First look
Of all the reviews I have read on "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," only one is giving it any credit for being an entertaining movie.
I haven't read them all. Honestly, I am more concerned about how close it stays to the book.
Most reviews make the startling realization that these stories are no longer children stories. Anyone who's read the books knows this is Harry's first step into adulthood. If the movie comes across as a coming of age story, then the director and producers did their jobs.
The first four movies were as much about fitting in at school, finding dates for dances and trying out sports teams as it was about the fight of good against evil and all the grey areas that encompasses.
We are seeing the movie tonight. In one interview, screenwriter Michael Goldenberg was asked if it was difficult to make a 870-page novel into a two-hour movie.
He said it wasn't that daunting a task. There is a lot of things that happen to Harry in this book. A lot of things happen to a number of key charactrers. Harry is not the only student at Hogwarts who realizes his purpose and pursuits in life. Obviously Harry is the focal point of the development, but it's important to see if Hermione, Ron and the rest of Dumbledore's Army develop as well.
We'll give you more on Monday.