• Directed by: David Yates for Warner Bros.
• Screenplay by: Michael Goldenberg
• Novel by: J.K. Rawlings
• Running time: 2hr 18 mins.
• Release Date: July 11, 2007
• Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and many more.

Why would a Christian Reviewer See this Movie?

After all, Christians write books about how evil these books and films are. Why did I see this film? I've actually seen all of them. Don't I believe in evil forces and people spreading witchcraft, etc.? Of course I do. Can you live your life happily without ever seeing it? Most certainly! I know that these movies dress up some pretty evil concepts in cartoon-like packaging to make them more presentable. I also know that the themes behind these stories are totally relevant to the hearts and minds of youth all across the world.

Look, almost no one is drawn to anything evil for its own sake. Things like porn, gratuitous violence, alcoholism and adultery have a common draw. The same draw as socially acceptable forms of idolatry like sports fanaticism, workoholism, and phariseeism. What people are drawn to is a vacuum. It's a lack of Jesus, the God-shaped hole, which pulls them. The sins they succumb to are the counterfeit answers our enemy throws at all of us to keep us from finding the real source.

The Bible (Eph 6:12) assures us that we struggle not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual forces. When we focus on the darkness it grows, and we alienate the people who think these things are part of who they are. Only through introducing them to Christ can we hope to redeem the person and give him/her a separate identity from their sin.

People do not go to see Harry Potter because the magical allure of witchcraft. They go because Magic offers some kind of context for their own struggles. The themes of Harry Potter are worth learning about, and I do not fear the fallen enemy anymore than a flashlight fears the darkness.

Go see "Harry Potter 5", I think every Christian should!

Having braved the disapproval of other concerned Christians what I found in this latest film was amazing. Not since the first film has this series really spoken to me of the larger story so clearly.

In the first movie we discover that Harry is an orphan. He is unpopular and his wards make it clear that he is an unwelcome imposition. Everyone does everything they can to make Harry see himself as nothing special. But the truth about Harry is totally opposite. There is a whole other world just out of sight where everyone knows Harry. He is rich and in a way athletic. In that place the scar that disfigures his forehead is a brand that commemorates his first great triumph over evil. Harry is destined for greatness but he needs to be trained and initiated. I can completely resonate with these themes.

Harry was orphaned because his parents stood up against a great evil. This movie returns to that theme. There has been a war going on in the magic world because the darkness is rising again. We see how the darkness hides, pulls strings, and slanders in order to gain power while staying unnoticed. Many people stick there head in the sand. We see the lengths they will go to in order to stay ignorant. We see how evil can manipulate such people and bend them to its bidding.

It's not unlike the church even now. Churches seem to fall into two camps, those who fixate on spiritual warfare and those that never deal with it at all. Rest assured, evil is massing against Life, real life worth living. We can no more stay neutral than we can focus on it obsessively. We must become initiated into all that God made us to be. And just like in the movie, the toughest struggle will always be internal.

God Bless and Happy Viewing.

People certainly have legitimate reasons to be interested in these movies because they are very well done. However, Phoenix leaves a little something to be desired.

The mood is dark in Harry's world throughout the entire film. David Yates and Company wastes no time getting into the action, and it never seems to let up. There is a continuous, uneasy sense of impending doom in this movie and it works to an extent, even if you know the real battle does not happen here.

Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has come back and he is doing so with a vengeance that is beginning to exceed in brutality compared to his last attempt at destroying good wizardry. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe - the object of many young girls' attention nowadays), along with his friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), have started to band together in an effort to fight back against You Know Who.

Gone are the days when Harry took every insult hurled at him, especially from that malicious Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton, although he was hardly in the film). He has grown tough and assertive, acting as the leader among his growing group of comrades at Hogwart's. The acting has matured as these young actors and actresses have gotten older, making for much stronger performances.

The film spends much of the time building up to what is ultimately an anticlimactic ending, though. For those people who read the books, the ending is no surprise. However, for people who have not gotten a chance to read Order of the Phoenix (and I am one of them), the film ends poorly.

Because the book is so long, there was no way the film could follow the story exactly. This must happen when any book is adapted for the big screen, but the plot ends up feeling choppy and rushed with this one. Plenty of important plot points were merely glazed over and a strong emphasis was placed on the visual aspects of the film (no surprise there). This Cliff's Notes version may not sit well with some fans who want to at least a little Quidditch.

What surprised me most was when they made a mention of the “prophecy” late in the film and I found myself saying: what the heck is the “prophecy?” Apparently, that was not as important as laying the groundwork for the next two films, which will undoubtedly be the most important, anticipated, and popular ones of all.

Order of the Phoenix can certainly afford to rush through plot points and give the audience a brief overview of what is important (although the movie still runs well over two hours). While many of the events in this particular story are vital to the Harry Potter experience, it does not necessarily translate better into film. The next two films alone will make this one merely a footnote.

This is by no means a terrible movie; it is just frustrating having to wade through this one to get caught up on what is going on with Harry Potter. As a fan, you should definitely see Phoenix, because it is a serviceable movie and nothing I say would stop you anyway. Just don't expect to see many familiar faces (other than the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione) for an extended amount of time.