Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The 5th installment from Hogwarts has made its way to the big screen, this time a little darker and more complex. The story continues with Harry and his old friends and some new ones as well. The Ministry of Magic refuses to believe Harry and Dumbledore's claim that the evil lord Voldemort has returned influencing the opinion of much of the wizarding community and those at Hogwarts. In addition, Hogwarts has hired a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher – Dolores Umbridge (played masterfully by Imelda Staunton). Instead of teaching the young wizards helpful spells to defend themselves, Umbridge limits her teachings to a text book – which alarms Harry and his crew. Who is to teach the kids the proper way to defend themselves in case Lord Voldemort attacks? Step in…. Harry Potter. As with the other Potter films, almost all of the major action takes place in the last 20 minutes. The rest of the movie is full of discovery, the development of the evil plot, and the on goings at Hogwarts. To me, so much of the fun has been watching the characters grow up and mature. I find Harry’s character has become more complex with each chapter in the story. The ending of this film is probably the most emotional of the 5 so far. I was very impressed with the final wizard battle, my only complaint being I wish it would have lasted a little longer – just felt too short. This was not my favorite Potter film (still #3 for this guy), but I found it to be a very strong link in this magical chain of movies……

If this movie had parents they would be: “Just look back at the Potter Tree”

* * * or grade B

With a running time of 138 minutes
This film is rated PG-13