Why the Order of the Phoenix is the Best Harry Potter Film (Video Essay) 

Sirius Black respects Harry because he sees James in him. Severus Snape treats Harry poorly because he sees James in him. It’s a dichotomy seen in Order of the Phoenix.

“Nice one James” gets me every time even though it’s not in the book

*“Sorry professor , but I must not tell lies”* Is probably the best comeback line I’ve ever heard And damn was it satisfying

I just realized something, they should also have added the scene where Ron and Hermione becoming Prefects. It makes Harry more isolated, especially when Harry felt strange not sitting with Ron and Hermione on the train.

that scene where fred and george comforted that first year after detention w umbridge was absolutely heartbreaking. i stan.

Wish they kept in Neville's visit to his parents. 😭

daniel radcliffe acted the shit out of this film. I felt his pain, his loneliness, his sorrow, his anger. the order of the phoenix and his acting in general felt like it was coming from a place in his heart. i’m proud of him.

i really wanted the scene where harry flips out on dumbledore after sirius's death and starts yelling and trashing his office. it was my favorite scene in the book, it showed harry's grief which i think was glossed over in this movie. sirius is my absolute favorite character and i don't like how his death was almost immediately forgotten ://

Can we talk about the fact that Sirius straight up punches Lucious rather than using magic? One of my favorite Sirius moments, and it wasn't even in the books!

giving a spoiler warning for Harry Potter in 2019 respect to you my friend

The emotional aspect of Harry's relationship with Sirius and the security he felt for the first time knowing he has real family in Sirius is what made me experience this book on an emotional level and think of it fondly. Him caring for Sirius was a major aspect of this book, and Sirius' death was so devastating for Harry. As a reader, I really felt his pain.

I love the scene where Neville finally gets the disarming charm. Even though it’s pretty basic, everyone still supports him and congratulates him. So sweet.

I've always considered the "Look at me!" scene one of the most powerful in the entire series.

“How’s your dad?” “Better now, he’s about to be avenged.” Such a badass line

For some reason the scene where Harry sees Voldemort on Platform 9 & 3/4 is one of the most nightmare fueling scenes from the entire series. Like it has always given me chills, more than any scene where Voldemort is actually there for real.

When Harry says "We're gonna make them proud Neville, that's a promise." gets me every single time

When Harry sees Sirius die and cries with no sound. That’s one of the most powerful and sad scenes in the series

my favorite line in Harry Potter is "im sorry professor i must not tell lies"

i watched these all several times as a kid, but when going back to this film and noticing harry attempt to use the cruciatus curse on bellatrix is something i never noticed and was done so well in the film. it really shows how dark harry is becoming and how angry he is. in reality he doesnt have the strength to use it, but the fact that he attempts is insane

Just the “Dumbledore’s got style” line makes this the best film 🙌

Only thing I think they should've put in the 5th movie was the scene where Neville, his grandmother and his friends visited St. Mungo's Hospital

"And that's what her character is for, to find the light in the dark." Her name is Luna, and Luna means moon in spanish, so she is basically the light in the dark.

Luna put it perfectly “If it’s just you alone, your not much of a threat” I think that’s one of the most important and most real lines I’ve ever head not just for the series but for life itself.

i love it when vernon is just eating ice cream out of the fridge

Why they added music over Harry's cries was because Daniel did so well that the hole cast and most of the crew was crying

Also: Imelda Staunton as Umbridge is absolute perfection

I felt a lot for Harry in this movie, Daniel did a fantastic job of portraying how isolated and angry he was. It felt like Harry was there physically, but he was mentally shattered and just going through the motions of everything around him.

I personally like the relationship between Harry and Luna in the movie, because it shows Harry excepting her more and seeing past her odd and quirky personality. Especially when Luna introduces her to Thesterals. I even kinda shipped them a little bit

"Nice one James!" It hit me hard!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Imagine being Remus. He went through so much with being a werewolf already, but now seeing the people who helped relieved his pain dying one by one will be so painful.

The most heartbreaking few seconds in the entire movie franchise for me is that shot of Harry looking at Sirius falling through the Vail. The confusion, realisation, heartbreak and loss on Harry's face just brings me to tears every damn time.

I know this story is often hated as a book…even by the author…but this story is an excellent character study into ptsd. When you consider that Harry’s first true experience with death that he can remember is the death of Cedric…it changes the entire context of this story. This story is about Harry truly accepting that he is the chosen one and because of that, his loved ones are in danger. The scene where he screams at Dumbledore is easily my favorite in the entire story of showing his evolution as a character…the scene shows him blaming everyone around him for what happened as he accepts that he has no control…only to partially realize, even if he refuses to admit it…that everything is Dumbledore’s fault, that Dumbledore was farming him from the very beginning for a fate he didn’t ask for

The scene where Harry looks away from the mirror, looks back, and his face is voldemorts is one of my favourites. So scary, so subtle, so effective.

