Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This isn't going to be a real review in the sense that I'm not going to pull the movie apart and look at its individual pieces. In fact, all I'm really going to do is tell you the overall effect it had on me, which was strong. This'll all be spoiler-free, by the way.

I thought the first couple of Potter films were charming and interesting, but nothing that would inspire me to join the obsessive ranks of Potter fandom. My wife likes the books and she has good taste, so I've always assumed that I'd want to eventually read the series, but I haven't been in a rush to do it. After all, I figured, I might as well see the movies first so that I can enjoy them for what they are instead of comparing them to the books.

When the Prisoner of Azkaban movie came out, I thought it was a lot cooler than the first two, but then I don't usually enjoy Chris Columbus films, so that was no big surprise. I liked how Azkaban grounded Hogwarts and turned it into a real place. I also liked Sirius Black and Professor Lupin. And the Dementors were cool and the time travel angle was well played.

I didn't care so much for Goblet of Fire. I'd heard that the series took a darker turn and thought I was prepared for it, but it hurt to watch Ron grow so sullen and all of them get their hearts broken. Because of that, I was a bit nervous about seeing The Order of the Phoenix. I wasn't sure if I wanted to follow the series into deeper darkness, but I'm too much a fan of pop culture to be able to jump out now.

The Order of the Phoenix certainly is a darker movie, but it's also the most complex plotwise and made me think, "Holy crap, there's a lot going on here." That might also be due to my having been spoiled on the Big Event from Half-Blood Prince so that I'm really anxious to experience it for myself and form my own opinion about it. At any rate, for the first time I'm truly intrigued by the mythos and want to know what's going to happen next. Actually, "intrigued" is an understatement. I'm drawn in. I'm compelled. I'm captivated by Harry's world and want to explore it more right now.

I don't want to wait for the rest of the movies. As soon as I finish The Fencing Master, I'm starting The Sorceror's Stone and reading straight through to the end of the series. It's going to be nasty trying to avoid spoilers for the next year or however long it takes me to finish (I'm a slow, lazy reader), but that's what I get for coming late to the party.

So, yeah. I liked the movie.