HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX 1/2
(Second Viewing)

A better adaptation of the book than GOBLET OF FIRE. Unfortunately, it seems Warner Bros. is going to continue to handcuff the franchise but putting a ceiling on how long the films can be. I'd settle for extended versions a la THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, but haven't heard anything about that. The darkest film of the series thus far and I'm glad. Harry's growing up and things are becoming more serious. I think the first 2 films could get away with being warm, fuzzy and family friendly, but as the ratings for GOBLET and now PHOENIX show, things are getting more intense with a bump in the ratings from PG to PG-13. Hopefully THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE can continue the momentum, not to mention it's my favorite book of the series thus far.