Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

"In narrative terms, not that much happens, but as for Harry's emotional journey--well, that's nearly epic..."

"The best of the lot so far..."

"It finally can't transcend the limitations inherent in being no more than a way station in an epic journey, a journey whose cinematic conclusion is several years away..."

""Phoenix" might go down as the problematic film, full of plot but little fun..."

"If you didn’t like the others, there’s little point joining the franchise at this stage. But as Potter movies go, this is the most filmic of the lot, suspenseful and action-packed..."

"While plenty of the book's detail is compressed or jettisoned, and parts of the film seem disjointed, what we really miss is the magic, which has been banned by the cruel Dolores Umbridge. In turn the movie seems less obviously enchanting than the last few - some would accuse it of being deadly Sirius - yet it still manages to be entertaining and action-packed enough to enchant the family for the full 138-minutes. Yes, Order of the Phoenix is the weakest in the franchise so far, but that's still quite a compliment among a strong fistful of bewitching films..."

"Order of the Phoenix is entertaining enough, but it feels like a stopgap, a stepping stone to later, greater thrills. It takes an awfully long time to get going, but fans will be rewarded with an action-packed final third full of duelling wizards, portentous prophecies and Helena Bonham Carter giving plenty of loony as Bellatrix Lestrange..."