By Martha Brockenbrough
MSN Cinemama

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I wanted to love "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." The series to date has been hugely entertaining, and for me, every bit as enjoyable as the books it's based on.

And even though "Order of the Phoenix," directed by David Yates, has some wonderful qualities — not the least of which is the markedly improved acting of Daniel Radcliffe in the title role — it fails to reach the same emotional heights and depths of the book.

This might, in fact, be the first of the Potter movies that's less gripping than its paper counterpart, and it's not for a lack of action, special effects, or even acting. Rather, it's because the book was so long (nearly 900 pages) that there would be no way to fit it all into a single film.

What's more, Yates made the understandable decision to hand much of the movie over to Imelda Staunton as the villainous Dolores Umbridge. She's perfect in the role, even if she is far lovelier than the squatty toad that author J.K Rowling created in the book. As a result, though, some of the most gripping elements in the original are truncated or missing altogether.

Even so, it's a very good movie, and kids who can handle tension, violence, and an on-screen death will love it. It's also a turning point for the Potter franchise. This movie, unlike the others, is largely veined with gloom. There are no spells gone awry, no vomiting of slugs — and not a single Quidditch match to enjoy. In fact, the only real comic relief comes from the Weasley twins (who probably deserve a movie franchise of their own).

As the movie begins, we see Harry sitting on a child's swing, alone in the miserable heat. His cousin Dudley and a handful of young thugs harass him, only to be frightened off by a sky suddenly darkened by a pair of Dementors. These soul-sucking beasts have no business in the Muggle suburb Little Whinging — but there they are, nonetheless.

And with this setup, we hold the movie's theme in our hands: Harry has emerged from childhood into darkness, and he's alone with his demons, who will hunt him down wherever he is. Or so he thinks. The truth is, Harry has the Order of the Phoenix on his side, along with his friends.

Will that be enough to keep him safe from Lord Voldemort? It all depends on Harry, of course.

But first, a bit of background. The Order of the Phoenix is a secret society started by Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) during the last Voldemort era. It has reassembled to gather an army to oppose the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters.

There are many familiar faces in the Order: Harry's godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman); the Weasleys (Mark Williams and Julie Walters); former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin (David Thewlis); Potions Master Severus Snape (Alan Rickman); and ex-auror Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson).

Though they're united against Voldemort, they can't decide how much Harry, who's technically still a boy, should know about his future.

This means Harry and his friends have to forge their own way, which they do when their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher gives them the equivalent of a Dick and Jane reader to prepare for their SATs. Harry ends up teaching his peers how to defend themselves.

It's a much more grown-up Harry than we've seen in the past, and it only rekindles the appetite for the final book in the series, due out July 21.

What's in It for Kids

Visually, this movie is terrific. From the opening scene to the final battle, there are some truly magical moments that kids will love.

It's also good and scary, right from the start. Tension runs from the opening scene up until the moment Harry is reunited with Hermione and Ron (Emma Watson and Rupert Grint), so kids who are sensitive to this sort of thing might wait to watch until the DVD comes out to watch.

What's more, Harry is also immediately in trouble for using magic outside of school to defend himself against the Dementors, so kids will be rooting fiercely for their hero, even if they do have to watch him experience his first kiss with Cho Chang (Katie Leung) after one of his self-defense lessons. Fortunately, there's no tongue, and no follow-up, so no children will be forced to regurgitate their popcorn.

There's also a nice universal lesson for kids to absorb. As Harry puts it, "Working hard is important, but there's something that's even more important — believing in yourself."

Kids who have memorized the book might be disappointed that some of the comic moments about Luna "Loony" Lovegood have been cut to squeeze the movie into its running time of two hours and 18 minutes.

They might also miss the vicarious thrill that comes from worrying about whether Mr. Weasley (and his dreadful new haircut) dies in a snake attack — something much more terrifying in the book than on screen.

They're less likely to miss seeing Neville Longbottom's parents, who are convalescing in St. Mungo's after being tortured to incoherence. The plot doesn't really suffer for it, but Neville's courage isn't as resonant as it could be had this scene been included. As a fan of Neville (Matthew Lewis), I missed this more than anything.

On the whole, though, most young readers will be satisfied that their beloved book has been honored, if a tad watered-down, by "Order of the Phoenix." The main disappointment will be the year-and-a-half wait for the next movie, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

What's in It for Grownups

It's a long way from Christmas, but this movie is a gift of sorts to parents — it's a world-class bribery opportunity. "Clean your room, or no Harry Potter." "Eat your Brussels sprouts, or no Harry Potter." "Bring Mama a beer, or no Harry Potter."

OK, maybe not that last part, but you get the idea. Seeing the movie and reading the final book will be the highlights of summer for many kids of a certain age, and smart parents will milk that eagerness for all it's worth.

The movie itself is enjoyable, as have the others in the series have been. It's especially nice to see what a good actor Radcliffe has turned out to be. He has lost some of the tendency to smile cheesily that he displayed in earlier films.

In some ways, the darkness of the movie will be a Rorschach test not unlike the Beatles. If you liked them when they wanted to hold your hand, but not when they went all freaky and psychedelic, then you might miss the lightness of the earlier films. But if you liked "Revolver," then you might like this movie best of all.

Though Radcliffe is wonderful, and the amazing Emma Thompson delivers a heart-wrenching turn as Professor Trelawney in crisis, Staunton definitely delivers the standout performance of the film. Her Dolores Umbridge decorates her office with pink chairs and kitten plates, and she drinks her tea extra sweet. But she's ruthless and power-hungry and, after torturing students and traumatizing teachers, she ends up taking over the entire school, all the while wearing a pink suit, dainty pumps, and a malevolent smile.

Oldman as Sirius Black also delivers an exceptional performance. He's both warm and gritty, and apparently picked up quite a few chest tattoos while in Azkaban. We know this because he meets up with Harry in a train station wearing nothing but a long trench coat. It's only our respect for Sirius that we are refraining from inserting a flasher joke here.

Even for grown-ups, the year-and-a-half wait for the sixth movie will feel like a long time. But there is one thing that will make it feel better: Our kids will probably let us read the final book in the series once they're done with it.

See also: MSNBC's John Hartl gives his review of "Phoenix"

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Martha Brockenbrough is author of "It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond." She's also founder of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. She writes a fun-with-kids column for Cranium.com, as well as an educational humor column for Encarta. Check out her Web site.