Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) [4K UHD]

The Video: Sizing Up the Picture 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' is certainly a flagship next-gen title for Warner. The film is debuting on both Blu-ray and HD DVD day-and-date with the standard DVD version, and though there are some notable differences in terms of audio and extras, the one area where both high-def editions match up is this 1080p/VC-1 encode (framed at the film's original 2.40:1 theatrical aspect ratio). Warner has certainly delivered the goods, and even with the startling number of reference-quality high-def titles I've reviewed in recent weeks, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' easily stands tall, boasting yet another a five-star video presentation. I've often used the term "picture window effect" in my reviews, but right from the film's opening sequence, 'Order of the Phoenix' boasts some of the most three-dimensional images I've yet seen on a next-gen title. This continues throughout the film, with the level of detail and depth to this Blu-ray disc truly fantastic. Sharp, resplendent in fine texture and perfectly balanced in terms of balance and contrast, 'Order of the Phoenix' is absolutely top tier. Of course, any 'Harry Potter' film is one of fantasy, and as such it's clear throughout that we are in a surreal and vibrant world. Colors are pushed to the max of saturation, but always stay one millimeter away from oversaturation. Hues remain rock solid and free of noise or other defects, so despite obvious skews in terms of color (blues and yellows are particularly accentuated), the presentation still feels surprisingly natural. Warner has also done a terrific job with compression, and I had no problems with any artifacts -- no edge enhancement, macroblocking or banding (even in heavily CGI'd sequences). Simply put, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' is a stunner. The Audio: Rating the Sound Warner has been much better recently with their support of high-res audio on the majority of their next-gen releases, and this Blu-ray edition of 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' continues the trend with a stellar uncompressed PCM 5.1 Surround mix (48kHz/24-bit). It's easily on par with the Dolby TrueHD track on the HD DVD -- in fact, any audible differences are so marginal it's a wash. Both rate as a sparkling sonic experience. (Note that the Blu-ray does outgun the HD DVD when it comes to foreign language options. Although the HD DVD contains only English, French and Spanish tracks and subtitles, this Blu-ray edition contains a wealth of additional options -- check out the left sidebar for the complete list.) It's no surprise that Warner spared no expense in bringing the latest Harry Potter adventure to the big screen. This is the best sound design you're likely to hear this year -- bold, highly immersive and unflagging in its sustained aggressiveness. There are so many fantastic sequences that you can just pick a chapter for instant demo material (the film's final 45 minutes in particular are a true aural delight). The rear soundfield is alive throughout, with sounds bounding all around with a transparency that's as close to the movie theater as you're going to get. Minor ambiance is not ignored either, with quieter scenes boasting a palpable surround presence. Even a simple whoosh of Harry's wand is often accompanied by a delightful subtle wisp of sound in the rears. All other aspects of the source are equally excellent. Integration of music, dialogue and effects is pitch-perfect. Even with so many younger actors (and their sometimes thick English accents), I made out every word without ever reaching for my remote's volume controls. The score (by Nicholas Hooper, subbing for John Williams) is also impressively dispersed, with the appropriate majestic quality. And although 'Order of the Phoenix' may not be the subwoofer juggernaut of a film like 'Transformers,' when bass is needed, believe me, you'll feel it. There is not one aspect of this mix that disappoints.