Why I like the Order of the Phoenix: They finally got haircuts.

Something I appreciate was the treatment of Harry’s mental struggles. Mental health is something that is so hard to depict in a film which is why many filmmakers prefer not to, but this movie did such an amazing job.

One small point: Neville does show substantial bravery in the book's final scenes. " 'DON'D GIB ID DO DEM! ' roared Neville, who seemed beside himself, kicking and writhing as Bellatrix drew nearer to him and his captor, her wand raised. 'DON'D GIB ID DO DEM, HARRY! ' "

19:35 Remus’s face as he’s holding Harry, gets me every time. He keeps on loosing his best friends💔

But it cut the hospital scene with Neville’s parents 🙁

Hot take here: I actually really liked most of Yates’ decisions. And I genuinely love his movies save for Half blood prince.

I just finished watching all 8 films for the first time in my life. I never watched Harry Potter in all 20 years I’ve been on this planet. Now that I watched them all, I feel like I missed out. Granted I was a couple months old when the first movie came out. It’s amazing, I wish I can rewatch all 8 films with no prior knowledge.

I don’t like the way they cut Dumbledore’s and Harry’s conversation since Dumbledore apologises and explains Sirius’ death and at the end Dumbledore starts crying. It is a powerful moment considering he dies in the half blood prince. The meltdown in Dumbledore’s office allows us to grieve Sirius’ death

I just wish the movie showed Harry mourning Sirius’ death more. They had a deleted scene that showed this, but sadly, they cut it even though the movie is the shortest of the franchise.

By far my favorite movie for one reason they actually showed book Ginny in this movie which I loved and how badass she has become from that shy little girl to a strong independent woman. Sadly it’s only in this movie and not the others.

You are SO RIGHT about everything, in this and your other video essays! I'm a much older HP fan--not that that matters---but you are bringing back to life the magic we felt as first the books, and then the movies, were first released! There is only one thing about the OOP book that isn't (and almost certainly could not be) converted to film; yet to me it's the most powerful and heartbreaking line in the entire story: " If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy..." "Let the pain stop," thought Harry. "Let him kill us... End it, Dumbledore... Death is nothing compared to this.. . . . And I'll see Sirius again." It is Harry's horror and grief at Sirius's death that drives Voldemort out of his mind forever, not seeing his friends. That's a Hollywood touch. Harry's dying thought, in the midst of his sorrow, is that he has the chance to meet Sirius in the afterlife..it is what saves him.

I love order of the Phoenix is because they gave the attention the silver trio deserve (Ginny, Luna and Neville)

I hate how Dudley talks about lily... like Dudley shes your aunt you know

I'll always admire Daniel's acting in Order of the Phoenix. He portrayed the isolated, angry and misunderstood protagonist that Harry became in book 5 so well. It says a lot, because personally I didn't like Harry's character in book 5 (far too whiny , having a go at Ron and Hermione for no fault of theirs), despite the ordeals and circumstances that make him like that. However it's Daniel's acting that made it so much more bearable

The fight scene between Voldemort and Dumbledore, especially when Voldemort breaks the glass is suchhhhh a powerful scene it chokes me up every time

the only thing that bothered me in this film is where they cut off every single one of ginny’s lines

This is also my favourite film of the series. I fell in love with Luna, her voice is so gentle and she's got such a positive character overall. I was so happy she was in the later films as well.

Read all the books in high-school, I wasn't allowed to read Harry Potter as a little kid but "rebelled" in my adolescentes and read them all in high school in the span of months. Forgot about most of the plot later, but that scene in this film when Dumbledore enters the fight will always stick in my mind as one of the most epic fight scenes in cinematic history

That "nice one, James" made me cry again and this is just your video. It hits so hard.

Much as I liked this movie, I cannot forgive it cutting the scene where Harry loses his shit in Dumbledore's office. That scene was a fantastic observation on Teen development and dealing with grief as well as a significant moment in the relationship between Harry and Dumbledore.

i wish they had the DA coins in the movie

The duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort is one of the few times I liked the movie more than the book

Now I totally think that Goldenberg should totally have wrote the screenplay for every movie, imagine Ron and Ginny’s personality actually being true to the book, the only movie where Kloves didn’t mess up Ron (which could be fixed pretty easily fixed) was Philosopher’s/ Sorcerer’s Stone. This movie was great!

