phoenix flies in dark, demonic epic fashion
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
(PG-13; 139 minutes)
The fifth Harry Potter movie mixes the dark downside of adolescence into a whirl of monsters and magic. Daniel Radcliffe, as young master Potter, continues to age gracefully in the role — if you can say that about an actor who was 12 when the first film came out and will be 18 on July 23.
In the latest installment, the heroic wizardry student gets his first kiss (and his first romantic disappointment) while bracing himself and his trusted classmates for an epic battle against the ultimate villain — a super-powerful sorcerer with a deep, not yet fully explained connection to Harry. That would be Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes in hideous reptilian makeup), who has scant screen time but whose evil influence pervades the plot.
A spooky opening sequence — in which Harry violates a cardinal rule in order to save an innocent boy from a pair of ghastly, computer-generated Dementors — tells us right off that this piece of Potter-y is going to spend a lot of time in horror-flick mode.
Indeed, Harry figures pretty quickly that the malevolent Voldemort is back in action. But no one in authority at his Hogwarts school or the ruling Ministry of Magic believes him. Well, no one except maybe the good headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), who finds his position threatened by the film’s most notable new character.
Her name is Dolores Umbridge, brilliantly played by Imelda Staunton. (If you haven’t seen her in “Vera Drake,” put it on your Netflix queue now.) Ms. Umbridge (great name, isn’t it?) wears girly pink outfits and she giggles incessantly. But under that affable exterior beats the heart of a tyrant — a compulsive control freak determined to keep Harry and his cohorts from exercising any free will.
Director David Yates (who has already been hired to direct the next installment as well) maintains a brisk pace. He has to: The longest Potter novel has been cut and crammed into one of the series’ shortest movies. If you aren’t a Potter aficionado, the speed might be blinding. But it’s also entertaining, as Harry, Hermione, the Weasley boys and their upstart army do battle against some truly terrifying creatures and spells.
A roll-call of British stars keeps this costume-fantasy-epic impressive on a human level as well. Gary Oldman, Jason Isaacs, Brendan Gleeson and Alan Rickman lead this pack. We always liked Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid character, but he only shows up briefly.
Potter fans ought not be disappointed, and the clueless muggles among us should be able to find the fun in the tale even if they missed the first four chapters. Is that possible?
We give this rising “Phoenix” a B.
Tags: film, review
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July 15th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I loved the book (it was sort of a must-read after seeing “Goblet of Fire” over and over again and wanting to know what happens next.
And for others who loved the book, a warning that a lot of the sideplots JK Rowling put in “Order of the Phoenix” are extinguished in the film. Other plots are modified a bit from the book.
I haven’t seen the film but I’m guessing that this isn’t going to be a total bastardization of a Potter novel like the original film was (deliberately childish and lacking the “this can’t be real” attitude from the book).
July 16th, 2007 at 11:35 am
I have a hard time believing that anyone who has read any of the books is going to be surprised that side plots have been abandoned or other plots points were conjoined in this - the fifth film.
I have seen the film, and read all of the books, and I appreciate the films as standalone works - if anything a companion piece to the books. I enjoy the films and the books in very different ways. I think others would be far less disappointed if they did the same.