Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint; Directed by David Yates
Plagued with disturbing dreams and visions, Harry sets out into his fifth year at Hogwarts under a cloud of suspicion and distrust. After saving his cousin, Dudley, from a Dementor attack, he is promptly whisked away from Privet Drive by the Order of the Phoenix - a small taskforce of people who have united to fight against Voldemort and his schemes.
It is here that he learns that the Ministry of Magic is hard at work denying the Dark Lord's return and striving to silence any and all who would support the claims of the very real dangers that have reentered the Wizard World. Meanwhile, Hogwarts has once again had to replace its Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, this time with the sweetly poisonous Dolores Umbridge, who refuses to teach her classes anything that would help them during the dark times that have enshrouded them. Harry, Hermoine, Ron, and a few others begin the D.A. (Dumbledore's Army), and hold their own private classes to practice the charms and spells necessary to protect themselves in the real world, all under the tutelage of Harry himself.
The plot thickens when a score of Voldemort's followers are liberated from Azkaban prison, and the D.A. finds itself fighting for their lives sooner and more desperately than they ever would have imagined before.
It is commonly said that the Harry Potter films get better and better with each new story, and the Order of the Phoenix is no exception. Director David Yates (also tapped to bring Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to the screen in 2008) brings a level of darkness and grittiness never before seen in the series. The acting is better, the storylines are getting more dangerous, and its flat out a whole lot of fun to watch. The set pieces and special effects are awesome to see, and the cinematography could not have been better.
Nearly all major and minor characters are back in this newest installment, along with a few new ones. One of the most notable is Helena Bonham-Carter as the wickedly insane Bellatrix Lestrange, who brings a disturbing derangement to Voldemort’s current Death Eater assembly, acheiving a level of imbalance and rage not even seen in Voldemort himself as of yet. Evanna Lynch as fellow student Luna Lovegood is a completely refreshing dose of good faith, a spaced-out kind of humor, and unwavering trust, a person who faces terror and pain with a wealth of compassion and an ever-present countenance of serenity.
Last, but very certainly not least, is Imelda Staunton as Professor Dolores Umbridge, - a sickeningly cheerful child-hating sadist who loves to wear pink sweaters. This is a child’s worst nightmare, and if it wasn’t before, it is now. I don’t honestly know if Voldemort would terrify me half as much as Umbridge if they were to walk into the room together (never mind the pale, nose-less part of things). Imelda Staunton is a revelation, and undoubtedly the worst Harry Potter villain to come along, if not one of the worst movie villains of the ages. Like Norman Bates, there is a sweetness and gentleness at first, but then the hints of madness begin - first in the facial features, then in the voice, until finally the entire person is overcome with evil. Staunton’s eyes are terrifying, nearly causing one to recoil in their seat. Her performance is a wonder to behold.
I won’t deny that I went into this film holding my breath. I was trying to give Phoenix the benefit of the doubt, but all the while I was secretly thinking to myself “Oh man, what are they going to mess up here?”. But, to my surprise, there wasn’t much at all to be disappointed about. If only the running time was expanded. This was J.K. Rowling’s longest book of the series so far, yet it was the film with the shortest length of them all. Why was that? I can’t imagine why this happened. Not that the story suffers any from it, but there could have been even more richness and volume to it. Oh well. I was so excited to see how the bar of excellence had been raised here on Phoenix, that I immediately began to anxiously pine for the next film. 2008 seems like an awful long wait. It is best to appreciate the present, however, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is definitely something to be thankful for. Don’t miss it.
Grading:
Story = A
Originality = A
Acting = A
Enjoyability = A
Visuals = A
Overall = A
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