Bluray Review: Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
By
Brad Pipkins
Video Format: 2.40:1 1080p (VC-1)
Audio Formats: English PCM 5.1; Dolby Digital English 5.1, French 5.1, Spanish 5.1, Japanese 5.1, Danish 5.1, Dutch 5.1, German 5.1, Italian 5.1, Swedish 5.1, Flemish 5.1, Catalan 5.1
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith
Directed By: David Yates
Release Date: 12/11/07
General
I’m a Harry Potter fan. There. I admit it. I’m not a kid, but I enjoy these movies. I haven’t read the books because they’ve never really piqued my interest. Somehow, the movies have won me over, though. I still won’t read the books until the seventh movie is over and done with as I don’t want it spoiled for me. I enjoy watching these movies not knowing what is going to happen. It’s a rush I don’t get too often. I’ve found that I enjoy books more if I watch the movies first, as was also the case with Lord of the Rings. The movie introduces me to the world quickly, allowing me to better understand things when I read the books. It’s something that isn’t for everyone, but it’s the way my mind works I suppose.
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth installment in the Potter franchise, and as with the other movies, the series gets progressively darker in nature as time goes on. This time, Harry is yet again tormented by “You know who,” and Harry himself is wondering if he a good wizard as everyone has called him out to be. He even attests to rages of anger, wanting to hurt people who offend or dishonor him. Struggling with this fear and not telling anyone, he’s not only hurting himself, he’s also distancing himself from his friends as well. On top of all this, he’s also being called a liar by the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, who is hell-bent on getting Dumbledore fired from his position of Headmaster at Hogwarts.
Parents may want to screen this one before letting the kids view it. It’s much more violent than even the past PG-13 iterations, and deals with more mature subject matter as well. However, if they’ve read the books, they may not be affected by it due to already knowing what happens. Either way, be cautious when viewing with the little ones around.
Tech Specs
Video:
Warner no doubt has received a lot of flack lately for their mishaps. Wrong discs in Bluray sets, 1080i-only transfers, etc. Actually, they are taking a lot of heat over their HD version of the Potter films. Many fail to see an improvement over the standard DVD. I can’t attest to the quality of the actual digital intermediate, but I can attest to what Order of the Phoenix looks like compared to the DVD.
Many have already flooded forums with complaints that while Order is the newest, it’s also not much of a marked improvement over the SD release. What many fail to realize and what a bit of research would most certainly clear up is this: all the Potter films are inherently soft. Seeing every single one in the theater, with the last 2 being in a DLP equipped theater, softness was always part of the film. There is no denying it. Whether it was caused by the lenses uses, filters applied or the color manipulation done in post has not been determined and probably never will be. Knowing how the actual source print looks can help better understand what you are seeing, and also help to understand how to spot compression problems.
With that said the HD version of Order of the Phoenix looks just as I remember seeing it in the theater. Rich, saturated colors are everywhere in this movie, but it’s also the darkest of the films thus far, with lots of blues and grays. Overall detail is excellent in some shots but can change in the blink of an eye. It looks as though the culprit in a lot of these “soft” shots is the focus puller, who’s job is to make sure the focus is where it should be at all times. It never really detracts from the experience, and come to think of it, a lot of movies have these “soft” problems now. It’s almost like the focus puller dozes off in certain shots.
The overall transfer though is as true to the source as possible. Black levels are crushed a bit at times, but exposure is often times normal. The special effects are where this film truly shines as they are a sight to behold. If you are a fan of the Potter series, you owe it to yourself to pick these up in HD.
Audio:
Warner has been a bit off and on when releasing Bluray movies with lossless audio, but luckily, we are treated to a PCM 5.1 track. Dynamics are handled very well and dialogue is always intelligible. Even characters with thick English accents are easily understood. As is expected from pretty much any Potter, the LFE channel is heavily active. In fact, this has been become my new demo disc for showing off my system. The showdown at the end of the movie had me checking for broken picture frames in the other room. It was insane!
Extras
The typical making-of documentaries with the majority of them in HD. Also included are a few games revealing some info about Harry and his friends. If you are a fan of the movie you may enjoy these. I found them rather dull and boring. Where are the outtakes and cast and crew interviews?
Menus/Navigation
A simple yet fairly intuitive interface allows easy access to all the features the movie has to offer. Warner’s system of starting the movie without first going to the menu is a feature I really hope for on every disc. Some don’t like it, but I like to get right into the movie and select an audio track through the pop-up menu. Really, are you going to miss that much in the first 7 seconds of the movie?
Overall Impressions
The darkest of all the movies, Order of the Phoenix is certainly not for kids. As someone who has never read the books, I’ve always enjoyed the movies upon first viewing. Repeated viewings reveal that they don’t hold up for me very well, though over time I find myself wanting to watch them again. In that regard, adding the Potter movies to your HD collection is a must.
Linear Mode
