The fifth installment of the Harry Potter franchise brings us back to the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling, and the series is continuing to push into deeper, more mature territory. Order of the Phoenix is the first film in the series from director David Yates, who had mainly been known for directing political dramas and thrillers for the BBC. Yates might seem like a surprising choice for a fantasy franchise, but the Harry Potter series is a bit more than that. As Harry’s tale unfolds over the course of seven novels, we start to see deeper mysteries and conspiracies, and the politics of the wizarding world become more of a factor.
The movie starts out back in Surrey, which we haven’t visited since Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry is sitting in a sun-drenched, yet bleak playground, and is accosted by his bullying cousin Dudley (who has grown from a chubby brat into a menacing thug). The boys flee, running from an unseen terror into a tunnel to hide. Once in the tunnel, both Harry and Dudley are attacked by dementors, and Harry breaks the rules about using magic outside of school to save himself and his cousin. The attack has left Dudley nearly paralyzed with fear, and Harry’s aunt and uncle blame him for Dudley’s condition. As if that’s not bad enough, Harry then gets a letter from the Ministry of Magic, saying he’s been expelled from Hogwarts for using magic in front of a muggle. Things aren’t looking good for Harry.
Order of the Phoenix spends a significant of time showing us the world of wizardry outside of Hogwarts. We get to see the Black family home, which is cleverly hidden in a London neighborhood. We also see the interior of the Ministry of Magic, a bustling place as busy as any government office. This continues the trend started in the last film of showing a more sophisticated and modern side to the wizarding world.
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I’ve been saying these movies have been getting dark, and it’s tempting to say this one is even darker, but I’m not sure that’s actually the case. What I’ve realized is that in adapting these movies, the filmmakers are increasingly moving away from Harry’s wizarding studies, unless they actually move the films plot forward. Rowling has the luxury in her novels of being able to talk in great detail about Harry’s continuing education at Hogwarts, but the movies (by necessity) leave a lot of the class scenes out. That’s a wise move, because it keeps the action moving along, but it has another consequence that I’m not sure the filmmakers or Rowling has intended. The class scenes in the books serve to invoke a sense of normalcy into Harry’s life, and the more dramatic and dangerous things that happen to him are (mostly) presented as unusual events in his life. The films, on the other hand, have less and less class scenes to show Harry’s everyday life, and so it starts to feel that Harry’s life is completely consumed with peril. Obviously a movie with scene after scene of kids in class probably wouldn’t be very exciting, and these are supposed to be adventure stories. I’m just pointing out that as I watched the fifth film, I started to feel like Harry’s life is awfully grim.
The plot this time around is a bit more subtle than in previous films. Although Voldemort has returned, the Minister of Magic (and by extension, most everyone else) refuses to believe Harry’s claim. And since Dumbledore vocally shares that belief, his authority at Hogwarts has been called into question. Enter Dolores Umbridge, a senior Ministry official who will take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Much to everyone’s chagrin, her curriculum is more theoretical than practical, which is in line with the Ministry’s denial about Voldemort’s return (if Voldemort hasn’t come back, students won’t even need to learn defense). Umbridge starts abusing her authority, and ends up taking over as Headmaster, on orders from the Ministry of Magic. Harry and his friends aren’t happy about this, and Harry starts teaching his own class, sharing his now-substantial experiences in the field. One of the things that I found interesting about this plot was seeing Umbridge’s administration become stricter and stricter; who knew you could invoke Orwellian elements in a fantasy adventure tale?
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As always, the existing cast is joined by some first-rate British talent. In this case, Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton brings a wonderful combination of propriety and menace to the role of Umbridge. And fellow Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter makes her series debut as the psychotic Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort’s more dangerous minions.
I’ve said this before, but Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have really grown into their roles. I think that their efforts in these films have likely succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. I’m not saying that they’re necessarily Oscar-worthy performances, but find their acting to be very honest and natural. In fact, if the producers of the franchise have gotten anything right, it’s the casting. The returning cast members, such as Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, and Robbie Coltrane give their all, regardless of what little screen time they might have. And Ralph Fiennes gets another chance to really shine as the evil Voldemort.
The action in the film is top-notch. The opening scene showing the dementor attack is very tense, and although the movie abruptly switches gears, playing the Dursley scene for comedy, we’re quickly back to an underlying feeling of tension that will last for most of the rest of the film. Early on, we’re treated to an exciting scene of wizards flying over London, and a short (but no less thrilling) prison break from Azkaban.
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And then there’s the climactic wizard battle. We’d seen some hints of this at the end of Goblet of Fire, but for the first time, we get to see what a war of wizards might look like. The first part of the battle shows the titular Order of the Phoenix squaring off against the Death Eaters, and as a sort of magical gunfight between multiple wizards, it’s very exciting. But the real treat is the showdown between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Rather than just seeing lightning flash between wands, we get to see two very powerful wizards cast various spells in a battle that’s simply epic. Yoda vs. Palpatine has nothing on this.
I must admit that after five films, it’s getting difficult to distinguish the plots and adventures. Part of that is because, unlike many other franchises, a lot of the action takes place in the same locations over and over again. That’s not a bad thing, but you can’t just say something like “they’re in the Old West, so this must be Part 3.”
In the end, Order of the Phoenix is a fine installment from a consistently high-quality franchise. I think director David Yates has done a very nice job adapting Rowling’s work, and I think he’s going to prove to be a good choice to finish up the franchise.
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