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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Two-Disc Special Edition) | 
| Studio: Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: CDN$ 24.98
Buy New: CDN$ 15.99
You Save: CDN$ 8.99 (36%)
New (8) Used (2) from CDN$ 15.99
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 417
Format: Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
UPC: 085391294061
EAN: 0085391294061
ASIN: B000WOQKFI
Release Date: December 11, 2007
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: FACTORY SEALED
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| Customer Reviews:
[insert witty catchphrase here] September 8, 2008
Selina Lee (Toronto, ON)
Personally, I love Harry Potter. There's so many complex plot lines woven together into a bigger plot that also connects many characters together. It's undeniably an epic tale, causing readers to actually believe in the existance of the wizarding world, which us Muggles unfortunately cannot enter, or even notice.
I watched this movie in IMAX when it was released, and I'm happy to say that the 3D sequence (the Thestral scene to the Fight with Death Eaters scene) was pretty amazingly done.
Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of Bellatrix Lestrange was MINDBLOWING, too. She was absolutely PERFECT for the role, from the crazy laughter to the way her black-witch outfit looked stunning on her. The other adult actors, such as Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Jason Issacs, Maggie Smith... they were all awesome, as always. (Obviously, since they are very notable actors) Another newcomer was Luna Lovegood, and she was adorably dorky. Well played. Nymphadora Tonks had a short screentime, but she was pretty good too.
However... I can't say the same for Daniel Radcliffe. Admit it, we all died in Prisoner of Azkaban in that scene where Harry shouts the whole "HE KILLED MY PARENTS!" He LOOKS like Harry, but I'm sad to point out that his acting is not very good. Sirius's death scene SHOULD have reduced me to tears - Gary Oldman falling through the veil was breathtaking... until Harry started the whole "HE KILLED MY PARENTS!"-type of screaming, which was thankfully muted out, but we could all see his expression. And even the Grimmauld Place scene where he's mad at Ron and Hermione was terrible. Angst scenes are just not Daniel Radcliffe, I guess. (Daniel Radcliffe fans, please don't throw rocks at me...)
Onto a more positive note, the CGIs were pretty darn awesome. The Thestrals were well done, and so was the entire length of the Ministry of Magic scene.
Oh, and Umbridge was absolutely BLOODY ANNOYING, which was the way it was supposed to be. So that was good. But Michael Gambon's portrayal of Dumbledore... I think it's improved a bit since the whole "Harry Potter. Harry Potter? HARRY POTTTERRRRRR!!!!!!" thing from Goblet of Fire... (honestly people, that was NOT Dumbledore at all. The beard ponytail didn't help either.) Bits of the Dumbledore scenes were pretty bearable. (I mean, he IS a respectable actor... it's just Richard Harris's image of Dumbledore, and his voice, attire, the whole package, was TOO perfect and strong for me to get over him :( ) For example, in the Trelawney-gets-sacked scene, Dumbledore speaks calmly and quietly, the way he should... until he barks at the students, quite literally, "Well, you all have studying to do!!" (or something along that line)
The movie also sort of twisted a bit of things, one thing being the fact that CHO rattled the DA out and not her friend... which was kind of weird, seeing that she liked Harry and shouldn't have betrayed him like that.
Okay, I'm all out.
Basically, if you stuck with the movies before this, you should watch it. You'd know what to expect. This isn't the BEST installment so far, but it's not horrible.
 Incredible! July 25, 2008
Jamieson Villeneuve (Ottawa Ontario Canada)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was given Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on DVD. My husband Robert gave it to me as a cheer up present. He went the extra mile and got me the special two disc edition, knowing that I am a Special Features Junkie.
I have three addictions in life. Four if you count Chocolate. But the first three are: Harry Potter, Books and Special Features. I love DVD extras. They really enable you to see what the film could have been, what was left out.
I think of them as little lost treasures, little bits of fun.
Now, having watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I can truly say that it is by far the best film in the series. It's fresh, engaging, moving, and beautiful. I loved watching it more the second time on DVD than I did when I saw it the first time.
This may have something to do with the fact that, in the theatre, there was a gentleman behind me that talked through the entire bloody thing. Or maybe because when I got to watch it at home, it was on a new twenty six inch screen; but I digress.
I was all excited to look at the Special Features after watching the film. The Husband (Hello Husband!) went off to do his thing. I popped in the second disc of the DVD, preparing myself to be enraptured.
Previous DVD editions of the movie have included games, maps, Triwizard Tournament Challenges, Potion Making Classes, a spidery maze, hidden extras and more. So imagine my surprise when I popped in the second DVD and saw a menu of only five things:
Languages, The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter, Tour with Tonks and The Magic of Editing.
Measly fare at best. Where were the games, where were the extras, the fun stuff? Where were the Special Features that really helped me get behind the film. Nowhere I could see. I took a cursery glance through everything and announced it all tosh.
As it turned out, I was wrong. Very wrong indeed.
There are a lot of people out there writing bad reviews about the two disc special edition of the DVD and I was almost one of them, had I not taken the time to wait. Enjoying a day off today, I saw the DVD sitting there by my television and decided to pop it in.
I figured that I'd put on one of the features and it would be lovely, magical background noise as I cleaned the apartment and had a helping of my Husbands amazing meat loaf (seriously folks, it would make your mouth water; yep, it's that good).
That didn't happen at all.
I had already taken a quick look at The Magic of Editing Feature. A boring little documentary about editing a film. Watching television last night, I saw an add for the DVD where it mentioned being able to edit your own scene.
