Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Probably the biggest problem with the Harry Potter films is that very often they feel like a highlights package of the much heftier novel on which they are based. Goblet of Fire, especially, felt rushed, as if the film makers were trying to squeeze in as many fan favourite moments as possible – without letting the audience digest the leisurely unfolding mystery at the heart of the storyline.
Order of the Phoenix is a much longer Potter book than Goblet. Yet, as a film adaptation, it does not feel nearly as rushed. Sure, certain characters and events are whittled down or absent – Auror Tonks has essentially a cameo appearance – but you rarely feel like you’re being goose-stepped through the wizarding world on a very tight leash.
It probably helps that Phoenix is based on the darkest of the Potter books (and my favourite) – where Harry is feeling most frustrated, angry and alienated. While director David Yates steers clear of Harry’s jarring in-book tantrums, he very cleverly positions Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as an outsider for the first 30 minutes or so of the film. Best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are rarely shown at Harry’s side, and the only person he seems comfortable spending time with is Luna “Looney” Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), a gentle hearted, if completely spaced out schoolmate, who is the frequent butt of pranks.
What is most refreshing about Order of the Phoenix is that events are played straight. There are no attempts to “kiddiefy” the storyline or introduce “cool” events. So don’t expect candy that makes you roar, or school dances that culminate in crowd surfing by the midget Charms teacher. Remember bug-eyed masochistic Dobby the house elf, from Chamber of Secrets? In Phoenix you meet a very different type of house elf – a bad tempered, geriatric called Kreacher. This different of character is a very good indication of the series’ shift in tone.
Perhaps the best thing about Order of the Phoenix is the introduction of Dolores Umbridge, played with smug satisfaction by Imelda Staunton. I’ll admit that I always imagined the more toad-like Kathy (Gimme Gimme Gimme) Burke in the role, but Imelda Staunton is absolutely superb. Plus, I love her character’s horrific pink Hogwarts office, complete with dozens of decorative plates containing moving, mewling kittens.
While Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is your bog standard all-powerful fantasy villain – aloof and prone to monologues – Umbridge’s strength as a character is that she’s a villain you could easily encounter and lose to in real life. Her sugary, pink-swathed façade and soft voice hides an acidic, power hungry heart.
Umbridge is a sadistic bitch of the Roald Dahl tradition – someone who tortures, abuses and demeans, and somehow always seems to get away with it. There is one scene where she is sitting on a “throne” overseeing a group of students’ mentally (and physically) scarring detention and she looks practically orgasmic in her self satisfaction.
Umbridge is a villain you love to hate. In fact, she’s part of probably the most emotionally affecting scene in a Harry Potter film so far, when she attempts to fire desperate if hopeless Divination teacher Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson). Umbridge’s come-uppance is probably the most gratifying moment in the entire film.
Speaking of new villains, Helena Bonham Carter also shines in her brief screen time as Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort’s top henchwoman – an insane, baby-voiced Goth with a warped wardrobe lifted straight out of Victorian Era England.
Otherwise, the entire cast, especially the teenage actors, turn in comfortable, natural performances. I do wish we could have seen a bit more of Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather, and the only adult who treats Harry as a complete equal and friend.
In terms of set design and special effects, Order of the Phoenix is excellent. The winged thestrals have been especially well realised, and the series’ first ever major wizarding battle is certainly impressive. The use of flashback footage from the other Potter films is also a nice touch – an emotional reminder of how the characters, and the actors playing them, have grown up over the years.
I’m not one to blindly jump on the “latest is the best” bandwagon, but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix IS the best of the Harry Potter films so far, even surpassing Chamber of Secrets. I’m looking forward now to Half-Blood Prince, also set to be directed by David Yates.
Order of the Phoenix is a much longer Potter book than Goblet. Yet, as a film adaptation, it does not feel nearly as rushed. Sure, certain characters and events are whittled down or absent – Auror Tonks has essentially a cameo appearance – but you rarely feel like you’re being goose-stepped through the wizarding world on a very tight leash.
It probably helps that Phoenix is based on the darkest of the Potter books (and my favourite) – where Harry is feeling most frustrated, angry and alienated. While director David Yates steers clear of Harry’s jarring in-book tantrums, he very cleverly positions Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as an outsider for the first 30 minutes or so of the film. Best friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are rarely shown at Harry’s side, and the only person he seems comfortable spending time with is Luna “Looney” Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), a gentle hearted, if completely spaced out schoolmate, who is the frequent butt of pranks.
What is most refreshing about Order of the Phoenix is that events are played straight. There are no attempts to “kiddiefy” the storyline or introduce “cool” events. So don’t expect candy that makes you roar, or school dances that culminate in crowd surfing by the midget Charms teacher. Remember bug-eyed masochistic Dobby the house elf, from Chamber of Secrets? In Phoenix you meet a very different type of house elf – a bad tempered, geriatric called Kreacher. This different of character is a very good indication of the series’ shift in tone.
Perhaps the best thing about Order of the Phoenix is the introduction of Dolores Umbridge, played with smug satisfaction by Imelda Staunton. I’ll admit that I always imagined the more toad-like Kathy (Gimme Gimme Gimme) Burke in the role, but Imelda Staunton is absolutely superb. Plus, I love her character’s horrific pink Hogwarts office, complete with dozens of decorative plates containing moving, mewling kittens.
While Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is your bog standard all-powerful fantasy villain – aloof and prone to monologues – Umbridge’s strength as a character is that she’s a villain you could easily encounter and lose to in real life. Her sugary, pink-swathed façade and soft voice hides an acidic, power hungry heart.
Umbridge is a sadistic bitch of the Roald Dahl tradition – someone who tortures, abuses and demeans, and somehow always seems to get away with it. There is one scene where she is sitting on a “throne” overseeing a group of students’ mentally (and physically) scarring detention and she looks practically orgasmic in her self satisfaction.
Umbridge is a villain you love to hate. In fact, she’s part of probably the most emotionally affecting scene in a Harry Potter film so far, when she attempts to fire desperate if hopeless Divination teacher Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson). Umbridge’s come-uppance is probably the most gratifying moment in the entire film.
Speaking of new villains, Helena Bonham Carter also shines in her brief screen time as Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort’s top henchwoman – an insane, baby-voiced Goth with a warped wardrobe lifted straight out of Victorian Era England.
Otherwise, the entire cast, especially the teenage actors, turn in comfortable, natural performances. I do wish we could have seen a bit more of Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather, and the only adult who treats Harry as a complete equal and friend.
In terms of set design and special effects, Order of the Phoenix is excellent. The winged thestrals have been especially well realised, and the series’ first ever major wizarding battle is certainly impressive. The use of flashback footage from the other Potter films is also a nice touch – an emotional reminder of how the characters, and the actors playing them, have grown up over the years.
I’m not one to blindly jump on the “latest is the best” bandwagon, but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix IS the best of the Harry Potter films so far, even surpassing Chamber of Secrets. I’m looking forward now to Half-Blood Prince, also set to be directed by David Yates.
Comments