add to our listingsMovie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
He's back, and he's hacked off. The most striking aspect of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is its contrast between the hormonally and supernaturally tormented teenager at its center and the modestly well-made and easygoing picture unfolding all around him.
No. 5 in the omnipresent global franchise, "Order of the Phoenix" lies at a no-nonsense halfway point between the best of the Potter films ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") and the most impersonal ("Sorcerer's Stone," which made just under a billion dollars worldwide). Though some of the large-scale effects settle for the familiar, the young actors guiding the ongoing J.K. Rowling magic act keep our human interest. We have watched these young actors grow up on-screen, and somewhere along the way Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint -- Harry, Hermione and Ron to millions -- turned into increasingly assured, slightly older young actors.
I had no particular affection for the first two pictures, the ones directed by Chris Columbus, which played and felt like hyper-protective producers' films as opposed to an imaginative director's. Once those were out of the way, though, the Potter series became freer to allow each installment some stylistic breathing room, within Rowling's parameters and the relative universe governed by a global fan base not keen on surprises.
Directed by Potter newcomer David Yates, whose résumé includes the piquant HBO romance "The Girl in the Cafe," "Order of the Phoenix" cares little about bringing newcomers up to speed. Nor is the film trying to be the biggest dog on the block. It's gratifying to see a summer picture whose primary impulse is not to destroy the audience, even as Rowling's story line nearly destroys Harry by subjecting him to a fate worse than Voldemort: teen angst.
Harry describes himself as "so angry, all the time," miserable at home, fighting against his darker impulses, struggling to act on his better instincts. Thanks to Daniel Radcliffe, who turns 18 later this month and seems ready for a hardy career once all seven Potter books have been filmed -- already he has appeared nude in the West End revival of "Equus" -- our hero's "Look Back in Anger" phase carries genuine feeling.
Rowling's owlishly charismatic hero is returning to Hogwarts for his fifth year. Straight off he's nearly expelled for "underage sorcery" while on Muggle turf, brought on by an attack of two soul-sucking Dementors working for the other side. Headmaster Dumbledore helps sort it out and gets Harry off the hook, but Hogwarts quickly enters a dubious new phase under the stewardship of Prof. Umbridge, who has no patience with non-traditional curriculum and implements a "Ministry-approved" set of rules and regulations. The title refers to the shadowy Order of the Phoenix, in which Harry's godfather Sirius Black is a member and whose collective eye is on Voldemort's inevitable return.
The Potter series has been a reliable employer of half the character actors in England, and one of the chief assets here is Imelda Staunton as Umbridge. Her manner of evil -- officious efficiency dressed in various shades of pink -- reminds audiences there is more than one way to get a laugh while striking a threatening chord. Forced into action, Harry and his pals Hermione and Ron recruit their classmates to join them in "Dumbledore's Army," training for a showdown with Voldemort and his slithery allies including Helena Bonham Carter, whom no one can accuse of underplaying.
Oddly the action climax can be accused of underplaying. The wand-zapping battle is a climax in name only; this is the sequence, about 20 minutes in length, that is being shown in 3-D at IMAX theaters. I suspect 3-D will help. Working from Michael Goldenberg's screenplay, director Yates is more at home with scenes depending on a subtler interweave of live-action and digital concerns. My favorite is an old-fashioned training montage, in which Harry, Hermione and Ron develop their fighting skills. The scene has a nice shape and rhythm to it, and unlike John Williams' music for the first three "Harry Potters," composer Nicholas Cooper opts not to compete with the amazements on screen.
The big wows are familiar, but the visual details pack the frame tightly with eccentric crosscurrents of the world as we know it and the non-Muggles land of wizardry. In other words, a particularly menacing character may display her decorative china emblazoned with cat pictures on her wall, but the meowing cats are actually meowing, and moving, and acting like real cats.
It's clear by now that Radcliffe, Watson and Grint were terrific casting choices, though this time Grint has little to do. The same is true for various Hogwarts faculty members played by Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman. That's the way it goes with a series such as this one: New characters come along, crowding the old ones, and something has to give. The shortest of the five Potter films so far, "Order of the Phoenix" is destined to be remembered as the one that handed the screen Harry his first kiss. Like much of the film, the smooch comes and goes briskly, without a lot of fuss.
"How was it?" Harry is asked. Answer: "Wet."
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Before I saw any of the Harry Potter films, my grumpy-old-fogie attitude had me expecting the proverbial film series where a team of rug-rats with super powers scamper about, spouting comic-book-grade one-liners, while at the same time managing to have some measurable effect on the affairs of the world.
Pleasantly, the world created in the films is much richer and intricate than I had anticipated, and "The Order of the Phoenix" is no exception. Adults can enjoy it as well as teenagers. However, it is not a film for very small children, as can be attested by the babies in the theater who shrieked in terror for the duration of the film.
The technical style of the film itself is pretty typical of Hollywood films today. It is done masterfully and unsparingly, with beautiful cinematography and concise editing, but looks and sounds just like any other of its genre.
The acting of the younger characters, including Harry Potter and cohorts, is extremely natural and believable. It is much easier to become immersed in a film when you're not constantly being reminded that the people on the screen are really only actors.
