Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)September 2nd, 2007
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2007 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
In HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Harry Potter, as always, finds himself in big trouble. In the film's opening sequence, we witness Harry helping out some muggles -- that would be normal folks, who aren't like Harry. Helping them is permitted, but "The Ministry" strictly forbids wizards from using spells, even for humanitarian reasons, in the presence of muggles.
If I get some of the terminology wrong, please forgive me, since I've never been fond of Harry and Co. -- until now that is. If there were an association for non-fans, I guess I should have been a member but no longer. This, the fifth in the Potter series of seven episodes, is the first one I've completely liked. I did not like the first two, and I found the second two better but rather mediocre. I have no such reservations about HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. In contrast, my son, once a Potter loyalist, has become disillusioned with the series, finding them too repetitive. He did not like this one, as his comments at the end of this review explain.
Daniel Radcliffe again plays Harry Potter, and Radcliffe is noticeably aging. No longer the innocent boy, Harry is now more of a troubled man. Indeed much of the narrative of HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX feels lifted out of STAR WARS, as Harry battles his demons and tries not to let his anger pull him to the Potter series version of the dark side.
I rather enjoyed the challenges Harry's emotional roller coaster created for him. Definitely a much darker story than the first four, it is also richer and more compelling. The script peppers the dialog with enough natural humor to keep Harry's troubles from becoming too morose. And, the wonderful special effects are quite marvelous without having too many overly showy sequences. In particular, there are several new, fascinating strange creatures.
Of all of the effects, my favorites are the interdepartmental memos at The Ministry. They are delivered via self-guided paper airplanes, which take elevators to get to the next floor.
Of course, Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), the dark lord (a.k.a. "He Who Must Not Be Named"), returns as usual. It seems like every Potter story is about his return or rumors of his return.
By far, the best of the characters this time is Dolores Umbridge, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. In a scene-stealing performance, Umbridge is played deliciously by Imelda Staunton, who giggles with pseudo-innocence as she takes over the school with her Machiavellian techniques. She is a sadist of the first order and a great party pooper to boot.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but, for the first time, I am actually looking forward to the next Potter film.
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX runs 2:18. It is rated PG-13 for "sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images" and would be acceptable for kids around 9 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 18, said that he was on the fence, but in the end he gave the movie just **. He didn't like the story, complaining that it was too much about a government cover-up -- a plot of so many other films -- and not enough about the magic. He complained that every Potter film keeps telling the same basic story, with Harry battling Voldemort. Jeffrey did, however, like the ending. Overall, he wanted a lot more magic and not so much political intrigue, and he said that he was getting tired of the same Harry Potter formula in every movie.
The film is playing nationwide in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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