I've been a rabid fan of Harry Potter for years now, ever since the imminent release of the first movie inspired me to start reading the books. That is a telling statement right there, in that I have always been the sort of person who prefers the book to the movie. Yet with this particular movie, I may even have enjoyed the movie more than the book. Of the seven books in the series, OotP is on the low end as far as which books I enjoyed the most. As for the movie version, I found it dazzling. David Yates is the director for which this amazing series has been searching. While Columbus's first two were cute (sometimes too cute) and imaginative, Cuaron's story-driven focus on the third was very well-done, and Newell's streamlined fourth was well acted with poor effects, Yates's vision of the fifth novel was exactly as I imagined everything in my head. His pacing of the story was superb and his use of the rotating Daily Prophet headlines to propel the plot was frankly ingenious. There is a lot of meat to the novel and Yates ensures that the plot is coherent and none of the important details are left out but does so in a very efficient manner. Instead, he saves the lengthier scenes for the heart of the story and Harry's internal conflicts are given just as much play as his external conflicts. Harry sometimes comes across as surly in the book but Yates did a wonderful job of portraying Harry's normal adolescent frustrations coupled with his dangerous position in the wizarding world. Though the ending sequence in the Ministry of Magic was trimmed, it was simply stunning. I can't say enough good things about Yates and I was ecstatic to hear that he will also be directing "Half-Blood Prince". This is a real boon to Rowling as it is such a pivotal novel. She will have a director who will do it right. There is also a great deal to be said about the acting. One of the great strengths of this franchise is that the same actors have been with it all along (with the exception of the late Richard Harris). It's been a thrill to watch the child actors grow and it really helps to keep me into the story given that one of the central themes of the novels is the evolution of these characters. While I have always liked Radcliffe, he is simply phenomenal in this movie. It's almost possible to physically feel Harry's reactions because Radcliffe imbues them with such obvious and yet restrained passion. Another of the phenomenal acting treasures is the wonderful Evanna Lynch who is pitch perfect as Luna Lovegood. Lynch is truly a talent and I loved every moment of watching her bring the character to life. I look very forward to seeing more of her in future Potter films. Alan Rickman is wonderful as usual and always leaves the viewer wanting more of Snape. Imelda Staunton made Umbridge delightfully creepy. Ralph Fiennes is extraordinary as Voldemort and sends a shiver down my spine whenever he's onscreen. The true strength of this movie is that it's character-driven, just as it was always meant by Rowling to be. Yes there is a central plot that is important. But what is really important is Harry's growth and development. Throughout his life he has had to make many tough choices and his decisions aren't always the best but that is the point. Harry learns from his mistakes and it is his choices that shape him as a character. Rather than make a flashy movie about wizards casting lots of cool spells, Yates has let this theme shine through. As in the books, in the end it all comes down to Harry's humanity. The spells and objects and magical creatures are all just frill. The real heart of the story is Harry's coming of age.

This series just keeps getting better. Each episode is darker and more serious than the one before, but that is because it is leading up to a tremendous finale in the last chapter. Each episode comes up to a confrontation between the heroes and the forces of evil. In this one, Harry is not alone. He has made friends over the years at Hogwarts and they gather around to help him. He is also introduced to the Order Of The Phoenix, which is a group of mature wizards and witches joined together to fight "he whose name is not spoken". The confrontation in this episode takes place in just about the spookiest location yet. The set designers really deserve an award for this one. And we finally get to see professor Dumbledore square off in a duel against "you know who". I just wish the people who put together the special feature packet would realize that neither Harry or his fans are still eleven years old. It is eleven years since the series started. The fans who started reading at ten years old in 1997 are now 21 years old. They are much too mature for the childish games that dominate the special features disc. Certainly those games have a place for the younger fans who have joined over the years, but there should be some more mature material for those of us who have been with Harry from the beginning, and it should be noted that, in the books, Ms Rowling never spoke down to her readers in the blatant way the narrators of the special features do. Come on, guys, Harry is growing up, his fans have grown up, and it's about time you did, too. Minor gripes aside, this is a well made adventure with plenty of action, character developement, and just plain fun for any Harry Potter fan.

In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix",the fifth in the Potter film franchise, Head Master Dumbledore and Harry form a secret group of his fellow students into an organization to combat the oncoming might of the evil Lord Valdemort and his minions. In the beginning of the film, Harry uses his powers to protect himself and his cousin from an attack from Dementors, but ends up getting expelled from Hogwarts due to using his magic in front of a Muggle. However, he gets reinstated but Delores Umbridge, who works for The Ministry of Magic, gets promoted to Professor of the Dark Arts position at the school. She abuses her position by teaching the students the theory but not the practice of magic, telling them that there is nothing to fear or fight against, making Harry out to be a liar and becoming a bit tyrannical and bitchy. This all leads to the inevitable showdown with Valdemort and Harry knows the dark days are ahead. Ive never read any of the Potter books, to be honest; perhaps someday i shall, but i do love the films. From the very first one til now, the movies have intrigued me and i really like the ideas present in them. Its easy to see why Potter has such a huge global fanbase. I find the films extremely complex themselves, yet I love them just for the fantasy elements and the characters and their situations, plus also the fact that as time goes on, the series gets progressively darker and disturbing. Daniel Radcliffe does a very great job as Harry and is assisted by a strong supporting cast: Emma Watson as Hermione, Rupert Grint as Ron, Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, etc.