The way the movies portray the relationships, you’d think he’d marry Luna instead

“Nice one James!” oh. my. god. When Sirius died after that it made me cry so hard.

8:48 Neville finding the room doesn’t only show how much the group means to him; he finds the room after being bullied, so his wish that made the room appear was something like: „I wish there was a place where nobody can find me.“ And this is exactly the wish of the DA.

This is actually one of my favourite Harry Potter books, while at times it felt long and frustrating it gave us some truly epic moments the fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore, the battle in the department of mysteries, Harry fighting off dementors, the prophecy, Mister Weasley being bitten by Nagini, St. Mungos, Harry’s battle with Umbridge, Firenze’s prediction about the two Wizarding Wars, Harry’s trial and the Ministry of Magic. It also introduced so many amazing characters, Luna, Umbridge, Bellatrix etc.

This is Daniel Radcliffe’s favorite too

Well, well, well. I don’t think it’s my favorite. That one belongs to POA. This video has made me appreciate it more. Particularly the editing. I didn’t realize how well it was done. Your attention to detail is excellent.

I honestly always got the feeling that they essentially forgot about Bonnie Wright (Ginny) after her she stopped being a comedic, endearing component that was crushing on the idea of Harry. We never see 10% of the silly, adorable things she did, like making the Valentine's Day card that sang shrilly to Harry, or all of the times she would totally clam up in Harry's presence. And then they completely disregard the arc she had gone through when Harry wasn't really paying attention to her, namely 3rd and 4th book where Ginny is (in the books) always going off to hang out with her own friends, dating whomever she wants and dumping them when they don't meet her standards. Anyway, Bonnie Wright obviously had the potential to be Ginny, but it seemed she was being directed to act a hundred different ways. And in the end, it felt like they directed her to basically be a replacement for Harry's mom. Which is even more stupid than having the whole almost-kiss scene with Harry and Hermione in Deathly Hallows Part 1. Great video btw! You're great at breaking everything down and using the facts to back up any opinuons you state.

Ginny was my favorite character in the books and the movies don't do her justice at all (although like you say, this is the least bad one when it comes to her)

The third act of this film in the Ministry is perfection: the score, the lines, the players, everyone came together in a way they never had. The acting was incredible, the emotions were raw and the special effects just topped it off.

I get goosebumps every single time Harry screams LOOK AT ME to Dumbledore... I think it's the sweating, the panting, the Voldemort head twitch, the music building then cutting all accumulating with Daniel's excellent outburst. You can hear the desperation mixed with the anger in his scream. I know it's only like 2 seconds but I adore this moment. The dark side of Harry is really coming through in that split second before he returns to his normal self begging for answers with "What's happening to me...?" I fucking love it.

The part where sirius dies and the sound and Harry's screams were cut out that was like the best death scene in the entire franchise...it really made you feel what harry was feeling like when someone you love dies it feels as if everything around you becomes blurred you have no sense of youd surrounding you cant hear anything...and even though this was an improvised scene where they cut out Daniel's screams because they were too heart wrenching...it made the scene all the more beautiful scene wise and painful to watch. It was just ao beautifully done that it makes me cry every time this scene is played 😭😭😭😭

Harry: “... we’ve got one thing that Voldemort doesn’t have.” Me: a nose.

You know you should do more video essays your really good at it it’s really interesting the way you look at films

I was very disppointed with the way they handled Harry's conversation with Dumbledore after they come back from the Ministry. It's one of the most heartbreaking and amazing chapters in the series, and it was barely included in the movie. I can get around cutting Harry's breakdown, but Dumbledore finally explaining about the prophecy is crucial to the story and should have been given more screentime.

One thing that i really like about this film is a small detail that some of you might have missed i like how david yates shows the connection between harry and voldemort by making harry's head twitch just like how voldemorts does

18:01 Adding to this scene, Voldemort does a kind of neck crick before he looks at Harry. Later on in the film, Harry does a similar neck crick when in his dormatory. He also does it after touching the Gaunt ring in Half-blood Prince. It's a kind of visual cue of the connection between Harry and Voldemort.

Whoof, I'd say it's a tie between this and Prisoner of Azkaban.

Order Of The Phoenix is a masterclass in directing a character driven fantasy film. Much the same as Hitchcock’s Psycho, and Kubrick’s The Shining. Yates really mastered this film, and did so much for Daniel Radcliffe and his acting!

The finale leaves you wanting more so much, that I went to see this movie in Theater 5 times. You really explained well what made this movie stand out, and how they achieved this.

the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore was so well done, my favourite fight scene

The relationships Harry forms with Neville and Luna are very underrated in this movie. When Harry says that he and Neville will make their parents proud makes you remember that Neville lost his parents as well, and it makes his character in the eighth film even better. Luna helps Harry through his isolation this film because she can see the thestrals and hear the voices in the veil. She helps him stay sane when he feels like everything around him is crumbling.