Hold on a second, edit my own what? I figured that since there was no other choice on the menu, The Magic of Editing would be where it was. So I watched the documentary. It was a revelation of what kind of work goes into giving us the film that we see. Quite enjoyable too.
At the end of this segment, you do actually get to edit your own scene, choosing camera angle, music and sound effects. Then comes the fun part: you get to play it back and watch what you put together.
It's like directing your own movie; sort of. I had a great time putting the scene together different ways. Just enjoy the Feature and then let the editing magic begin.
I was also prepared not to enjoy the additional scenes. I don't know why. I know it had a lot to do with my pre-conceived notions of the second disc not being enjoyable. So I pressed play and watched them.
I came away spellbound. It really is a shame that most of the scenes were cut from the final reels. They would have added warmth and depth to some of the performances, both small and large.
Emma Thompson in particular is amazing. There are a few more scenes with her: one in a comedic turn at the Welcome Feast that is worth the entire price of the DVD (I'm not kidding, she's that funny) and a later scene that concerns Divination.
She is surpurb as always but she really shines in these scenes, as she does in the actual film when Umbridge attempts to have her thrown out of Hogwarts. Imelda Staunton, who plays Professor Umbridge brilliantly in the film, has an extended scene right before she is accosted by the Centaurs.
Her speech is perhaps one of the best movie monologues that I have ever heard. It shows her depth of character, the depth of her evil, the depth of her desperation. Staunton gives one hell of a performance and it's a shame that it was cut from the movie.
We see a brief flash of Michael Gamdon as Dumbledore. We sense his lonliness, the separation between Dumbledore and Harry. It's brief but brilliant.
I can appreciate why the scenes were cut however, after having watched The Magic of Editing. The pieces, while wonderful, would have slowed down the original pace and tone of the film; it would have made the movie heavy. Being the shortest of the five movies, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix flies along at a fantastic pace.
While Tour with Tonks was cute, I really did enjoy The Hidden Secrets of Harry Potter after I gave it a chance. Yes, the information is outdated, the effects kind of hokey, but it was perfectly enjoyable on a cold day with a bowl of popcorn.
I also understand why they've put it together. A large portion of the audience have read the books.
But a large portion of the movie audience hasn't. They've ingeniously weaved all the secrets that the reading audience have gained through the books and presented them all in a way suitable for those who have only watched the movies. It's a little flashy but wonderfully done.
All of these special features add to the film, add to the experience. They make the DVD worth having, contrary to those who would speak against it. I've had a thoroughly enjoyable world in the land of Harry Potter and I plan to return quite soon.
This is the perfect treat for your loved one; or for yourself for that matter. Just sit back, and enjoy. What could be better than that?
 Longest Book but Shortest Film January 26, 2008
D. George (Kootenay Lake, BC, Canada)
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
Longest Book but Shortest Film, or How To Turn a 766 page Phoenix into a 128 minute Turkey.
Yes, the film, including credits, actually runs 138 minutes. But the book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is 766 wonderful pages long, from perhaps the best, certainly the most popular writer to bridge the gap between children's writing and adult writing, J.K. Rowling,
A pity that the same cannot be said for the poor wretch Michael Goldenberg who took this wonderful book, cut out almost all the supporting characterisation, and turned in a script which concentrates exclusively on Harry Potter in the least satisfying of the films so far. Where was Steve Cloves, who did such a fine job with the first four screenplays? One wonders why J.K. Rowling let this script pass. Perhaps she gave up the right of script approval. Perhaps she no longer cares, now that the series of books is finished, and she is wealthier than the Queen.
Brilliant, flashing, but hokey special effects dazzle the viewer, but waste so much of the film's running time, that all the supporting characters get short shrift. Hagrid is almost absent. The little brat Malfoy has almost disappeared. Hogwarts itself doesn't look the same as it has in most previous films. Even the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix don't live up to the book: the screaming portrait is gone, and Kreatcher, the Black house elf gets so little screen time he might as well not be there. Tonks has about two lines.
The Ministry of Magic scenes which feature so prominently in the book are minimal in the film.
The whole film has also been printed so dark that one needs to turn up the brightness control to see any of the details of the sets. Maybe Warners couldn't afford to build sets with enough detail to be seen with proper lighting. Maybe Warners doesn't care any more, as long as the money keeps rolling in.
Director David Yates did the best he could with a sorry travesty of a screenplay, but even he couldn't pull this one out of a hat. One hopes for better results with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which he is directing for release later this year, 2008. Good news though, Steve Cloves has written the screenplay.
Too bad that Chris Columbus has bowed out of the production. Too bad that Director of Photography Roger Pratt, who so brilliantly photographed the second and fourth films didn't do this one.
The bottom line: rent this one, don't waste your money buying it. Read the book, if you haven't already.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the best movie in the series. January 7, 2008
Vader
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth movie in the highly successful Harry Potter series. This is quite possibly one of my favorite films in the series. It is a huge improvement over the third film- which is the worst in the series. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and this movie are my three favorite movies in the series. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was a great movie- but not as good as the last two or the first film.
Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts after nearly being expelled for underage witchcraft after saving a life. Umbridge comes as the new teacher of Dark arts and instead of practical magic- they use textbooks. Umbridge becomes the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Harry Potter is singled out yet again. He starts an army and begins to teach magic to his friends and eventually he gets exposed. Umbridge gets what she deserves and once again, Voldermoort fails to meet his maker- which he does in the final book.
This is an amazing film and the best in the series!!
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