A Statement before we begin –
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The fifth entry in the ‘Harry Potter’ series, and probably my favourite, I dont think that ‘Order of the Phoenix’ has quite the charm or punchiness of ‘Philosophers Stone’ but one thing that it is, is incredibly refined and consistent.

My biggest issue with ‘Philosophers Stone’ was simply that it felt too rushed, and that too much of the more entertaining or insightful moments were cut out of it. Order of the Phoenix just about hits the sweet spot of cutting enough out that it keeps things light and constantly moving, but this is combined with a refinement of the ‘moody emo-ey’ vibes that were seeded in ‘Azkaban’ and refined through ‘Goblet of Fire’.

Here? the darker moments are complemented with some more emotionally driven pieces, the comedy elements have a nice acidic dark streak to them, which I found pretty watchable. The more hormonally charged elements of the last film have been toned down and reworked into something a bit more realistic…Though; its still all a bit awkward and fumbly really.

I think probably this films saving grace has to come in the form of Imelda Staunton’s ‘Deloris Umbridge’ quite possibly one of THE most passive agressive antagonists to be put to film in the last 20 years. a seethingly unlikable character that hits the absolute sweet spot of being so unlikable as to start entire movements against, her while being utterly watchable out of sheer spite and contempt. I dont watch these films often, but I honestly think her turn here is one of the greatesdt performances she’s ever given.

Outside of that, theres not much to say really, on a technical level this is probably the best looking Harry Potter film since the first one, though im still not entirely sold on the proto live action Tim Burton Whimsy aesthetics. The pacing moves at a clip with all three acts getting about even distribution and while it would have been nice to see them slow down a little at times on this one, the consistent drive to go from beat to beat here is very welcome and very paletable.

The visual effects hold up nicely, I feel this adaptation cuts more or less everything I personally would have cut, though it would have been nice to have seen Dobby again.

Performance wise, everyones on full form, this is probably my favourite turn for the cast since the first film, with Alan Rickman and David Bradley in particular having some fantastic moments that are often picked up as ‘series defining’ turns. Staunton as mentioned is delightful, even Michael Gambon (who im not the biggest fan of as Dumbledore personally) gives a good turn and brings a softened layer to his performance here.

And to top it all of the score reverts back to a more orchestral fantasy vibe, while retaining a little bit of the more whimsical jazzy stuff that Azkaban and Goblet worked into the mix.

Honestly? a quick caption review of this one is that Azkaban introduced a new aesthetic and tonal style to this franchise, Goblet of fire revised it but still didnt quite hit the nail on the head for me. But Order of the Phoenix revises and finesses things one final time, and I feel like the combination of an engaging storyline that isnt entirely centered around Harry or Voldemort, combined with this firmed up aesthetic, creates probably the most solid Harry Potter offering since the first film. Its probably my favourite sequel out of the entire franchise really.

Oh, and can we take a moment to appreciate Tom Felton, an actor who somehow started this series as a pretty solid Child actor, and then slowly forgot how acting works. God bless him.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix/