Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
The rebellion begins as Harry faces his greatest challenges yet.
Film Information
Release Date
July 11, 2007
Director
David Yates
Runtime
138 minutes
Box Office
$942 million
Plot Summary
David Yates begins his tenure directing the final four films with this adaptation of the series' longest book (870 pages) condensed into its shortest film. The Ministry of Magic denies Voldemort's return, launching a smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore. Cornelius Fudge appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to monitor Hogwarts.
Harry suffers from PTSD following Cedric's death and is plagued by visions of a mysterious corridor in the Ministry. Umbridge's increasingly tyrannical rule leads Harry to form Dumbledore's Army, a secret defense group. The film builds to a climactic battle in the Department of Mysteries where Harry's friends fight Death Eaters, Sirius Black dies, and Voldemort's return is finally witnessed by the Ministry.
Yates brings a gritty, handheld camera style that emphasizes the story's themes of fascism, government corruption, and teenage rebellion. The film focuses on Harry's anger and isolation, making it one of the most emotionally intense entries despite its action-heavy climax.
Major Scenes and Sequences
Dementor Attack in Little Whinging
Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by Dementors in a tunnel. Harry saves them both with a Patronus, but faces expulsion for using magic in front of a Muggle. The attack was orchestrated to discredit or silence Harry.
Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
Harry is rescued by the Order of the Phoenix and brought to their headquarters - Sirius Black's ancestral home. He learns about the secret organization fighting Voldemort and feels frustrated at being kept out of the loop despite his experiences.
Harry's Ministry Hearing
At his disciplinary hearing, Harry faces the full Wizengamot. Dumbledore arrives with a Muggle witness (Mrs. Figg) proving the Dementor attack. Harry is cleared, but the Ministry's hostility toward him is evident. Fudge fears Dumbledore wants his position and sees Harry as part of a conspiracy.
Dolores Umbridge's Arrival
The saccharine but sinister Professor Umbridge interrupts Dumbledore's welcome speech with Ministry propaganda. Her pink cardigans and girlish mannerisms hide a cruel authoritarian. She teaches a theoretical Defense curriculum that deliberately leaves students unprepared for real threats.
The Black Quill Detention
For speaking the truth about Voldemort, Harry receives detention with Umbridge. She forces him to write "I must not tell lies" with a cursed quill that carves the words into his hand. The torture continues for weeks, leaving permanent scars.
Dumbledore's Army Forms
At the Hog's Head pub, Hermione convinces Harry to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts to interested students. The group includes members from all houses who sign their names to support the cause. They practice in the Room of Requirement, which appears to those who need it.
The Room of Requirement Training
Harry teaches defensive spells to Dumbledore's Army, discovering his talent for teaching. The montage shows students mastering Patronuses, Shield Charms, and Stunning Spells. Romance blossoms as Harry kisses Cho Chang under the mistletoe, though their relationship is complicated.
Harry's Visions and Occlumency Lessons
Harry's dreams of the Ministry corridor intensify. Dumbledore orders Snape to teach Harry Occlumency - closing his mind to Voldemort. The lessons reveal Snape's painful memories and deepen Harry's mistrust, but Harry fails to master the difficult mental discipline.
Umbridge Becomes High Inquisitor
Umbridge gains increasing power, inspecting teachers and eventually becoming Hogwarts High Inquisitor. She fires Trelawney and attempts to expel Hagrid. Her Educational Decrees plaster the walls, each restricting student freedoms further.
The D.A. Discovered
Cho's friend Marietta betrays Dumbledore's Army to Umbridge. Dumbledore takes responsibility to protect Harry and the students, allowing himself to be removed as Headmaster. Umbridge becomes Headmistress, turning Hogwarts into a dystopian nightmare.
Snape's Worst Memory
During Occlumency lessons, Harry sees into Snape's memories and witnesses his father James and Sirius bullying the teenage Snape. The revelation complicates Harry's understanding of his father and Snape's hatred of him.
The Forbidden Forest and the Centaurs
When Umbridge threatens Hagrid with "an unfortunate accident," she plans to remove all "half-breeds" from Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione lure her into the Forbidden Forest where she insults the centaurs. The centaurs, led by angry Magorian, carry Umbridge away after she attacks them.
The Flight to London
Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries. Despite Hermione's warnings that it might be a trap, Harry is determined to rescue his godfather. He, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Ginny fly to London on Thestrals - skeletal winged horses visible only to those who have seen death.
The Department of Mysteries
The six students enter the Ministry's Department of Mysteries, filled with mysteries and secrets. In the Hall of Prophecy, Harry finds a glowing orb labeled with his and Voldemort's names. It's a trap - Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy surround them.
The Battle in the Department of Mysteries
The students fight Death Eaters through multiple rooms: the Time Room with its mysterious time-turners, the Space Room with its planets, and the Death Chamber with its mysterious veil. Each student proves their courage and skills as they're vastly outnumbered but refuse to give up the prophecy.
Sirius's Death
The Order of the Phoenix arrives to save the students. During the chaotic battle, Sirius fights his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. She hits him with a curse that sends him backward through the mysterious veil. He disappears, dead, his final expression one of surprise. Harry's anguished screams as Remus Lupin holds him back are devastating.
Harry Chases Bellatrix
Consumed by grief and rage, Harry chases Bellatrix to the Ministry Atrium. He attempts to use the Cruciatus Curse on her, showing how close he is to darkness. Bellatrix taunts him about Sirius's death.
Dumbledore vs. Voldemort
Voldemort appears to kill Harry, but Dumbledore arrives for an epic wizard duel. The two most powerful wizards battle with spectacular magic - fire and water, glass shards, and destructive spells. Dumbledore protects Harry while matching Voldemort's power. The sequence is one of the series' most visually stunning.
Voldemort Possesses Harry
Unable to defeat Dumbledore, Voldemort possesses Harry, hoping Dumbledore will kill the boy to destroy him. Inside Harry's mind, Voldemort experiences Harry's love for his friends and Sirius - emotions that cause him pain. Harry's capacity for love forces Voldemort out.
The Prophecy Revealed
Ministry officials witness Voldemort before he disappears, finally confirming his return. In Dumbledore's office, Harry learns the prophecy: "Neither can live while the other survives." He must either kill Voldemort or be killed by him. The weight of this destiny crushes Harry.
The Power the Dark Lord Knows Not
Dumbledore explains that Harry's greatest strength is his capacity for love - something Voldemort cannot understand. Despite his grief over Sirius, Harry finds comfort in his friends. He realizes that while Voldemort has taken much from him, he still has people worth fighting for.
Main Characters Featured
- Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) - Dealing with PTSD, anger, and his first real loss
- Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) - Stands by Harry despite the risks
- Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) - Organizes the resistance and shows tactical brilliance
- Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) - The film's primary antagonist, representing fascism
- Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) - Harry's godfather, trapped in Grimmauld Place
- Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) - The eccentric but wise new student
- Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) - The sadistic Death Eater who kills Sirius
- Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) - Shows growing courage and reveals his parents' fate
- Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) - A capable D.A. member growing closer to Harry
- Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) - Manipulates Harry from afar
- Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) - Distances himself from Harry to protect him
- Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) - Teaches Occlumency and guards his secrets
- Cho Chang (Katie Leung) - Harry's girlfriend whose friend betrays the D.A.
Critical Reception
Order of the Phoenix received positive reviews praising David Yates's direction and the streamlining of the complex, lengthy novel. Critics appreciated Imelda Staunton's perfectly hateable performance as Umbridge and the film's political themes.
The decision to condense the longest book into the shortest film was controversial. Many felt important character moments and subplots were lost, particularly Dumbledore and Harry's relationship, the full extent of Umbridge's reign of terror, and several supporting characters' development.
However, the focus on Harry's emotional journey and the spectacular climactic battle earned praise. The Department of Mysteries sequence was highlighted as visually inventive and exciting.
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% Fresh (Critics), 81% (Audience)
Metacritic: 71/100 (Generally favorable reviews)
Box Office Performance
Despite being the shortest film, Order of the Phoenix was a massive hit:
Opening Weekend
$139.7 million (US)
Domestic Total
$292.4 million
International
$649.6 million
Worldwide Total
$942 million
It was the second-highest-grossing film of 2007 and set a then-record for biggest Wednesday opening.
Adaptation Notes
Major omissions from the book include:
- St. Mungo's Hospital and the Longbottoms' tragic condition
- Most of Dumbledore and Harry's conversations
- The full extent of Umbridge's Educational Decrees and cruel punishments
- Quidditch season and Ron as Keeper
- Hagrid's giant half-brother Grawp has minimal presence
- Many Order members including Tonks, Moody, and others appear but aren't developed
- The prophecy's full wording and implications are simplified
- Percy Weasley's estrangement from his family