Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

766 pages. Over 250,000 words. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is far and away J.K. Rowling's biggest work - and there's an awful lot of adventure packed between those pages.

Which must have made adapting the novel for the screen very difficult for 'Potter' Newcomer Michael Goldenberg. But he managed it, cramming Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry into a neat two hours and twenty minutes.

The result is the darkest and most thrilling chapter of Harry's adventures yet. But be warned. From the moment the film begins, you're going to be thrown headfirst into thick, gooey Potter Lore and a familiarity with the characters and events of the previous three films is essential.

The theme of the movie is government conspiracy, featuring a crooked Minister for Magic attempting to cover up claims that the evil Lord Voldemort has returned. He attempts to accomplish this by installing an agent, the fiendish Dolores Umbridge, into the staff of Hogwarts.

Umbridge is played brilliantly by Imelda Staunton, who portrays her as blend of Margaret Thatcher and Hyacinth Bucket. But the pink and girlish facade doesn't disguise her megalomaniacal ambitions. When she starts enforcing 'security' with draconian student 'regulations,' you can see director David Yates is enjoying bringing J.K. Rowling's broad criticism of post 9/11 government to the screen.

The secondary theme to the movie deals with Harry's relationships, both with his Godfather, Sirius Black (indulgently played by Gary Oldman, clearly rehearsing for a Doctor Who audition) and evil Lord Voldemort, who seems to be developing a powerful and dangerous mental bond with Harry.

This bond becomes the crux of the plot, which leads to a blistering battle in the heart of London's Ministry of Magic and pits Dumbledore and Harry against a truly scary Voldemort, played with relish by a noseless Ralph Fiennes.

The frenetic pace of the film leaves the audience a little breathless at the end - and as hard as Goldenberg tries, important details have to be glossed over in favour of pacing. However, the final product is a deeply satisfactory movie and a wonderful adaptation of what some consider to be J.K. Rowling's best book.

NB - I'm not sure whether it was deliberate or inadvertant, but the funniest scene of the movie was when African auror, Kinglsey Shacklebolt (played by imposing British actor George Harris) watches Dumbledore escape the clutches of the Ministry in a stunning explosion of supernatural pyrotechnics.

"You may not like Dumbledore," he tells Minister Fudge in a deep, rich, 70's Blaxploitation movie style voice, "but you got to admit, the man has style."