Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Riveting fifth movie finds Harry angry, brooding.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that even kids who can't read know about Harry Potter, and some kids who are too young for the content will want to see this fifth Potter movie (which is especially well timed, since the seventh -- and final! -- book hits bookstores July 21). As has been the case with each succeeding movie, as the central characters have gotten older and taken on bigger challenges, the themes darken, the danger becomes more intense, and the climatic battle scenes with "You Know Who" and his minions are downright frightening. Spoiler alert: There's a very upsetting (but bloodless) death of someone near and dear to Harry. As a result, he grows even more introspective and angry. At the very least, he does enjoy his first kiss (no spoiler to Potterheads), and Ron and Hermione continue their flirtatious bickering.
Families Can Talk About
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- Families can talk about the movies' increasingly mature themes as Harry grows into a full-blown adolescent. Why is Harry so angry? Do you think Harry and his friends act and feel like real teenagers? Also, even though this movie and the last one are rated PG-13, they're heavily marketed to younger kids -- do you think that's OK, or are the later movies too scary for little kids? Potterheads: What parts of the book were best depicted in the film? What got left out that you would have included? What scenes included heavy foreshadowing of things to come?
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More on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
What’s the Story?
From the opening scene in which Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and portly dolt Dudley (Harry Melling) are attacked by Dementors, our courageous young hero has an ever-heightened awareness -- and acceptance -- of how his destiny is entwined with You Know Who's. In THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, the fifth installment of J.K. Rowling's seven-volume phenomenon, Harry, who survived his last confrontation with Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) but watched school favorite Cedric Diggory perish, is no longer a popular wizard genius. The Ministry of Magic mounts a smear attack against him and Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), he is nearly expelled, Dumbledore avoids him, and new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) tries to squash the idea that the Dark Lord is back. Sweetly odious Umbridge refuses to teach any defensive spells, so Hermione (Emma Watson) convinces Harry to hold secret classes in combat magic. Meanwhile, Umbridge, a child-hating, Ministry-approved enforcer, installs herself as dictator and launches a fascist campaign. In a climactic battle, Harry and friends face Voldemort's fearsome Death Eaters -- like Azkaban escapee Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and wicked Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs). There's a tragic (albeit expected) death and an even more tragic moment when Harry thinks he's alone and defeated. But Potter lovers know that Harry isn't ever alone: He has an entire world of devotees on his side.
Is It Any Good?
There's no longer a doubt that, with the advent of THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Harry Potter -- the character, as well as the film series -- has grown up. In this dark (even by Potter standards) and captivating new adventure, the kids face increasing peril, and the thrills intensify right up to the explosive ending. The gravity of the situation takes a front seat, with bureaucratic intrigue and boot-camp magic lessons overshadowing the brief romantic interest between Harry and Cho (Katie Leung). Sure, Harry finally enjoys his first kiss, but the infatuation doesn't last.
And forget about Quidditch, because director David Yates doesn't include any game sequences -- or much of the Hogwarts social scene, for that matter, outside of the clandestine magic lessons. Those who haven't read the novels might hope for a Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione hook-up, but apparently that's just not in the books ... yet, anyway.
Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros., Director: David Yates
Run time: 120 minutes
Theatrical release: 7/10/2007, DVD release: 12/11/2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.
Run time: 120 minutes
Theatrical release: 7/10/2007, DVD release: 12/11/2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.
Our Members Say
See all 176 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Another great installment of Harry Potter
The movie has basically harry potter-styled violence (mildly frightening images, spells that result in most bloodless ways There is one scene when you see a shadowed person being bloodied with cries of pain. Spoiling (do not scroll down if you don't want to know Sirius dies in a bloodless and goreless way. You only see him vanish. But Overall this is another great harry potter
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I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
Porno
violent scary sexy
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
great movie
This was my favorite movie last year but know not soooo much. But it still is great movie!
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
AMAZING!!!!!
Yet another great Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling knows what she's doing!This is a great one. Dolores Umbridge really anoyed me. It may be scary for younger kids since Voldemort "posseses" Harry,but it's still a good movie.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
AMAZING!!!!!
Yet another great Harry Potter! J.K. Rowling knows what she's doing!This is a great one. Dolores Umbridge really anoyed me. It may be scary for younger kids since Voldemort "posseses" Harry,but it's still a good movie.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
NOT NEARLY AS GREAT AS THE REST
This movie was not nearly as great as all the others. But very big fans of Harry Potter will still enjoy.
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I rate this title iffy for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Great movie! A must see.
I Harry Potter is a very good movie and it has good messages. It is very violent and there's lots of swearing. But I think that it is OK kids age 7 and up.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
Harry Potter is a VERY good movie. It has some parts that might not be very go
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
a great movie
a great movie.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Perfect
Great movie love the messsage and think that the new movie is a bit of a disapointment compard to this wonder
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
good for tweens, and teens
this movie was my favorite potter. it had some good violence out of all of the movies. it was very scary compared to all of them but it was good.
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Pretty good.
The movie is probably one of my least favorites in the series but, the action is really good. Some people find it creepy but I don't think it is.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Awsome movie
Gret Movie. It's not scary to me, but one of my friends (that is my age) found it scary.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
DANIEL RADCLIFFE RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved this movie!!!!!!! BUT, They NEVER include Peeves!!! It is their loss thet they don't include his rebellion against Umbridge!!! I thought the movie was not very accurate to the movie, since they left out some key parts. I think they have the perfect casting in this movie!! Daniel Radcliffe ROCKS!!! I also think that people don't give Luna enough credit! She is HILARIOUS!!!! They left out the aftermath of the snake dream, before Harry goes to Dumbledore's office. They did not include much of what happened in the department of Mysteries!! And there wasn't the usual talk between Harry and Dumbledore at the end. But, I really, really liked this movie. I give it an A+! P.S. I thought the battle between Dumbledore Voldemort/The possesion scene with Harry and Voledemort was very, very well done!!!! Go Daniel Radcliffe!!!!
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
no eyes under........................
this movie is even less scary then the fourth one! but still it was good and no eyes under 11 should see it.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Commen sense i completely agree with you!!! Accept deserves 5 star!
Riveting is the exact word that fits this movie... The anger that potter has is fun to watch a difeerent path in the movie!!! Beautiful film...And for christians like me, it is fine... It will not affect you in any spiritual way... It is not harmful to you!! Christian parnts let you kids watch this brilliatn spectactle!
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
daniel radcliff rocks!!!!!!!!!!!
this movie rocks just like daniel radcliffs acting.
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
there's no drinking, smoking or drugs in this!!
People on here are so over sensitive ya know?? 100% of parents think there is too much smoking drinking and drugs?? there is none of that stuff!! they just don't like it cuz there's magic in it :( soooo pathetic (not the movie)
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Great Movie! If You Saw 4 And Could Handle It, You Can Handle 5!
Hey, first of all, I saw this IN THE THEATERS when I was nine. Of course my parents had to preveiw it but they thought it was fine and guess what it totally was! The violence gets a bit rough, but I could handle it. If you've seen number 4, you can handle number 5. 4 is much more scary than 5. I also know that all the stuff you all may have thought was "Unessesary and gross" was in the books, so it was nessesary. The movie is great and has turned into one of my favorites.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 40% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
| 40% | of parents say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking |
| 40% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
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For Your Family
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