Synopsis:
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is back for yet another year at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Things are a little tougher this year. First off, the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is back from his bodyless exile. Then there is the new Hogwart’s High Inquisitor, Delores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), a ministry lacky bent on supressing Harry’s tale of Voldemort’s return. On top of that, the evil wizard can get into his mind and a powerful weapon is hanging in the balance. All in all, it’s just another year for the Boy-Who-Lived.

Review:

I have to qualify this review. You may be able to tell from some of my other reviews that I am a bit biased when it comes to Harry Potter. I’m a big fan. BUT, and that’s a big “but,” I can be somewhat objective when it comes to the film as a whole. I’ll use my usual breakdown to cover the highlights.

Plot: This is always a challenge when it comes to making a movie based on a book. It’s especially difficult in this case considering the printed version of The Order of The Phoenix is a whopping 870 pages. I have to admit that they did a decent job of distilling the plot so it could be told in under 2.5 hours. This is not one of my favorite books, and unfortunately the parts I liked about it had to be cut. Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) got a bit of the shaft this time around. Most of his subplots were cut. Personally, I think it was a necessary evil, but evil none the less. One relatively small weakness is that Harry’s and Cho’s (Katie Leung) relationship is left somewhat up in the air, whereas the book is far more definitive. I think this will impact what we know must happen in Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.

Acting: What can I say, they are getting better. They were good in the first two films (too young to be bad). They were bad in the third film (they decided they were “actors”). Now, they’re on a slow but upward climb. There was an improvement in The Goblet of Fire and we see just a little bit more in The Order of the Phoenix. I’m becoming convinced that Rupert Grint is the best of the kid actors, but they are all pretty close.

Action/Effects: These movies get a little bit more impressive with each new chapter. I think this movie gave the effects team a bit more fun than before. Highlights are definitely the students’ battle with the Death Eaters and Dumbledore vs. Voldemort. Apparently all of the CG effects actually were a problem for the movie, so Harry Potter 6 will supposedly have fewer effects.

Overall: It’s Harry Potter. Of course you have to go see it. It should be seen on the big screen and I personally think this is worth a primetime ticket. It’s definitely a better movie than Harry Potter 3 and the plot is more interesting than Harry Potter 1 & 2. Good luck fighting the crowds. The Harry Potter schedule to keep your magical addiction in check:

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (book) :: July 21st, 2007
Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix (dvd) :: Winter 2007
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince (theaters) :: November, 2008
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (theaters) :: June, 2010

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Two-Disc Special Edition) (Harry Potter 4)

Synopsis
The pirates are back and badder than ever in this third installment of the Disney saga. Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) is stuck in Davy Jones’ Locker and the rag-tag gang of mutineers, maidens, and swordsmiths must journey to World’s End to bring him back to the land of the living. But they are pursued by the evil East India Trading Co., who now controls Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and his cursed ship, The Flying Dutchman. A dangerous storm is brewing and the nine pirate lords must be united to wage war and keep the seas free…..

Review

So this review is a little late since this movie was released in May, but as my new “editor” pointed out, I have to write this one to complete my review of Dead Man’s Chest. I gave that a conditional 4 stars so I need to review this movie and then make an addendum to that review. To keep it simple, I’m going to use my new format to cover reviews a little more quickly.

Plot: This plot is confusing as all heck, which highlights the poor planning and execution of the second film as well as this one. There are a lot of subplots which don’t necessarily come together very well. Though I liked this movie far more than I liked the second chapter, this one could have been better. Better planning on the screenwriters’ parts could have distributed the subplots more evenly between the films and made At World’s End a little more understandable. If you don’t catch everything when you see this movie, don’t worry, neither did most people. Even the director said it was confusing. And if anyone cares, the Callipso subplot served absolutely no purpose (except to create a giant whirlpool). I must admit that Keith Richard’s cameo was amusing. Oh, and any romantics in the audience may have a slightly bitter taste in their mouths when all is said and done.

