Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Robbie Coltrane, Estelle Harris, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Daniel Radcliffe, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham-Carter, Jason Isaacs, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Warwick Davis, Evanna Lynch, Katie Leung, Natalie Tena, Robbie Jarvis, James Phelps, Chris Rankin, Matthew Lewis

Director: David Yates

Summary: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) experiences a bout of teenage angst as he harbours a crush on a fellow-student at Hogwarts. But a strange prophecy reveals itself, and Harry's wizard exams and raging hormones have to remain in the background as he is called into action once again.

Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year of studies, only to find that the magical community seems to be in a curious state of denial about his recent encounter with the sinister Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the fifth instalment of the popular fantasy film series based on the best-selling books by author J.K. Rowling. Rumour has it that the dreaded Lord Voldemort has returned, but Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) isn't so sure what to make of all the hearsay currently floating around the campus of Hogwarts. Suspecting that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may be fuelling the rumours regarding Voldemort's return in order to undermine his authority and lay claim to his job, Fudge entrusts newly arrived Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) with the task of tracking Dumbledore and keeping a protective watch over the nervous student body. The young wizards of Hogwarts will need something much more effective than Umbridge's Ministry-approved course in defensive magic if they are to truly succeed in the extraordinary battle that lies ahead, however, and when the administration fails to provide the students with the tools that they will need to defend Hogwarts against the fearsome powers of the Dark Arts, Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Harry take it upon themselves to recruit a small group of students to form 'Dumbledore's Army' in preparation for the ultimate supernatural showdown.

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While many movie franchises slide as they reach their later instalments, the Harry Potter films just keep getting better. The latest, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is easily the darkest of the series to date, and it’s also one of the best. For while it could easily have been little more than a holding film to set up the big encounters to come in the last two instalments of the series, it’s to the credit of British director David Yates that the end result is really very good.

It finds Harry coming under suspicion from his wizarding colleagues, who don’t believe his claims that the evil Lord Voldermort has returned. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix thus finds its title character on the backfoot for much of its running time, with a select band who firmly believe his story, and very powerful figures who don’t.

Where the movie of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix excels though is in its three trump cards. Number one is a far tighter script than we’re used to with Potter films, which, combined with trump card number two--the aforementioned David Yates behind the camera--cuts much of the slavish loyalty to the text away in favour of a film with real momentum. The third, and best, card though is the casting of Imelda Staunton as Professor Dolores Umbridge, who simply flies away with every scene she’s in. It’s a superb performance, and the film is poorer whenever she’s not on screen.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is not a film without a few problems, certainly: it’s a fair criticism that not too much actually happens, and one or two bits feel superfluous. But it overrides its problems with ease, to emerge as a compelling, highly enjoyable family film, which will leave you salivating for the Christmas 2008 release of movie number six in the series. --Simon Brew

Aspect Ratio:	2.40 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region B
Special Features:	Featurettes, Production diaries, Additional scenes, The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter, Trailing Tonks: personal film set tour, Harry Potter: The Magic of Editing
Subtitles:	Catalan, Dutch, Finnish, German, Danish, Castilian Spanish, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, French, Italian, Portuguese, English
Year:	2007
Release Date:	November 12, 2007
Runtime:	132 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B D Y 15694
Keywords:	Family, Magic, English, Order, Harry, Fantasy, Phoenix, Potter, Adventure
Genre:	Fantasy