Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The fifth installment of the Harry Potter movie series is the best one yet in many respects. The screenwriting for Order of the Phoenix is very good, carrying over all the important elements from 870-page book while leaving out all the excess. As a consequence, this film deviates from the storyline more than previous films by combining scenes and expediting the story, but it maintains the important dialogue. The result is a film that doesn't feel rushed but still manages to cover a whirlwind of events and character development. My major complaints about Order of the Phoenix are stylistic (I thought the art direction, especially for the Department of Mysteries, left much to be desired.) This movie has perhaps the best climax of the entire series, with an actual confrontation of good and evil and a duel between the wizards Dumbledore and Voldemort. Frankly, I wanted to be wowed by this scene, but it was pretty mediocre. Still, the movie in general is quite good, continuing in the tradition set by the previous two Harry Potter films.
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