"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

I went to see "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" last night. Paid full price, plus the extra fifty cents for the parking lot-sized ULTRA SCREEN.

Shouldn't have.

Not that it was completely awful or anything, but it suffered from the same essential problem as the book: weak story. This movie was easily the most pastiche-y of all of them, and without Steve Kloves behind the keyboard, the script was just dull. Really, I feel the same way about this movie that I felt about its book--it's just half of a boring bridge to books/movies 6 and 7.

I still didn't care about the death, which surprised me because of the powerhouse acting talent involved. And this movie is crammed with powerhouse acting talent: Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith... every single one wasted.

The movie only really came alive when the Order of the Phoenix itself was on screen. Suddenly, everything was dynamic and moving and cool, with this shlubby-looking but awesome magical commando unit kicking ass JUST BY WALKING (and, later, by fighting). But for a movie called "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the actual Order is pretty much absent. A shame, too; I'd watch a movie about the Order.

Save it for a rental, unless you're a die-hard.