Action/Effects: The action in this movie was pretty good. I was definitely entertained even if I didn’t fully get what was going on. The sword fights were pretty well choreographed and the CGI stuff looked pretty good. They definitely tried to top part 2, which I think they accomplished.

Overall: This was definitely an improvement over Dead Man’s Chest, but it still didn’t meet expectations. I go back to a previous comment that this plot/series is not an epic or great saga. Each film should have been completely self contained. Since it is a big CGI/action flick, it’s worth seeing in the theaters, but still not up to snuff. Grab a matinée show, it’s not worth the prime time ticket price.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)

Overall Rating: ****

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) is back in this action-packed sequel to the Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Captain Jack Sparrow’s time is up. The dreaded Davey Jones (Bill Nighy) has called to collect on the deal that made Jack the captain of the Black Pearl. His only hope is to find the Dead Man’s Chest, an artifact of great power, that will bring Jones to his knees. But things get complicated when Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), head of the East India Trading company makes a play for the Chest, dragging Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley) in to the adventure.

Review:
This was one movie I was really anxious to see. I thought the first film was excellent, and I hoped the sequel would live up to standard it set. I have to say that I was a little dissappointed. I enjoyed the movie but I think it could have been a lot better. There are somethings that were as good as the last time, including Depp’s, Bloom’s, and Knightley’s performances. The effects were also as good as the last time. In fact, I think there was a slight improvement. The CG and creature effects seemed more refined than they did in the first one (fluid movements, etc.).
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Overall Rating: ***

Movie Review: The Goblet of Fire

This is the 411 on the DVD release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Being the fanactic that I am, I ran out and purchased the 2-Disc Special Edition dvd. To tell the truth, I don’t think there is much special about the 2-disc edition. Its a decent set, but its not all that a special edition should be.

The big thing that bugged me about this set is the menu system. Now, typical dvds will have sections like special features, behind-the-scenes, deleted scenes, games, etc. This set, and all of the other Harry Potter 2-disc sets for that matter, have sections called Hogwarts, The Maze, or The Black Lake. Though I appreciate the novelty of this layout, it makes it impossible to find what you’re looking for. I couldn’t tell if deleted scenes would be in Hogwarts or the Maze. I guessed and got lucky.
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Overall Rating: *****
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe @ IMDB

Synopsis:
When four young children are sent away during the bombing of London, an eccentric professor takes them in at his countryside mansion. One rainy day, a simple game of hide and seak helps a young Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) discover a mysterious wardrobe. Soon Lucy leads her siblings Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Peter (William Moseley) through the wardrobe and in to the magical land of Narnia. But all is not as it seems in the enchanting world. A never ending winter has fallen upon the land and the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton) has driven everyone to live in fear. The children must struggle across Narnia to fulfill an ancient prophecy and learn what their destinies hold.

Review:
This movie was amazing! I read (or possibly listened to) this book when I was a kid. I honestly don’t remember any of it. I was thoroughly impressed by this movie. I will start this one off with my final recommendation: GO SEE THIS MOVIE! I highly recommend you go see this movie while its in the theatre. Its definitely a cinematic experience and I would go so far as to say that its worth a primetime ticket. I must impress upon you that, that is high praise (at least in my book).
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Overall Rating: ****
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire @ IMDB

Synopsis:
In his fourth year, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself as an unwilling participant of an ancient competition between three rival schools of magic. But something else is amiss. Unexplainable events at the Quidditch World Cup herald the return of the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), but what does he want with Harry and what will he do to get him? Can Harry survive the three dangerous tasks of the Triwizard Tournement? Will he get a date to the Yule Ball?! Things will change in year four at Hogwarts.

Review:
I’m going to start by truncating the titles to make writing this review a little easier. I’ll drop the Harry Potter and the from the titles. I’m not trying to make a big fuss over what the “true” title of the movie is here. I’m just being technical I guess. Plus I’m trying to save myself some typing. Also, most people who are considering this movie already know what happens. I’ll assume for the most part that you do to, but I’ll try my best not to ruin it for those who don’t. At any rate lets get in to it, shall we?
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