Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Imelda Staunton, Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis, Katie Leung, Michael Gambon
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.
Parental Notes: This film is definitely darker, scarier, and more maturely-themed than the previous films, so use caution when taking younger children to see it. If they could handle the book, they can probably handle the film (though they’ll likely be peeved by the many cuts the screenwriter made in the story).
The new Harry Potter film is out, and it’s a step in a new direction in a number of ways. For one thing, it has virtually no exposition. If you haven’t read the book recently and can’t stand not being entirely sure what’s going on, you should probably skip it. This is a highlights-of-the-book sort of film — at 138 minutes, it’s the shortest Potter film to date, but the book it’s based on is far longer than the first four.
Starting with the opening scene of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” it’s clear that this is the darkest, bleakest film in the series so far. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) sits alone and depressed on a swing set in an abandoned park. After a few moments, his cousin Dudley (Harry Melling) and a couple thuggish friends appear and provoke him into drawing his wand. The fight is broken up by a Dementor attack, and Harry only just manages to save himself and his hated cousin. For his trouble, he winds up in front of the Ministry of Magic on trial and under threat of expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The head of the Ministry, Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) refuses to believe that the villainous Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned, and is doing his best to suppress Harry and anyone else who says otherwise.
The idea that those in power are not necessarily in the right runs deeply through the film, and the tendrils of the corruption at the Ministry make their way into Hogwarts in the form of Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton, “Vera Drake”). Professor Umbridge is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and before long she is made the Inquisitor of Hogwarts and given near-total power over the school. She uses this power to impose her own idea of order, which includes boys and girls having at least eight inches between them at all times and all student groups and activities (including Quidditch!) being banned. She even uses magical pens to torture misbehaving students, and hides all this nastiness under a very thin veneer of sweetness and light. Staunton is absolutely fantastic, and turns Umbridge into the sort of person you love to hate.
Umbridge’s Dark Arts classes are entirely book reading, since Fudge doesn’t want any of Dumbledore’s students learning combat magic, so Hermione (Emma Watson) persuades Harry to teach a small group of students how to really defend themselves against the bad guys. Harry agrees, and the group luckily discovers the Room of Requirement, a hidden room in the school where they can practice without Umbridge catching them. The students name their group Dumbledore’s Army, after their beloved (and beleaguered) headmaster and set to work. There are very few scenes of regular classes in the film, so the scenes of the Army training are a delight. Harry surprises everyone by being a very good teacher, and soon even the klutzy Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) is showing progress. Of course, no Potter film would be complete without a huge showdown, and soon Harry and his friends find themselves in over their heads.
The teenage actors have come a long way in these five films, especially the central trio. Rupert Grint no longer simply makes faces as Ron, and Radcliffe and Watson are able to include some surprisingly subtle bits in their performances. Radcliffe in particular has a lot to handle in this film, including mental possession by a villain and a number of startling revelations and events. He passes all the challenges with flying colors. Here’s hoping he survives the seven-film series without being typecast; the boy has talent.
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is a surprisingly well-trimmed-down film. It is reminiscent of a roller coaster — every scene is clipped tight, and we’re rushed from one exciting part to the next with hardly a moment to breathe. If you can’t jump in and go along for the ride you’ll be left behind.