HD DVD Review: Harry Potter And the Order of Phoenix

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

The fifth film in the series picks up a few months after the end of The Goblet of Fire, with most people disbelieving Harry Potter’s claim that Voldemort was back and with the Ministry of Magic on a campaign to discredit Harry and Dumbledore and to take over Hogwarts. Needless to say, Voldemort is indeed back and plotting to kill Harry and with Harry trying to train other young wizards into being able to defend themselves against the dark arts with the film culminating in a battle between Harry and his gang and Dumbledore against Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters. In this writer’s humble opinion, this is the strongest movie in the series which becomes darker and more intense with each book. The movie (and book) is a strong statement against totalitarian government and the politics of fear, with many implications in today’s political climate, which makes it the most relevant movie of the set for today’s audiences and something more than just a movie about wizards.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, this is one excellent transfer and on par with the prior British HD-DVD release of Goblet of Fire. The transfer boasts excellent color reproduction and deep blacks, for a very three dimensional image. Shadow detail is excellent as well which is important given that a number of important scenes take place in the shadows and dark environments. All the fine background details are clearly visible and the three dimensional look of the film holds up even in these darker scenes which is quite a feat. The sharpness of the exterior daylight scenes is outstanding, among some of the best I have seen. My only quibble with this transfer is the slight softness to the image that I detected in the darker sections of the film which are somewhat softer than the other scenes in the film. While this is rather common in film, I thought that there was enough of a difference to drop the score a smidge. In no way did this softness detract from my enjoyment of the film although I must say that such a difference in sharpness was not at all evident in Bourne Ultimatum which retained its impressive sharpness throughout. All in all, despite this minor sharpness issue, this is one very impressive transfer. One final note: this is a HD-DVD/DVD Combo disc and played flawlessly on my player.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby True HD at 48 kHz/24 bit, this is an outstanding audio presentation, a real feast for the ears. The sound is full, open and smooth, with excellent detail, deep bass and great sound staging. Sound effects are very well placed in the mix as is the dialogue which sounds fantastic, even in the battle scene at the end of the film. The sound of the film is totally immersive. It sounds just like you are in Hogwarts or the Ministry of Magic, right in the middle of the battle with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Wonderful stuff. A Dolby Digital Plus track is also included which is a level below that of the True HD track. By all means, when you watch this release, use the True HD track.

IN CONCLUSION

This is one excellent release from the folks at Warner Brothers and is a must have for any fans of the Potter series. Highly recommended.

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