find that this is the sluggish of all the books. This will probably effect the movie."
Tsk, tsk. I hope you're not an English teacher. :)
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