Despite being only one in a series, the film stands by itself rather well for those who are not familiar with the novels. Having not read any of the books myself, I felt that the plot was easy to understand and follow. However, it would benefit a newcomer to at least see some of the previous Harry Potter films. I had seen two of the earlier films, and being a little familiar with some of the supporting characters greatly enhanced the experience. For example, the payoff of witnessing Professor Snape's childhood as the wimpy little goth kid at school is much more satisfying if you are acquainted with his character.
While "The Order of the Phoenix" was entertaining, it was somehow not as engaging as the previous film, which had some more clever and intriguing plot twists. Even so, the story was amusing enough to motivate me to see the next Harry Potter film that comes out.
In the beginning, I felt that the movie was...umm... a little loose. Half hearted I guess. Then It became amazing. Everything was so WELL DONE!!! I started crying a little when serious 'disappeared' I recomened this movie. But not for first timers, the left way too much out. You couldn't really undertand who Tonks even was. But I enjoyed it. AND REMEMBER...
SNAPE IS ON OUR SIDE!!!
NEVILLE IS THE CHOSEN ONE!!!
Best line in the movie.
Darkest of the Potter movies to date, this one would leave newcomers to the Harry Potter series bewildered. I read the book two years ago, and couldn't tell you how closely the movie followed the plot. Why is the Order of the Phoenix important again?
Cool special effects with the wands, and I enjoyed seeing Neville Longbottom's character get more attention. The 7th book comes out on 7/20 - my bet is that Neville defeats Voldemort.
I am a reluctant Harry Potter fan, but I loved this movie. While I admire many things about the books, other aspects drive me nuts. Because I am a voracious reader, they've been a part of my life these past few years, but they're somewhere in the 7.5/10 range of literature I care about.
Potter movies have been much the same. I saw the first one while living in London - 2001, I believe -- and personally saw several iterations of Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station while commuting by Tube to work. That visceral connection has meant that I've always watched them in the theaters, as brain candy and a curiosity both, but it was only with the last movie, that they started to get interesting ** as movies **.
With this current film, 'Order of the Phoenix,' the series has taken a giant leap forward. I only vaguely recalled the book plot when I walked in, and it took me most of the movie to realize who some of the characters were (notably, Ginny Weasley) -- and it didn't matter. While the plot is fairly linear, the direction is outstanding -- it is a genuine thriller which will put you on the edge of your seat plenty of times. The cloying annoying kiddie stuff -- Quidditch!! -- is long gone, and it's fast-moving, dark, and gripping. I really thought it was an outstanding movie -- equally as enjoyable as other big adult movies like Live Free or Die Hard. Extra half star for the difficulty of a book adaptation.
Harry and his friends are fighting evil again."Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is the fifth installment of the now iconic Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. This movie is the darkest one to date but don't worry its still kid friendly.
If you have not read any of the books or seen any of the other movies this one might be a little confusing because there are some holes in the story. This is the shortest Harry Potter movie to date but one of the longest books so I advise people that have read the book to watch with movie with out bias like I'm sure you have done for the preceding four movies, I know it hard I have a hard time doing it also but it would be impossible to fit the whole book into a movie that could be shown in the theaters.
The kids that have been playing Harry, Ron and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) have been signed on to star in the final two movies also which is great because we have been able to see them grow up with the character they are portraying. One of the best new cast members for this movie was Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge.
One of the other aspects of this movie that I think makes it the best Harry Potter movie to date was the improved computer graphics but there is still a downside to this movie since there are a lot of holes and unanswered questions but still as a whole it was a great movie and I cant wait till the next one comes out.
This being the 5th installment of the 7 part series, one would have to wonder why a newcomer would even bother. That being said, if you've never read the book or haven't bothered to at least watch the past movies, you're gonna be in way over your head with this movie. There are some great training scenes and I really felt alot of anger towards Umbridge, which means she played her character perfectly!
The special effects are really present in this installment of the story and its been a long time coming. After so many years in magic school I had been wondering why there were only a handful of tricks up any one persons sleeve.
A friend of mine summed up my feelings perfectly, "This is like a really long intro to the next movie." A close comparison would be to Star Wars: Episode II, complete with awesome combat scene at the end making it all worth while.
Alright, nothing new here. Harry Potter in a battle between good and evil. And of course the question remains: what will happen to Harry Potter?
If you've never read the book then you may be a little lost when watching it. A few of my friends have never read the book and when the movie ended, they had so many questions as to what was so important about such and such or why it's even called the Order of the Phoenix. So if you haven't read the book, you may want to stay clear of this movie. Your time and money can probably be better spent elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you have read the book (and like it), nothing should stop you from watching this! Even if many parts are not accurate... Don't expect scenes and characters to look and act EXACTLY like the book. If you do, you will be very disappointed. Watch the movie for the satisfaction of seeing bits and pieces of the book acted out, such as writing lines in detention or the Weasley twin's inventions!
One star for being Harry Potter.
One star for Dolores Umbridge, played by Imelda Staunton. She did a GREAT job portraying her.
One star for the fight at the end between He Who Must Not Be Named and Dumbledore.
Minus two stars for leaving the non-Harry Potter readers scratching their heads as to what they've spent their 2+ hrs watching.
He's back, and he's hacked off. The most striking aspect of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is its contrast between the hormonally and supernaturally tormented teenager at its center and the modestly well-made and easygoing picture unfolding all around him.
(Full review)