7 Reasons Why Order of the Phoenix is the Worst Harry Potter Movie
The Order of The Phoenix is a group of the most notable wizards and witches that work to counter the evils of Voldemort's Death Eaters.
Assembling when Voldemort ascended to power, the group consisted of Dumbledore and those closest to him.
Though the group fought many noble fights, fans consider its dedicated movie the worst of the franchise.
Elements from left-out details and discrepancies in characters from book to screen are all factors of why people view the film as such.
We're looking over 7 of those reasons today.
Harry's Angst
In the book, Harry experiences immense personal development and confronts his past traumas. Harry in the movie is sour; moping around and giving a disengaged look to passersby.
Viewers are not provided with insight as to how the young wizard relearns to navigate his world.
Fans have noted that the overt focus on his battle against Umbridge casts a shadow over his issues with friends, anger at Dumbledore, and worry about Sirius.
His character, as well as the movie together, feels very static. There is no greater purpose or underlying morals to be obtained in this film. His character simply exists to keep the storyline chugging along.
Sirius, it's Serious
The Order of the Phoenix novel situates Sirius as the protective godfather cooped up in his childhood home. He is filled with anger for being trapped and unable to help the Order but still goes the extra mile to ensure he is there for Harry.
The Sirius of the film seems to act more maturely and wisely, warning Harry when the boy is falling into his own traumas. Despite this, elements of his character are simply implied rather than explicitly noted.
There is a lack of nuance in his portrayal that makes it complicated to align with his character in the book.
Petunia's Cut
Everybody loves to hate the Dursleys, but can't deny the importance of Petunia in the novel. Early in the book, Vernon kicks Harry out.
Petunia remains quite passive on the matter until she receives a Howler from Dumbledore telling her to "Remember [his] last,".
She promptly allows Harry to stay. Having mercy on the boy was a turning point for her character as it bridged the gap between her and her sister.
This theme was not explored in any sense. Rather, the writers opted to include the dopey antics the family has become known for.
Umbridge
The movie puts a big emphasis on the battle between Harry and Dolores Umbridge. Despite this, Umbridge's character leaves a lot of blank spaces.
The film does not deal with how awful she is or the internal conflict that arises from her failure to retain power. Instead, it provides what some fans call a montage of cartoonish educational decrees.
The film fails to uncover the depths of her nastiness and how it is fuelled by a thirst for power. After all, she is a woman who will change her entire belief system if it means achieving a certain level of control.
Dampening these elements made her presence less potent and left fans with much to be desired.
The Absence of Quidditch
The game itself is not an element the storyline is reliant on. However, in the novel, it does give Ron a nice spurt of character development.
The young wizard overcomes his insecurities and anxieties by lending his hand to Gryffindor's team. Ron's help resulted in Gryffindor winning the Quidditch cup.
Fans feel that Ron is left behind in the film with little attention given to his character. Putting more emphasis on Quidditch would have carved Ron his respective place within the film.
A Lack of Resistance
Keeping on the theme of Umbridge, there was a lack of resistance shown toward her regime. Upon the disbandment of the DA, the only act of rebellion comes from the Weasley brothers during their escape from Hogwarts.
In the book, students can be seen dropping dungbombs and stink pellets off in the main corridor and using skiving snackboxes to avoid class.
Jordan also put nifflers in Umbridge's office on a routine basis. The increased resistance showcased in the novel creates a sense of hope and some comedic relief as well.
Department of Mysteries
The Department of Mysteries is one of the most perplexing locations throughout the wizarding world. In the movie, it is reduced to two rooms, down from the six we are introduced to in the novel.
One room contains the prophecy and the other the arc. There is no inclination toward the magical science and experimentation we see in the book.
The movie produces a far less interesting environment that has no real mystery behind it. There are some claims that the film took this path due to budgeting concerns.
Potterheads view them as an inexcusable justification for a move that resulted in the mesmerizing location regressing to the department of no-mysteries.