# Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review: Resistance > Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix turns Hogwarts into a school under state control, with Imelda Staunton's Umbridge as the series' most hateful villain. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-2007-review/ Published: 2026-07-24 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4/5 ## Verdict Yes. It is a tight, angry and politically sharp fifth chapter with a superb villain, though squeezing the longest book into one of the shortest films leaves gaps. ## Is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix worth watching? **Yes. Order of the Phoenix is a lean, angry and surprisingly political Harry Potter film, one that turns Hogwarts into a school under authoritarian control and gives the series its most memorable human villain.** David Yates, in his first of four films in the series, brings a new sense of urgency, and Imelda Staunton's Dolores Umbridge is worth the price of admission alone. The reservation is compression: the longest book in the series becomes one of its shortest films, and several characters and subplots feel rushed. ## What is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix about? After the events of the previous year, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) insists that Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned, but the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe him and sets out to discredit both Harry and Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). The summer begins with an attack in the Muggle world and a disciplinary hearing that could end Harry's time at Hogwarts, and it continues with his discovery of a secret society, the Order of the Phoenix, fighting Voldemort's return, of which his godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) is a member. Back at school, the Ministry installs Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) as a teacher and gradually hands her control. When she refuses to teach students practical defence against dark magic, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) begin secretly training a group of classmates themselves. Meanwhile, Harry is troubled by disturbing dreams that seem to connect him to Voldemort's mind. [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-2007/) is a British-American production in English, directed by Yates from J.K. Rowling's fifth novel, and it runs 138 minutes. ## Umbridge and the politics of denial The film's great insight is that the most frightening villain can be the one dressed head to toe in pink. Staunton's Umbridge is sugary, smiling and utterly ruthless, and her gradual takeover of Hogwarts, marked by a wall of new decrees, propaganda and cruel punishments, is the series' sharpest portrait of how institutions bend to authoritarian power. It is a performance so precise it makes Voldemort seem almost straightforward by comparison. Yates handles this material with the eye of a political drama director. Newspaper headlines spinning like tabloid covers, bureaucrats refusing to see the obvious and a young hero smeared as a liar give the film a sense of real-world relevance that the earlier entries lacked. ## A darker, lonelier Harry Radcliffe gives his strongest performance to date as a Harry who is angry, isolated and not always likeable. The film understands teenage frustration, and the sequences in which Harry teaches his classmates in secret are its warmest, giving the young ensemble a chance to shine. Evanna Lynch makes an instant impression as the dreamy, unflappable Luna Lovegood, and Gary Oldman's Sirius brings rare warmth to Harry's life. The climax, a full-scale wand duel staged in eerie, otherworldly surroundings, is the most ambitious magical action the series had attempted so far, with a visual imagination that suggests where Yates would take the final films. ## Where compression costs it At 138 minutes, the film is a remarkably efficient adaptation of a very long book, but some of its trimming shows. Subplots and supporting characters, including several members of the Order, are sketched rather than developed, and Harry's romance with Cho Chang (Katie Leung) feels abbreviated. The climax arrives abruptly, and its emotional payoffs, while strong, might have landed harder with more room to breathe. Book readers will notice the gaps; newcomers may occasionally feel lost. ## Who should watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix? It is essential viewing for anyone following the series and especially rewarding for teenagers who will recognise Harry's rebellious mood. It is darker than the early films, with menacing villains, a cruel punishment scene and some intense action, so it suits older children and above better than young viewers. It works best watched after Goblet of Fire, which sets up the story's starting point. The neighbouring chapters, and one more: - [Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire-2005/), the previous chapter, which ends with the event that triggers this film's conflict. - [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-2009-review/), the next film, which explores Voldemort's past. - [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-2004-review/), for an earlier, equally bold rethink of the series' style. ## The verdict Order of the Phoenix is a sharp, compact and politically charged Harry Potter film, with a villain for the ages and a hero who finally feels like a real teenager. Its compression leaves some characters thin and its climax rushed, but it marks the point where the series grew up for good. **Rating: 4/5** ## Related title - [Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-2007/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)