As we edge ever closer to the Friday release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 in our look back at the Potter franchise, we’ve arrived at the beginning of what could be called the David Yates era. After Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell declined the invitation to helm Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Warner Bros. and producer David Heyman continued their streak of left-field choices, offering the job first to Mira Nair (The Namesake) and Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake). Finally, they decided upon a soft-spoken man best known for two British TV projects: Sex Traffic, an award-winning made-for-TV-movie about forced prostitution, and the acclaimed miniseries State of Play (which was remade into a 2009 feature film starring Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams). David Yates may have been an utterly unknown figure to American audiences, but his savvy with dark, political material was exactly in tune with what is arguably J.K. Rowling’s most emotionally turbulent and politically pointed book in the Potter series.
As Steve Daly put it in EW’s July 20, 2007 cover story, “If you’re looking for a rah-rah Quidditch match or a joyful welcoming banquet to leaven the proceedings, you’re out of luck this time around.” Wracked with profound panic and denial, the Ministry of Magic simply refuses to believe that Voldemort was restored to full strength in The Goblet of Fire, and wages a vaguely fascist campaign to discredit Harry and clamp down on the Dumbledore-led underground resistance group, the titular Order of the Phoenix. Our 15-year-old hero, meanwhile, is a bubbling cauldron of adolescent anger and angst, furious at the world for persecuting him and haunted by painful visions that seem to be from You-Know-Who’s own eyes. “Jo Rowling has said that if Harry Potter were a real kid in the real world, he’d be deeply damaged, he’s been through so much,” Yates told EW while on set. “So I was keen to make this a much more psychological, emotional Harry than we’ve seen before. Dan’s done some wonderful work exploring it, to try to make it real for the audience.”
And The Order of the Phoenix was dark indeed, no more so than the painfully pink-clad new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton). Eventually installed as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Umbridge literally tortures Harry by forcing him to write “I must not tell lies” with a magical quill that etches whatever’s being written into the flesh of whoever’s doing the writing. ”Dolores does it with a smile and a cup of tea,” noted Yates in our April 6, 2007 cover story on The Order of the Phoenix (yes, we did two — please don’t act surprised). “That’s what makes her really horrifying.” (In her B+ review, EW’s Lisa Schwarzbaum singled Staunton’s performance out as “a Pepto-Bismol-tinted bolt of energy — and political commentary” in what was an otherwise “earthbound” film.)
The focus on Harry’s emotional life and the intrigue of magical politics also meant a great deal of Rowling’s 870-page book — the longest in the series — had to go. Ron Weasley’s Quidditch heroics? Cut. Dobby the House Elf’s reappearance? Gone. Hermione blackmailing Rita Skeeter into telling Harry’s side of the story? Vamoose. Neville Longbottom’s madness-addled parents? Only alluded to. In fact, Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg — who stepped in on Phoenix for an exhausted Steve Kloves – managed to make the fifth Harry Potter film the shortest of the franchise. (With a reported $200 million budget, however, it was also at the time the most expensive.) One thing that did survive the chopping block: Kreacher, the house elf living in the home of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who was spared only after Rowling stepped in to inform the filmmakers that the character was a pivotal figure in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Ah, yes, the true beginning of the end: Just a little over a week after The Order of the Phoenix debuted to an astounding $44.2 million opening day (ultimately grossing $938 million total worldwide), Rowling’s seventh and final book reached shelves, breaking every book sales record ever in the history of words as readers the world over finally learned the fate of our young hero. The two events conspired into a perfect storm of Potter insanity, and, if we’re being honest, the fifth Potter film was easily dwarfed by the final Potter book. In all the excitement of devouring The Deathly Hallows, thinking back on that month now, I can barely recall the film version of The Order of the Phoenix. Well, save for two things: Nicholas Hooper’s rousing score, and the climactic battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore. Due respect to Rowling’s prose (and my own imagination), but this scene was far and away better on the screen than on the page — it’s one thing to read about wizards creating giant spheres of water and flames in the shape of a massive serpent, but it’s another thing entirely to see it vividly brought to life.
What do you most fondly remember about The Order of the Phoenix, Popwatchers? Do you agree with our critic’s assessment that, for all its virtues, “time hangs heavy” in the film? And do you have trouble remembering the film in the wake of reading The Deathly Hallows, or have you re-watched the movie enough times now to render that question rather moot?
More Harry Potter:
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' countdown: Remembering 'The Goblet of Fire'
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' countdown: Remembering 'The Prisoner of Azkaban'
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' countdown: Remembering 'The Chamber of Secrets'
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' countdown: Remembering 'The Sorcerer's Stone'
EW's 'Harry Potter' Central
This was my first midnight movie so i remember it pretty well! It is easily the forst of all the movies, because they left out soo much stuff from the books that was hilarious (I really wanted to see a portable swamp! and St. Mungos!) but it definitely did not compare to the release of Deathly Hallows…which actually was the first book to ever make me cry!
and took me waay to long to read! (I finished Half-blood Prince and Order of the Phionex each in 1 day, but it took me 2 to finish Deathly Hallows! 
