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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Directed by David Yates

At too many points, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix forgets that, as a movie, it NEEDS to deviate from the source material. This makes it - more than any of the prior films - a sequel that will appeal to fans of the books first and foremost. That’s not to say it doesn’t work. This is a darker, more mature film for an audience that is growing up. Like its predecessors, this fifth chapter satisfyingly expands its world and characters.

Although Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) personally witnessed the return of the villainous Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), no one at the Ministry of Magic believes him. Instead, they send Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to restore order among the students and teachers. As she and the Ministry annex more and more authority from Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and restrict the use of magic inside the school, Harry, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and their friends begin clandestinely training to face the dark forces outside.

What makes this film more grown-up than the others is the villain. Voldemort isn’t in the film much. The true antagonist is Dolores Umbridge, wonderfully played by Imelda Staunton. Finding words to describe your hatred for her is a challenge. She’s the lady at the DMV who holds all the power over you and feels the need to prove it. Maybe you accidentally spoke out of turn but odds are, she just didn’t like the way you looked walking in. The scenes where her influence at the school steadily grows are the movie’s best, a darkly comedic montage of the school’s cruel and demented caretaker, Filch (David Bradley) hammering one stifling decree after another into Hogwarts' stone walls. Voldemort’s a great bad guy but his villainy ain’t subtle. Umbridge and the ministry that backs her are truly sinister, the kind of evil you see in real life.

The scenes with Umbridge don’t so much retell what we saw in the novel by J. K. Rowling as embody the emotions her words generate. The scene in which Imelda Staunton and Maggie Smith (playing Professor McGonagall once again) assert their strength by going up a staircase one step at a time to show who is truly on top has the power of a thousand words. The film also wisely gives increased screen time to Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, a favorite among many readers. During the conclusion, however, it sticks much closer to the original material, to its detriment. Everything that happens is exciting. There are ticking clocks and chases, opponents on every side, betrayal, action and heartbreaks but it feel rushed. If as little as one location was cut, it’d be cleaner and would land The Order of the Phoenix on the same height the previous movie - maybe even The Prisoner of Azkaban. A lot about the conclusion works but it could've been even better.

By now, all the returning actors are more than comfortable in their roles. The newcomers (which includes Helena Bonham Carter) are perfectly cast and even those with only a sliver of screen time make the most of their dialogue. Of all the books in the series, this was probably the most difficult to translate to the silver screen. The results - though imperfect - speak to the talent of director David Yates. You'd never guess he had only directed one film before this one. Though Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a slight step down from the two previous movies, by the end you'll be too eager to see what comes next to mind. (On Blu-ray, July 12, 2019)

Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix