Cornelius Fudge is an Ass

I really appreciate the way Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes the most bloated of the books and turns it into the leanest of the films, clocking in at a mere two hours and eighteen minutes. New screenwriter Michael Goldenberg did well in stripping the thing down to its essentials - the film wasn't nearly as cluttered as previous installments. I could sit here and whinge and say "I can't believe they left out x, y and z" but I'm not a dickhead. So instead, here's what I thought of what IS in the film.

Firstly, new cast members... Evanna Lynch was strong as Luna Lovegood. Also, Irish? Helena Bonham Carter plays a witch even more absurd than the one she played in Big Fish, and was presumably only told "You're a witch... and... GO". And Imelda Staunton was great as Umbridge, certainly to my mind her second funniest role.

The dream sequences looked great with all their flash cuts. Despite saying "I'm angry all the time", Harry was refreshingly un-emo and not annoying the whole time. The final act in the Ministry of Magic was very condensed compared to how I remember it from the book. The climactic showdown between Voldemort and Dumbledore was visually cool and all, but watching spells being cast doesn't really come across as dangerous so it was hard to get worked up over.

Overall, I'm glad that they took a book I didn't particularly like, and turn it into a film I did like. Plenty of backstory was shanghai'd but it doesn't weaken the movie. Also, Jason Isaacs has a lot to say, and he went to the same school as me. Woot!

[Lest we forget: Harry and the Potters, Live in Gainesville]