)
What I remember was that 3/4 of the book didn’t make it onto the screen, as has happened with all the Potter films. “Phoenix” was awful, but not a dreadful as “Half Blood Prince”. Ugh, I’ll never watch that travesty again.
I might agree with you about 3/4 of Order of the Phoenix not being included in the film version, but let’s not be over dramatic and say all of the films cut 3/4 of the books. Come on now…
they’ve done way better with Deathly Hallows on that account, they stayed really close to the book and while watching it I didn’t notice anything missing that stood out. (for me this new movie is the best of the series so far)
I agree on Half Blood Prince being the worst. I didn’t even care when they revealed who the Half Blood Prince was. No build up to that fact at all. My poor mom who hasn’t read the books was really confused at this movie.
The greatest mistake of HBP was how they concluded it. I enjoyed everything up to the point when Harry and Dumbledore leave and although there are some interesting things that happen, too much was changed or left out at this point in the story. I was so looking forward to the first battle of Hogwarts, this being a great precursor to the finale in July. I wanted to see the Dumbledore’s Army and the Order working together – I really, really, really wanted to see that. Damn, another book I have to go back and read. Books are always better.
My favorite scene was Fred and George’s broom escape. I thought the score conveyed the mischievousness of the twins perfectly.
I was a little disappointed by that scene since it was SO awesome in the book. I think they held back a little.
What I remember most was Harry vs. Voldemort inside of Harry’s head. The flashes of his friends and “family” through the years and then the breaking of the mirror. I don’t remember if it got me as much the first time I saw it, but now after knowing everything that happens it just gets to me.
One thing I really missed about Order of the Phoenix was Ginny and Harry’s conversation about whether or not Voldemort was possessing Harry. I feel like that was the moment that Harry started falling for her, even if he didn’t know it until the next year.
Oh yes, I love the “lucky you” scene and also when she finds him in the library.
Yeah I think Order is when she stops being just Ron’s little sister and becomes a “person” in his eyes, if you know what I mean.
The movies really dropped the ball in developing Ginny/Harry.
I am actually rereading OotP right now and there is a part in the book where Harry realizes the Ginny had had a crush on him, but has now moved on with Corner and can talk to him now. And when i reread that i was like DAMN i totally forgot he knew she once liked him.
I loved the flashbacks to the older movies. I thought that was a sweet touch.
For once it’s good to live in Europe as most movies come out here later than in the US but now this movie has been out here for 2 days already. Can’t wait to go again
Helena Boneham Carter joined the cast as Bellatrix Lestrange in this movie and she’s beyond brillaint in the role.
Another thing they cut out was Umbridge having Hagrid tied up and then McGonagoll tried to save him, but she was sent to St. Mungo’s Hospital.
I remember being disappointed in the story cuts seeing this movie .I think they are going to have add some plot points they didn’t put in OoTP and HBP movies back into DH.Overall I have liked Yates direction .He has been great for getting the dark tone in the movies right .I’m glad Kloves came back for the last two movies
Favorite movie of them all (so far!). Dark, political, action-packed, and it may not have been true to the book but it was an excellent movie. Truthfully I’ve never liked the fifth book so I was fine with the film not being loyal to it. OotP finally had some good acting by the trio and Imelda Staunton is tremendous. I can’t say enough about this movie!
Didn’t know that Kreacher would have been taken out if JK hadn’t stepped in. Glad she did cause he would have been weird for him to just show up in the DH films. I remember being a little disappointed with OotP…rewatching in now, its better but it had room for improvement.
This was one of my favorite of the movies. A lot was left out, mostly little things I just wanted to see on screen but it got the feel of the book better than most of the adaptations. I think the fact that Kloves wasn’t involved really helped. And the casting of Luna was dead on.
At first, I was dismayed at how much was left out of the book, but I came to appreciate the film for its themes and tone after multiple screenings.
This movie was the one that got me interested in seeing the 4 before it as well as read the books. I was so bummed I didn’t see it in the theaters because the scene where they’re flying through London on brooms and then the big fight scene at the end starting with Harry and them and then ending Dumbledore vs. Voldemort was visually awe-some. I loved this movie; it ranks as my 2nd favorite after Azkaban.
Did you end up reading the books? The third movie was god-awful. The movie forgot to mention who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were. It also had some weird casting choices, shrieking shack scene was way to short, and why were the patronus charms NOT animals?
The Patronus was an animal; you can see the stag form at the end.
in OotP you learn some people can do corpreal patronus (with a form) and for some people its a vapor. the corpreal is stronger.
Overall, I have a hard time separating the book from movie, and I remember leaving the theater really pissed off. Sirius was my favorite character and I don’t think they did that scene right. His last words were NOT “Nice shot, James.” Although he did say that he still had more lines after and I thought that made my favorite character look crazy. I also didn’t like that it was NOT a veil. That being said, I have not read that book again in about two years and I watched the movie the other day and found that I liked it more. Curious.
But I agree with waya. I was even more disappointed with the 6th movie. I hope this book can stick more to the original plot. The trailers are FANTASTIC though.
when the movie first came out, I was so annoyed at all the parts from the book that was cut, but I recently rewatched it again, having not read the books in a while, and now I think it was the best Harry Potter film in the series. It was just a really well done story.