The first Harry Potter effort for director Peter Yates, Order of the Phoenix is probably my least favorite of the films. While the ending creates some excitement, getting there is ponderous to say the least, even after cutting the standard 200 pages from J.K. Rowling’s original text.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) begins his fifth year at Hogwarts with the entire school believing he’s a liar. Under orders of the Ministry of Magic, the wizard newspaper The Daily Prophet, refuses to acknowledge the return of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). After learning that Voldemort is planning a war on wizards, from Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) and the secret Order of the Phoenix, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) choose to teach a group of Hogwarts students the finer points of spell casting to create their own army. The new professor of the dark arts, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), has been installed to whip Harry into line.
By the time the ministry acknowledges Voldemort’s threat and removes Umbridge from her post, the damage is done. Harry is forced to face off against an enemy that works on his subconscious, and threatens to overtake his identity. In the end, Harry is able to maintain his sanity with the help of Ron, and Hermione.
Though 200 pages of Rowling’s text were cut, after a little over two hours, it feels as though nothing really happened. Order of the Phoenix is very dark, with hardly a trace of the humor seen in earlier efforts. As a psychological character study, this film is an interesting exercise. Bit as entertainment, it’s all a bit tiring. Nonetheless, if you’re a Potter fan, this film remains a must-see.
Sporting the same transfer as the earlier Blu-ray release, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The picture has excellent object delineation, and realistic colors. The image is clean as a whistle, with deep black levels, and a fine print grain to give the image a lifelike texture.
Matching the disc’s video quality, the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound does everything one could expect of it. From the very beginning of the movie, the stereo spread, the dynamics, the impact, the surround information, and the bass make themselves readily apparent. This evenly presented mix makes for a truly immersive experience.
Like the studio’s previous Ultimate Edition Harry Potter sets, Order of the Phoenix arrives in an attractive oversized box. The set substitutes a downloadable digital copy for a DC disc, and it comes packaged in a two-tier, side-access lenticular slipcover.
Tucked inside the outer sleeve is a sturdy inner box; inside that is a 2-disc DigiPak w, a 44-page hardcover book, a cardboard envelope with two character cards (Luna Lovegood and Dolores Umbridge), an authorization code for an iTunes or Windows Media standard definition digital copy of the film (that expires in June of 2012), and an offer for a free Deathly Hallows key chain at NobleCollection.com (purchase required). As to the special feature content itself, the Ultimate Edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix includes all of the significant special features found on the previous Blu-ray release of the film.
- In-Movie Experience (Disc 1, HD, 138 minutes): Daniel Radcliffe hosts a terrific Picture-in-Picture track bolstered by numerous cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, production design and visual effects mini-featurettes, optional Focus Points (press enter whenever the corresponding icon appears), pop-up trivia, factoids and, some thoughtful film and franchise commentary from Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and their castmates. Warner makes it easy to take in all of the material: simply press left and right on your remote to hop from one segment to the next.
- Focus Points (Disc 1, HD, 63 minutes): Twenty-eight Focus Point featurettes are available, all of which can be accessed from within the In-Movie Experience or from the first disc’s main menu. Segments include “Dementors at Little Whinging,” “Grimmauld Place,” “Tonk’s Face Transformation,” “The Ministry of Magic Atrium,” “Neville’s Cactus,” “Rupert’s Giggle Fits,” “The Paper Swallow,” “Professor Umbridge,” “Professor Umbridge’s Spies,” “Professor Umbridge’s Office,” “The Thestrals,” “Hog’s Head Tavern,” “The Room of Requirement Door,” “The Room of Requirement,” “The Inquisitorial Squad,” “Harry and Cho Under the Mistletoe,” “Kreacher,” “Azkaban Prison,” “The Mirror Explosion,” “Grawp,” “The Weasleys’ Fireworks Display,” “The Explosion of Decrees,” “The Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest,” “The Centaurs Take Professor Umbridge,” “The Thestral Flight,” “The Hall of Prophecy,” “The Choreography of Magic” and “A Wizard’s Duel: Voldemort vs. Dumbledore.”
- Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 5: Evolution (Disc 2, HD, 57 minutes): Discover how the look, feel, tone and visual effects wizardry of the eight-film Harry Potter series has evolved by way of extensive interviews, revealing on-set footage and the many production details and insights “Creating the World” fans have come to expect from Warner’s ongoing documentary. Of particular interest is the already candid documentary’s examination of the various directors who tackled Harry Potter and, in the process, infused J.K. Rowling’s world with their own styles and visions.
- Additional Scenes (Disc 2, HD, 11 minutes): Nine high definition deleted and extended scenes: “Professor Trelawney Eating in the Great Hall,” “What Neville Heard About the Daily Prophet,” “Students in Gryffindor Common Room,” “Professor Umbridge Evaluates Professor Trelawney,” “Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle Bullying,” “Filch Blows Out Professor Umbridge’s Hair,” “Harry, Hermione and Professor Umbridge in the Forbidden Forest,” “Harry Enters Professor Dumbledore’s Office” and “Harry Packs and Talks with Ron.”
- Building the Magic: Behind the Sets of Harry Potter (Disc 2, HD, 20 minutes): “Building the Magic,” the first of several behind-the-scenes documentaries making their Blu-ray debut, hones in on the design and construction of Phoenix‘s sets. Like the “Creating the World” installments, it peels back layer after layer with meticulous precision, digging into the particulars of every aspect of the tireless effort that goes into bringing one of J.K. Rowling’s locales to life on the big screen.
- The Rebellion Begins (Disc 2, SD, 23 minutes): We are given a look at the story and characters of Order of the Phoenix. Unlike “Building the Magic,” it isn’t presented in high definition, but it is a fun glimpse into the making of Potter’s fifth adventure.
- Fulfilling a Prophecy (Disc 2, SD, 13 minutes): Another overview of the film’s story and characters, “Fulfilling a Prophecy” is more of an extended preview than a full-fledged production featurette.
- Behind the Magic (Disc 2, SD, 47 minutes): Then there’s “Behind the Magic,” a fairly substantial, surprisingly thorough television special hosted by Ben Shephard. It adds yet another dose of cast and crew interviews, revealing dissections of key scenes and detailed production overviews to the mix, and does a fine job separating itself from the shallow television specials that so often find their way onto a Blu-ray release.
- Trailing Tonks (Disc 2, HD, 19 minutes): Actress Natalia Tena leads viewers on a tour of Leavesden Studios.
- The Magic of Editing (Disc 2, HD): Users can edit and create their own scene. It’s mainly aimed at the kiddies, but it’s a decent interactive extra nonetheless.
- Theatrical Trailers (Disc 2, HD, 3 minutes): Teaser and theatrical trailers round out the Ultimate Edition package.