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Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Ultimate Edition) AVSForum Blu-ray Review

5K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  saxuccio 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

90






Studio and Year: Warner - 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 139 minutes
Genre: Fantast/Adventure

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: VC-1
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Fiona Shaw, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson
Directed by: David Yates
Music by: Nicholas Hooper
Written by: Michael Goldenberg
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: June 14, 2011







"The Rebellion Begins..(Ultimate Style)"



Film Synopsis:


Lord Voldemort has returned, but the Ministry of Magic is doing everything it can to keep the wizarding world from knowing the truth - including appointing Ministry official Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. When Umbridge refuses to teach practical defensive magic, Ron and Hermione convince Harry to secretly train a select group of students for the wizarding war that lies ahead. A terrifying showdown between good and evil awaits in this enthralling film version of the fifth novel in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Prepare for battle!



My Take:


I will open this review with the same general comments that I use when describing my feelings/experiences with Harry Potter's continuing storyline. I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books, although my children have. My experience with the stories have all been through the films which date back to 2001's Sorcerer's Stone. Currently I am the only one in my house that still enjoys the Potter films. I have seen each of them during their respective theatrical runs and while I haven't found them all to be equally entertaining I can't say that there is one that I haven't liked. The earlier films undeniably brought these delightful characters to life and endeared them to us while fundamentally establishing with each subsequent installment, the books theme of good versus evil. With each film we see Lord Voldemort becoming stronger and the tone shifting from seemingly brief (sometime humorous) moments of recoverable peril to mortality invoking danger that has serious/permanent consequences.
Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts only to discover that much of the wizarding community has been led to believe that the story of the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort is a lie, putting Harry's integrity in question. Worse, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has appointed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the duplicitous Professor Dolores Umbridge. But Professor Umbridge's Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the Dark Forces threatening them, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry is convinced to take matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves Dumbledore's Army, Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.

The Harry Potter Ultimate Edition video releases are a fans delight, filled with more than four hours of special features and collectibles including a photo book featuring 44 pages of rare photos of the cast and crew, concept sketches and paintings, and behind-the-scenes insight. The Ultimate Editions also feature limited edition character cards, a lenticular card and a bonus digital copy of the film. Each set features a never before seen installment of Creating the world of Harry Potter. This year 5 installment, Evolution takes fans into the story as it begins to go deeper, bolder, and darker. As the eight Harry Potter films trace Harry's journey from innocent schoolboy to selfless hero, the series undergoes a transformation. Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 5: Evolution - packed with exclusive content only available here - takes you along for every exciting step of the 10-year filmmaking odyssey. Join the four directors, key members of the crew and cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, as they explore how the creative vision for the films evolved to maintain the integrity and increasing intensity of J.K. Rowling's expansive literary series. From the ever-changing architecture of Hogwarts Castle and expanding landscape of the wizarding world, to the darkening color palette of each successive film, to the young actors maturing along with their characters, it is a wondrous and spectacular adventure to experience.

This set comes housed in a sturdy cardboard book style case (with slipcover) that opens to reveal color photos from the film. There is a large slot within that contains the discs keep case, collectible character cards and hardcover book. The bundle fits comfortably inside and the entire package makes for a handsome way to store the set. These Ultimate Edition releases are outstanding and make the perfect gift for Harry Potter fans of all ages, as they give audiences the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter leading up to the highly anticipated theatrical release of the final chapter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 on July 15.


Parental Guide:


The rating is for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 90


  • Dynamics:

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  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 90


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

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  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Ultimate Edition comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p VC-1 encoded video that has an average bitrate of 14 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.5 Mbps.

This is the same VC-1 encoding from the original Blu-ray release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and makes for an excellent video presentation that boasts image quality that is indicative of a newer release film. Resolution is generally strong as images have crisp definition and lucid clarity. Objects onscreen appear dimensionally strong with exquisite rendering that discloses subtle minutia captured by the camera's lens during close ups. The level of sharpness fluctuates some however this is attributable the extensive CGI used and it doesn't adversely affect the quality of the video. The color palette isn't particularly extensive as sepia tones, grays and other neutral colors are heavily utilized. Primary colors come in various shades that when coupled along with sequences containing bright/dynamic highlights gives images enriching tonal warmth. Fleshtones are naturally rendered with warm accents that give them lifelike tonality. Blacks are inky and noise free with discernibly deep gradations that enhance the films many dark sequences. The deep shadows, multi-staged grays, delineated colors, and inky blacks looked terrific on my large screen. I didn't see any overt signs of video degrading artifacts or extraneous compression related noise.

