Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review

At first, I neglected to read the Harry Potter novels.  Instead, I just watched the films.  Thoroughly enjoyable as they were, I never had a desire to read the book until I watched Order of the Phoenix and was left with a big ??What??  So I asked a friend who had them all to let me read the fifth book and was shocked by the amount of editing.  The lost plotlines (Hagrid's firing/the attack on Mcgonigal), the bizarre interpretation of sequences (the death at end and the location of characters at end) are just two holes left by the film.  I know location of characters doesn't seem important but in the film it does raise the question, why doesn't anyone follow Harry?  The book has that answered, they can't, they're injured, engaged in battle, or in different rooms when he goes running by after Bellatrix.  I was moreso disappointed when I read the ending in the book and the ease in understanding the situation it gave, versus the film's version.  I can overlook all kinds of editing but this is one entry in the series that should have had the ending verbatim.

The rest of the film has solid acting, more mature performances from our stars, good set design introducing the Ministry of Magic and the family home of the Blacks.  Kreacher was robbed of all of his amusing dialogue as well as his clever betrayal of Sirrius.  It will be interesting to see how they restore the power to Kreacher's character in the next films, since he is quite pivotal in the books.  Likewise, Dobby never being established being an employee at Hogwarts seems like it will cause problems. 

Still, it is a Harry Potter film.  You will enjoye it for its wonder, for the struggle, for the vindication.  Then go and read the book and you will just. . .wonder.