Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This weekend I decided to treat myself to a WOF (Weekend of Films), and see all the films I've either missed or been putting off.

First up in my mammoth WOF was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Now I should have seen this last weekend, when I was down in Birmingham celebrating my sister's (third) graduation from university, but God had other ideas and tried his best to drown the cinema. I dunno, maybe he's unhappy with Morgan Freeman playing him again in Evan Almighty....

So up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday, I rose. Looking over at my alarm clock, I was appalled to discover that there's a ten o'clock in the morning on Saturdays now.

Now I've heard some people say that this is exactly the same plot as all the other Harry Potter movies, and I can sort of see their point to be honest, but it is a little like complaining that every James Bond film is the same as the previous one because they all follow the same formula. It begs the response; Yes of course, what where you expecting?

Order of the Phoenix is a very dark film, much so than the last one. Each film gets progressively darker, which doesn't bode well for the finale of the series - which I haven't read so don't spoil it for me LA LA LA LA LA, I'M NOT LISTENING.....

No spoilers from me, but I did like the way Harry's isolation was portrayed. As I've said previously, I enjoy films that get the character's emotions across to me subtly. I don't like characters who have to explain their feelings, saying "I'm happy with my life right now." I prefer the story and direction to make me feel as happy as they are.

As you'd expect, the film is wonderfully shot, with great special effects, and enough mystery to keep me happy. I hate being able to see what's coming (well, except at railway crossings). There's some good reveals of characters' pasts and backstory. There's a character in the movie who needs a ruddy good slap the whole way through, and surprisingly, it isn't Harry, Ron or Hermione.

Oh, and luckily Harry's hair doesn't look as stupid as the cover of the computer games would have you believe.

Score: B -

OQ: "I feel sorry for you..."

So in conclusion, I can heartily recommend a WOF to everyone. Mine left me feeling invigorated and refreshed and when I got to work this morning, for the first time I didn't feel like I'd wasted yet another weekend. However, this is probably indicative that I need to get a girlfriend.