But I will be waiting at least another 5 days. :( This review is for AMAZON'S Lame-oh shipping delay. Why bother pre-ordering from Amazon if it doesn't get shipped until 3 days or so after I could have bought it at W*lm*rt? Amazon gets a thumb down on this one. I guess I figure that, if people pre-order, then the inventory should match up and we shouldn't find ourselves gritting our teeth that we didn't just get a copy when we stopped at the W*lmart. Or the Kr*ger. Or order it for ~ 17 bux from an Amazon marketplace seller who had it the day after it became available. If they had it....why didn't Amazon?!? 'Nuff said, next cool movie, I'll just pick it up somewhere else. Amazon blew it this time.

Fun family movie

Great book

As a mostly macho male who's been converted to the world that is the Harry Potter films, I entered into the first movie with a bit of reluctance (and only did so at the behest of my better half). Much to my surprise, I was completely entertained and rather surprised as to how much I liked the first film. Since I'd bought her the entire series up to that point (films 1-4), I decided to give The Chamber of Secrets a chance as well. Again, I was pleasantly entertained and found myself actually caring about the story. So on I went, taking in the third and subsequent fourth film in the series to date and at the end, I was eager to see what happened next, which is the mark of any solid film series. And what happened next was a very surprising, yet welcome turn. Things in the Harry Potter universe got serious. Yes, the death of Cedric and the locked wand scene with Voldemort from The Goblet of Fire were serious, but those moments also purposefully lacked the level of gravity that we're greeted with right up front with the Order of the Phoenix. Up until this installment in the franchise, Harry Potter is portrayed as a child with grown-up problems; an individual that's unfairly tossed into a world he doesn't fully understand and into a conflict that he wants no part of, save for the temptation of vengeance for his slain parents. When Professor Umbridge puts the kibosh on magic, Hermione senses what needs to be done, but she also realizes that she needs Harry to pull it off. This is where Harry turns into a man. He sees the conflict beyond his struggle with Voldemort, he accepts that this battle and those that will come are about more than his vendetta against the dark lord; it's about the world of magic and the people within it. Harry confronts the problems he and his peers face and begins to climb over the obstacles and front of him, leading others in the process (albeit a little reluctantly at first). But there's also the larger point, which I'm not sure Rowling intended to make, or at least didn't intentionally craft it to parallel some of the current societal topics such a rights relating to self defense and the bearing of arms, which are almost completely absent in the UK. One of the points that is driven home throughout the second half of film is that sometimes things that are dangerous are best left in the hands of the just, otherwise the just will be defenseless against the unjust, who will not abide by any rules prohibiting dangerous things or nefarious conduct. The Ministry of Magic, through Umbridge, pulls of a complete parallel to an overbearing nanny-state government the removes objectionable things from the hands of the good in order to try and hold back the tides of evil (in this case by taking the teaching and use of magic away from the student body). Of course, as often happens in real life, this is a total failure, the only thing Umbridge and the Ministry end up accomplishing is leaving the children naked and vulnerable to the real evil in the world; one they flat out refuse to see in Voldemort's return. As someone who won't read the books until I've seen all of the films, I can't say that I was disappointed by what was left out of the movie, as I have no idea what I am missing. While the overall story of the film does seem dead in spots where mostly benign but key pieces of information or character development appear to be missing, and though overall the film seemed a bit rushed and crammed together, it's still an entertaining ride and left me wanting more, which again is the mark of any great film series. The final battle scene, which is wonderfully done and occurs as the most impressive, powerful and unique display of magic to date, left me with a sense that this was a transitional film for Harry Potter, that the next time we meet him, the boy who's been the subject of rumors, whispers, prophecies and legend will be coming into his own and wielding that great power that everyone has spoken of since the first film.

