I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night. There wasn't a line to buy tickets, but there was a line for seating. By the time the movie started, every chair in the theatre was filled.

• The first ten minutes were the film's weakest. Once we left the Dursleys at 4 Privet Drive, the movie improved dramatically.
• The actors who portray Harry, Ron, and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) have matured and gotten better in their roles.
• Draco Malfoy and Hagrid had little more than cameos this time around.
• Filch was prominently featured, but had few lines. He mainly skulked, grimaced, and hung decrees on the walls.
• Neville Longbottom made giant strides in this film and received more development than any other character.
• The back story of Luna Lovegood was eliminated to save time, so the audience was presented with a bizarre blonde witch with a high-pitched voice and bare feet. She seemed to have a greater connection with Harry than Harry had with Cho Chang (Potter's highly touted love interest).
• Thankfully, two of my favorite characters, the Weasley twins, Fred and George, weren't eliminated from the movie. They were clever and mischievous and provided one of the film's best moments.
• The innocence and wonder of classes and magic at Hogwarts, as seen in previous films, is nearly gone in this installment. The closest it came to recapturing it was during the training meetings of Dumbledore's Army.
• The pace was brisk and had to be in order to cram 870 pages of book into a 138-minute movie. The screenwriter did an admirable job, but he sacrificed an awful lot of background to do it. Characters and concepts were presented without introduction, so unless one had previous knowledge, either from the books or movies, one had no idea what was going on or why it was happening.
• I was overjoyed to see the return of one of my other favorite characters: Remus Lupin. There is something about his genuine kindness towards Harry and something about the actor who portrays him (David Thewlis) that makes him incredibly likable.
• Quidditch was missing from the movie, which was disappointing.

Ranking this with the other Potter movies, I would put this one right in the middle, behind Prisoner of Azkaban and Sorcerer's Stone, but ahead of Goblet of Fire and Chamber of Secrets.

If you're familiar with the Potter series, I recommend this film. Although I'd suggest seeing a matinee if possible. If you're a Potter neophyte, then I'd suggest renting the previous films to familiarize yourself, otherwise you'll get little satisfaction from the movie.