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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Spoiler Free

Not soon after viewing the first Harry Potter film, I decided to view both the films and books as separate animals. As each novel grows and Rowling adds more side stories to Harry’s world, filmmakers must make choices that are more difficult. As long as filmmakers stay true to the characters and they drive the major story arcs, I’ll have no complaints. There is simply too much to include in a Harry Potter adaptation and expect the audience to stay in their seats.

So, as a film… How does Order of the Phoenix fly?

As high as it can, all things considered. Directed by relatively unknown (and untried) director David Yates, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix does a fantastic job of moving the story along. There really isn’t a point of giving a full film recap. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t know at least a little about J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard. This time out, the series villain, Lord Voldemort is free and rallying his dark witches and wizards to his cause. However, memories of his first assault upon the magical world are all too fresh and those in power refuse to accept his return. As such, our hero Harry and his friends are branded as “nutters”. To make matters worse, Hogwarts is now under the control of Dolores Umbridge, the discipline obsessed member of the Ministry of Magic. Of course, the Dark Lord is back and all hell is about to, and does, break loose. In addition to the very real concerns of Voldemort raising hell, Harry Potter experiences some of his harshest growing pains. His pending destiny is sitting hard upon his shoulders and his attitude through most of the film is apparent.

How are the performances?

These actors know their characters. It is clear that the core actors are extremely comfortable with their roles. Daniel Radcliff is a fine actor and he does bring a new level of adulthood to Harry Potter. He makes Harry’s transition from wide-eyed boy filled with wonder to angst-ridden teenager with the weight of the magical world on his shoulders rather seamless. (You could argue that being an angst ridden teenager helps, but something tells me English teens age better than their Yank equivalent, but that is just my deep-seated desire to be English so I can make snarky comments in the fantastic accent). Emma Watson brings a fun new sense of life and excitement to Hermione Granger. Out of all the actors, Emma has the blankest slate to work with and she does a good job… I just wish she had a larger role in this film. The same can be said for Ron Wesley played by Rupert Grint, who once again steals the screen whenever he says a line. That actor will go far if he lands good roles once the Potter series ends. Indeed, all the young actors in the Harry Potter films have a bright future in acting should they choose.

Gary Oldman is great as Sirius Black; he has a genuine love and warmth for Harry. You can tell he only wishes for Harry to have normal life and he is clearly upset when he realizes that such is not Harry’s lot in life. Michael Gambon as Dumbledore is again admirable. He still stands in the long shadow of Richard Harris and I doubt he will ever shake that. Alan Rickman is Alan Rickman and I will watch that man in anything he does. With the exception of the lead child actors, no other actor so perfectly matches his literary character than Alan Rickman. He is stunning as Severious Snape. Ralph Fiennes is starting to stand out as one of cinema’s greatest villains with each performance as Lord Voldemort. He just oozes evil and is a joy to watch him perform and torment young Harry. In fact, everyone in this film give strong performances. Even those with walk on parts do a good job. I don’t know if this is a testament to the director or the fact that these actors are in their fifth film is unknown to me. However, without a doubt the standout performance comes from Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge. She is equally sugary sweet while maintaining a total air of menace. Every time she walks on the screen, you know bad things are about to happen… Happen with a seriously disturbing grin and laugh. Dolores Umbridge is a horrible person and Imelda Staunton nails her to a tee.

How does it look?

The Harry Potter films really elevate the art of set design. Every location in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix are gorgeous. With the constant movement and ancient secrets, the locations themselves are a character unto themselves and it shows. If I had one complaint about the look of Order of the Phoenix, a general drabness covers everything. It could be argued that this was intentional. Dark times are coming to Harry’s world and the muted colors are reflecting that. I understand that choice from a cinematic stance, but I can’t help but miss the bright wonders of the previous films. (Thank God for the Wesley twins; color, chaos, and wonder follow wherever they travel and it is welcome). The special effects are a blast. When the wands come out and the witches and wizards duel, the effect is glorious. For the first time in all the Harry Potter films, you see the unbridled power these character command. Energy and power arch from every wand. Magic shatters and pummels everything in its path and as an audience, I finally see the danger Lord Voldemort poses to the world… Magical and Muggle alike.

There really isn’t anything “wrong” with Order of the Phoenix.

Yet, I still couldn’t get very excited over the entire experience. The reason can’t be quantified. Yates’ filming didn’t have any flaws. The performances are all strong. The set design and locations are great. The effects are over the top and awe-inspiring. But, this film just felt like a filler story. The calm before the very violent storm. To be honest (and I know I opened this review saying I wouldn’t) but, I got the same feeling from the book. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t experience the same sense of magical wonder I got from the previous 4 novels (and movies). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a well-made bridge between some truly magical films… You won’t come away feeling cheated, but you also won’t walk away feeling moved…

You’ll just want to know when The Half-Blood Prince comes out.

Geek in the City gives Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 3.5 out of 5 Critical Hits.