Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Netflix Synopsis: Returning for his fifth year of study at the venerable Hogwarts, youthful wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is stunned to find that that his warnings about the return of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) have been ignored. Left with no choice, Harry takes matters into his own hands, training a small group of students — dubbed “Dumbledore’s Army” (after the school’s headmaster) — to defend themselves against the dark arts.

Review: The young actors, particularly Daniel Radcliffe, are growing into their roles very nicely, and the who’s who of British film in the adult cast is very fun without being campy or annoying. Imelda Staunton is particularly wonderful in this film as the incredibly creepy Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. If you aren’t familiar with her work, check out Vera Drake to see how she was robbed of an Oscar in 2004. She definitely gives it her all in this role, and I hated her character more than Voldemort.

David Yates has primarily directed television in the past, and he has no Hollywood blockbuster experience, so his first turn in the director’s chair for a Harry Potter film impresses all the more. I have not read the book yet (I deliberately wait until after I’ve seen the film), but this fifth installment flows much better than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yates adds some nice camera angles, and makes judicious use of special effects, concentrating more on character and story development until the final action sequence at the end of the movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is easily the darkest film in the series thus far, and that may be why is is one of my favorites. There are many funny moments in this film, but even the humor is darker and drier. The main characters are growing up, and the movies are definitely growing up with them. Some of the critics panned this movie for not having the whimsy of the early films, but those critics obviously don’t understand the fantasy genre, as whimsy must give way to more serious matters as the major threat looms larger.

So see it in the theater if you can. This is the best of this year’s blockbuster season, so if you are only going to spend money on one movie outing this summer, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the best choice so far.

Rating:

Submitted by: Lori 7/20/07