Pottermania, part one
So I saw Order of the Phoenix today. I enjoyed it, quite a lot. Visually it was intense and stylish, the acting was top-notch. The girl they got to play Luna must have been born for the role, and Umbridge was also note-perfect. They did a pretty decent job of trimming the story, and given how sprawling the book was, it couldn't have been an easy task. But it still felt like a lot was missing -- I wish they could have included Sirius's impatience with his confinement, Harry's interview with the Quibbler, more of Fred and George's pranks on Umbridge. And I think anyone who hasn't read the book would be... maybe not confused, but they aren't going to get near as much out of it. Many plot and character points were slid over, either skipped or not treated with the gravity they deserved (Hermione saying Voldemort's name for the first time comes to mind). I think Goblet of Fire did a better job of telling a story that was coherent and complete within itself.
The battle in the Ministry of Magic was stupendous. I loved the scenes with the DA, and the way they worked in Snape's worst memory. And CAPSLOCK!Harry translated to the screen really well, through the acting and the writing. So the movie does get a thumbs-up. I don't know how it could have been better unless it were three hours long, and I don't think most movie-going audiences would have put up with 45 minutes of Harry and Sirius angst. So maybe it's for the best; perhaps this is the best possible OoTP movie that Hollywood could have made. It mostly hit the right notes; I am satisfied.
So I still haven't reserved a copy of Deathly Hallows anywhere. This is perhaps idiotic of me, since I do want the book on the first day. (Avoiding spoilers is priority one! I've already filtered about half my communities out of my friends list, just in case.) I should get my plan in place sooner rather than later, huh?