The Umbridge montage is one of my favourite scenes in the whole franchise. The music and the aesthetics are perrrrrrfect.

Acting opposite Gary Oldman really brought up Radcliff's acting chops. I know he picked his brain, as there is a behind the scenes clip of him asking Oldman about his many acting jobs.

This movie should have been 25 minutes longer.

We deserved to get Ginny from books adapted into movie...

I always thought ‘Nice one, James!’ was as a result of the Veil’s affect on Sirius, possibly mixing his head up a bit, for standing so close 😮

I love, love, LOVE your video essays. I love the "cinematography student" insights, made me see the material in a whole different way. I would love to see more 😊

I actually think Daniel's best acting was watching Sirius die and his reaction to it. It penetrates my heart every time, its so hauntingly sad.

I'm crying every time when I watch the Sirius' death scene :(

Luna is one of my favourite characters in the books and films.

every time i hear sirius call harry “james” in that battle i always get chills and feel like crying 😅

Harry - `Sorry professor - I must not tell lies’ Me - sHoTs fIrEd! I’ve waited for this 🤨

Daniel Radcliffe himself said that Order of the Phoenix is his favourite Harry Potter film.

The 'nice one James' is such a small little line from Sirius, but it always breaks my heart. It was a great addition.

Your attention to detail just makes me love and appreciate this beloved series even more than I already do! Great video, it really captures the greatness of this film and the character development. I agree with you on every point but the thing that sticks out to me the most is how relatable the characters feel in this movie. Yes, they are witches and wizards but their inner demons and insecurities do not differ so much from our own. The scene with Harry confiding in Sirius is particularly touching as it reminds me that sometimes our loved ones see us more clearly than we see ourselves, especially in moments of self doubt. The fight scene between Dumbledore and Voldemort in this film really kept me enthralled when I first saw it in theaters, and to be quite honest I am still in awe at whole scene whenever I rewatch. The part where Dumbledore reminds Harry it's how they are different, not alike, really gives me chills. I always feel I am right there alongside the other DA members...feeling helpless at his struggle to come back to himself. I also love how it is another important figure to Harry that reassures him of the goodness within after Sirius is gone. It really reminds us, along with Harry, how important and cherished he is to the other characters in the series. Beautiful movie, and really outstanding video. Thank you for creating content for us HP lovers to enjoy! 💙

" now who wants see me take off snivelly's trousers?" a good 20 years later: " nice one , james"

I wish they kept quidditch in, it would’ve given more screen time for Draco and the rest of the slytherins, also it gave us more of an introduction to Umbridge.

Can we all appreciate how Sirius looks in this movie? He was in prison for 13 years, but he grew up rich, he was an aristocrat. He for sure dressed well as a child and teen in Hogwarts, he talked a bit pose-y but that's what we really love about him. He was a marauder, but in this movie he so serious-not Sirius :). His hair is styld and when Harry gets to Grimauld place, we can she the difference between Remus and Sirius. Remus grew up poor and his life has always been difficult. Sirius grew up rich and even though he has faced many difficulties too, this is one thing that truly stayed with him. He hated his family but the importance of looks stuck with him. There are fan stories with him wearing jeans and metal jackets, and I can accept that too. In every story we write, he always has a pose when speaking-not a prejudice- and he later becomes more like his family -not in ideas, but in appearance. Like, we all use Ben Barnes' photos from Dorian Gray cause that's how we imagine he dressed as a 20 year old. We use Timothee Chalamet's photos from little women because he is Regulus and Regulus is a black. Hope you understand me.

On a binge to watch your HP movie analysis series, and I think you have perfectly summed up my feelings with OotP movie. I loved this movie, it's my favorite one of the whole series, but I struggled to get through this book when I read it in middle school. The character development is superb. Wonderful video essay on it. :)

That swell in the score when Dumbledore Is telling Harry, how he and Voldermort are different always makes me cry.

I'd say the last words of Sirius Black was the saddest part of the movie. The fact that he referred to Harry as if he were his father just makes that death cut so much deeper

I’ve been watching your Harry Potter reviews, and they are all spot on! I also find it so refreshing that you highlight what the films did well, even for the ones that fell short overall. Too many people just bash without discussing why the films are enjoyable. Great job!!

The music in all of these videos in PERFECT

Also when Harry says “you’ll never know love....” Dumbledore was like 👁👄👁 what do you mean Harry I’m good I think