Me gustó mucho la edición de la película.

I've read all the books (deathly Hallows is my favourite), and watched all the movies. At first i was dissapointed, because of how much had been taken out, but i decided to wait till book 7, before i would make my decision about this one. In the end, the changes that were made, actually make things a little easier for the movies, e.g. kreacher's betrayel doesn't actually amount to anything at the end of it (i mean, harry forgives him, sort of, so it's actually easier to not have it in). There are other examples i could come out with, but that would take a full page. Put it this way, they kept in just about enough, and the things they haven't kept in, could very easily be put back into 6 or 7. Now, onto the movie itself. The direction was brilliant, though this director admittedly, doesn't have cuaron's flair, but he simply uses that vision to enhance his own, which is fair enough. Allows for good continuity, i suppose. The acting is something i was most impressed with, especially Daniel Radcliffe. Honestly speaking, looking at his performance in film 4, i felt that he didn't have what it took to pull off film 5. However, i felt there was a chance if he was pushed the right way, and the director certainly managed that. Rupert Grint, unfortunately doesn't get much screen time (I have to admit, i did miss 'Weasley is our King'), but he still made the most out of what he did have. Emma Watson (who is beautiful. Yes, i admit it), was actually very good in this, and gave probably her stongest performance as Hermoine (even better than film 3). Though, admittedly, Emma still has a few problems, but they can be rectified with maturity and some good direction (which Harry Potter has had a lot of). Finally, i was actually entertained all throughout, which i found quite surprising, since the book did have a few dull moments. Overall, i'd still say that Goblet of Fire is the best film, but this is right there with it.

DVD de 2007 présentant le cinquième épisode de la célèbre série mettant en scène le petit sorcier anglais; dans cet opus, on retrouve, comme d'habitude, Harry aux prises avec son affreuse famille adoptive; nous sommes toujours au cours des vacances d'été et Harry est harcelé par son demi frère sur un terrain vague lorsque survient une bande de "dementors" qui l'obligent à lancer un patronus; accusé par le ministère, il doit passer devant un conseil de discipline puis c'est Poudlard où l'on retrouve la plupart des professeurs; cet épisode, qui permet de comprendre le projet de prince noir est donc fondamental dans l'épopée et sa version filmée est particulièrement grandiose avec des scènes touchantes d'intimité entre le jeune Harry et ses professeurs qui le guident pour assumer son destin; ce coffret simple Warner Bros n'offre aucun DVD de bonus; le film lui même est accessible en anglais avec sous-titrage possible dans la même langue; un achat sans risque même en occasion (à condition de choisir un vendeur bien noté)

ファン垂涎の品、いつ見ても何度見ても面白いですね。

... for Christmas, which is when we usually get the Harry Potter DVDs. I intend to get this when it appears ... To reduce 750 pages to a feature film of whatever length is a hard ask - perhaps JKR should have edited more ruthlessly before the "Order of the Phoenix" book appeared. Well, that's history now. However, I disagree with some of the other reviewers regarding the actual content of the film. I have little doubt that Rowling was strongly involved in the production, and having read books 6 and 7, I can't think of anything omitted that is going to cause problems in later films, for those people who haven't bothered to read the books. Inevitably, the experience you get when you read the books is very different, by virtue of the difference in the medium. All I can say is, read the book as well - preferably first! However, the film is really well produced. The grimmer parts (Harry's detention with Umbridge, Sirius' death) are done effectively but not gruesomely; the mental link between Harry and Voldemort is conveyed well; the new characters (Umbridge, Luna, Bellatrix) are very good. I think the only thing that left me unsatisfied about the film was that I felt that by book 5 - even by the later part of book 4, really - Hermione was somehow more mature and steely, whereas in the film she occasionally seems rather girly. But that's a small issue. This is a high quality film of a high quality story, and merits a place in most good DVD collections.