Minted from the same master as the uncompressed PCM sound mix from the original Blu-ray release, I thoroughly enjoyed this very involving DTS-HD Master Audio presentation that delivers an enriching home theater experience. Integration of the front and rear soundstages is seamless as discretely placed sounds follow a deliberate and realistic path as dictated by the events onscreen. This is an active sound design that incorporates a vast number of sound effects that are intricately mixed to engage the listening position. Bass is robust and can sometimes be substantive in depth but never rises inappropriately in prominence within the soundfield. The delicate blend of Nicholas Hopper's stirring score, discretely placed sound effects, spatial ambience, crystalline dialogue and invigorating dynamics is supremely enriching as it weaves an aurally stimulating pattern across the surround platform.



Bonus Features:


  • Disc 1:

  • (HD) In movie experience - Explore the people, places, creatures and moviemaking magic behind them while you watch the movie.

  • (HD) Focus Points (66 minutes):

    1. Dementors at Little Whinging
    2. Grimmold place
    3. Tonks face transformation
    4. The Ministry of Magic Atrium
    5. Nevilles cactus
    6. Ruperts giggle fits
    7. The paper swallow
    8. Professor Umbridge
    9. Professor Umbridges spies
    10. Professor Umbridges office
    11. The Thestrals
    12. Hogs Head Tavern
    13. The Room of equirement door
    14. The Room of requirement
    15. The Inquistorial
    16. Harry & Cho under the mistletoe
    17. Kreacher
    18. Azkaban Prison
    19. The mirror explosion
    20. Grawp
    21. The Weasleys fireworks display
    22. The explosion of Decrees
    23. The Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest
    24. The Centaurs take Professor Umbridge
    25. The Thestral flight
    26. The Hall of Prophecy
    27. The choreography of magic
    28. A wizards duel: Voldemort vs. Dumbledor
  • BD-Live enabled


  • Disc 2:

  • (HD) *Exclusive* Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 5: Evolution - 57 minute documentary

  • (HD) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Behind the Magic

  • (HD) Building the Magic: The Sets of Harry Potter

  • (HD)Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Rebellion Begins

  • (HD) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Fulfilling a Prophecy

  • (HD) 9 Deleted Scenes

  • (HD)Trailing Tonks: Natalia Tena (aka Nymphadora Tonks) provides a tour of the film set

  • (HD)Harry Potter: The Magic of Editing: Featuring Director David Yates and Editor Mark Day Show

  • (HD) Teaser and Theatrical trailers

  • 48 page hardcover photo book containing rare images from years 1 through 7

  • Limited Edition Character Cards: #9 Luna Love good and # 10 Dolores Umbridge

  • Lenticular card/cover

  • Digital Copy of the film


Final Thoughts:


Admittedly I am a fan of the Harry Potter film series and always look forward to each installment. The Order of the Phoenix isn't among my favorites but is still a well executed film that sees the evolution of both the story and characters as it opens to door to the deeper, and darker storyline that is clearly a precursor of what awaits us in the final installments. This Ultimate Edition Blu-ray offering from Warner is truly a fan's delight and contains all of the originally released bonus content in addition to Part 5: Evolution, in the superlative and comprehensive Creating the world of Harry Potter series. Add to that a wonderful assortment of collectibles and top notch high definition audio/video quality and this is a highly recommended package that belongs on the shelf of every Potter fan.















Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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#4 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by JamE55
I'm a big fan myself and will definitely be collecting this. Just waiting for the actual complete release of all the HP series. Pretty sure it's going to be an epic release. Question now is when? 2012? 2013?
I am also waiting for the complete "Ultimate" package to come out. I am hoping it will be out by the end of 2012.
 
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