Take a photo of a barcode or cover
frasersimons 's review for:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling
2022 reread: Interestingly, my previously overwhelming dislike of this was assuaged quite a bit. 3/4 of it is actually great. Sure it’s annoying Harry is a bitch all the time but it’s actually surprisingly funny, which it never was before. I was also just really interested in the lessons and it finally takes itself more seriously. The propaganda campaign maybe just hits differently in our Fox News fake news days too. I’m not sure. But I was really into it. But then…
It does go off the rails, doesn’t it. JK seems to be unable to prevent herself from insinuating wild contrivances. The two way mirror still makes no sense at all. Neither Sirius or Harry think of it all those times, and he doesn’t tell anyone else, and then he destroys it? The romance subplot is just bad. The ministry Fight is way more stupid in the book, what with Neville kicking out wildly and hitting the prophecy and just weird, stupid choreography. I did like Dumbledore’s explanation more this go around, but it is again, hours of exposition dumping. Culminating in the prefect explanation that seems placed to be really emotional or something, but was pretty ineffectual. Still, I did like this loads more. And again, a mixture of the movie and book would be the best version.
Edit: after sleeping on it I just find I actually didn’t like it and it’s many contrivances just continue to piss me off more, so 2 stars. Didn’t like it, downgraded from 3.
Falls Wildly short of two previous. Long and meandering sub plots that don’t go anywhere (and terrible dialogue that mimics the subplots) such as Cho and Harry being completely pointless and Harry really never even looks at the mirror to communicate with Sirius? Really? Really?! It’s the sneakascope nonsense all over agin, but worse considering it’s connection to the plot.
Apparently Snape is racist, which I didn’t remember and certainly makes him less sympathetic for the next books. However much he didn’t DO The Thing, he’s still apparently a terrible person despite his feelings toward Lilly.
There is no actual point driven home regarding the occupation of umbridge either. Everything is broken and must be put back together, maybe? That’s not actually a cogent theme though. It really does just read like JK has a hammer and smashes things in order to fix them up later after the tantrum.
It’s a collection of shit that happens to Harry that could be truncated a wild amount in terms of the OWLs and other goings on. It’s frustrating that with only one theme hit home, there is so much extra material. Arguably all the other books have this, but not to this extent and in the previous books, it’s actually interesting world building. Here it isn’t.
It comes very close to being 2 stars for me but that the ending over the overarching plot with Dumbledore and the way adults treat children, and the larger reveals are impactful. Also the wizard duel between V and D is pretty great.
In the end, however, I’d take the movie over the novel for sure. Streamlined this thing immensely.
Also how the F does an invisibility cloak that can cover three people entirely fit into someone’s pocket? Front or back or otherwise?
It does go off the rails, doesn’t it. JK seems to be unable to prevent herself from insinuating wild contrivances. The two way mirror still makes no sense at all. Neither Sirius or Harry think of it all those times, and he doesn’t tell anyone else, and then he destroys it? The romance subplot is just bad. The ministry Fight is way more stupid in the book, what with Neville kicking out wildly and hitting the prophecy and just weird, stupid choreography. I did like Dumbledore’s explanation more this go around, but it is again, hours of exposition dumping. Culminating in the prefect explanation that seems placed to be really emotional or something, but was pretty ineffectual. Still, I did like this loads more. And again, a mixture of the movie and book would be the best version.
Edit: after sleeping on it I just find I actually didn’t like it and it’s many contrivances just continue to piss me off more, so 2 stars. Didn’t like it, downgraded from 3.
Falls Wildly short of two previous. Long and meandering sub plots that don’t go anywhere (and terrible dialogue that mimics the subplots) such as Cho and Harry being completely pointless and Harry really never even looks at the mirror to communicate with Sirius? Really? Really?! It’s the sneakascope nonsense all over agin, but worse considering it’s connection to the plot.
Apparently Snape is racist, which I didn’t remember and certainly makes him less sympathetic for the next books. However much he didn’t DO The Thing, he’s still apparently a terrible person despite his feelings toward Lilly.
There is no actual point driven home regarding the occupation of umbridge either. Everything is broken and must be put back together, maybe? That’s not actually a cogent theme though. It really does just read like JK has a hammer and smashes things in order to fix them up later after the tantrum.
It’s a collection of shit that happens to Harry that could be truncated a wild amount in terms of the OWLs and other goings on. It’s frustrating that with only one theme hit home, there is so much extra material. Arguably all the other books have this, but not to this extent and in the previous books, it’s actually interesting world building. Here it isn’t.
It comes very close to being 2 stars for me but that the ending over the overarching plot with Dumbledore and the way adults treat children, and the larger reveals are impactful. Also the wizard duel between V and D is pretty great.
In the end, however, I’d take the movie over the novel for sure. Streamlined this thing immensely.
Also how the F does an invisibility cloak that can cover three people entirely fit into someone’s pocket? Front or back or otherwise?