A most excellent movie, great casting choices for the newcomers, Luna Lovegood, Dolores Umbridge and Bellatrix Lestrange. Great performances from the existing cast. Duel in the Ministry of Magic is not to be missed. A definite must watch if you're both a fan of the books and of the films. A tad few shortcuts taken in the movie but then its Harry Potter and not Lord of the Rings. Looking forward to the Half-Blood Prince to be released next year! Weasley is our King!!!

I was a bit apprehensive about this movie going in because although I am a big fan of the series, book 5 - Order of the Phoenix - is by far my least favorite of the series. I was worried that the movie would mirror the book closely and achieve the same results. Luckily, the movie has trimmed a lot of the fat from the book with a brisk 138 minute running time. Be warned, if you're not familiar with the series, you will probably understand relatively little of this review nor the movie itself.

The movie starts off with Harry undergoing a dementor attack in the Muggle world, where he uses a patronus to fend them off. He is tried for underage use of magic outside Hogwarts (a crime in the wizarding world) and is only found innocent after Headmaster Dumbledore comes to his defense. Harry returns to school with his classmates for his fifth year with everyone seeming to discredit his encounter with Lord Voldemort, including the ministry of magic. The order of the phoenix, a secretive band of wizards dedicated to fighting the dark lord have setup shop at Sirius' Black residence. Political maneuvering is interfering with the school and making the school year difficult for students. Harry, through his connection with Voldemort, regularly has vivid nightmares, culminating in him facing Voldemort again.

Considering that the book is the longest in the series and probably has the least happening, I was impressed that the movie never seemed boring or stretched. It hits on all the necessary points while keeping the story moving along. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and lovely Emma Watson all continue to develop their characters such that they the actors are inextricable from their literary counterparts. The new additions to the cast are numerous, but all excellent.

The movie is not as action packed as Goblet of Fire, but through no fault of its own given the source material. I do wish more time had been given to the ending scenes at the Ministry of Magic and the duel of Voldemort versus Dumbledore (the other movies were longer), but all in all it's a fulfilling adventure for fans of the series.