By Frederic Germay
Cinematic sorcery has rarely looked more captivating, mystifying, and awe-striking than in this film -- prepare to be enthralled! First-time "Harry Potter" director, David Yates, brings his epic vision to light in this film, and audiences and critics are bound to be divided on this film. "Order of the Phoenix" is obviously the darkest of the series, and no longer child-friendly. Although some may not find this conflicted Potter to be the best to date, "Order of the Phoenix" remains, at it's very worst, satisfactory.
Thankfully, this film escapes a fault of its predecessor, and starts the story with the Dursleys. Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin have all grown exponentially stupid and intolerant as the years have progressed, and it is delightfully entertaining to regard their hilarious mannerisms once more. Following the book, Harry and his cousin are attacked by suspiciously out of place dementors. Harry is forced to use the Patronus Charm to save himself and his cousin, thereby nearly expelling himself from Hogwarts School, where underage magic is prohibited.
The movie continues in this dark vein for a while, where Harry learns of the Order of the Phoenix, a rebel alliance against the newly arisen Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. All throughout the beginning stages of the film, it seems as though the movie is hurrying past a lot of important storylines. Barely any time is spent in Grimmauld Place, in stark contrast to the book where more than an entire chapter is solely devoted to the dank location.
This film bares a striking resemblance to "V for Vendetta," as Harry Potter leads a rebellion against the stifling rules of the ministry. After Voldemort returned in "Goblet of Fire," Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, remains adamant in his stance that You-Know-Who hasn't come back and that Harry Potter and Dumbledore are utter loons. Fudge then instates his henchwoman, Dolores Umbridge, at Hogwarts to ensure that all the students are incapable of utilizing any offensive or defensive skills.
Umbridge, with the support of the ministry, clamps down on all rule breaking and puts Harry in a particularly painful detention. Under the leadership of Harry, the students create a secret organization called 'Dumbledore's Army,' where they learn their own spells to counter the imminent attack from Voldemort. Umbridge, who is wonderfully cast, is one of the cruelest creations ever. Simply watching her in this film was audio/visual torture, and that is exactly how evil she was in the book....so I guess that was a feat well-accomplished. If she wasn't fictional, I would highly recommend that she lend her abilities to the interrogators at Guantanamo Bay. Helping to end the war on terror would be her sole claim for redemption...yes, I know I'm drifting off-topic!
As it is with most film adaptations of books, loads of seemingly integral storylines are abandoned or replaced. Quidditch never makes an appearance in the film, robbing the story of many powerful and entertaining scenes. In fact, it seems that for a better part of the film, magic takes a back seat to the characters and their rebellion. The film feels like it wishes to be a character study, but Daniel Radcliffe isn't a strong enough actor to make that work.
Seeing as Yates was trigger-happy with many of the eliminated storylines, I am bewildered as to why Kreacher or the dementors were even involved since their relevance isn't properly explained by the conclusion of the film. I started to think that those who are unfamiliar with the book wouldn't fully comprehend many lingering aspects of the movie. If you compare this to the previous movies, or especially the books, this movie might falter. However, if you take all your knowledge of Potter world, yet view this movie separate of comparison to its predecessors, than this movie is a triumph.
The climax battles in the Department of Mysteries are truly breathtaking, and I believe that they redeem and justify the somewhat slower parts of the film. This film is in a different league than the others, and this is no longer child's play. I thought that this was the best of "Harry Potter" movies, but I doubt that everyone will share my glorious vision. I give this film a 9/10.
