Review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) by Jacob M — 10 Jul 2013

"You're a fool, Harry Potter, and you will lose everything.".

Ever since Alfonso Cuaron took the franchise in a darker direction with Harry Potter and the Prisoner Azkaban, the Harry Potter franchise has gotten darker with each follow-up. Film #5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is no exception, though this time, it's the darkest film at this point.

The wizarding world is in a state of political turmoil. Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned, but Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy), believing that Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is only making it up so Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) can lead a rebellion against him, does everything in his power to ruin Harry's reputation. He even sends Ministry worker Delores Umbrigde (Imelda Staunton) to Hogwarts to become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Umbrige acts like a dictator, refusing anyone to use magic at all in her class, torturing students if they don't cooperate, and starts to take over Dumbledore's job. Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson), fed up with Umbridge's leadership, start an army to prepare for their ultimate encounter with Voldemort, while at the same time, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) forms a secret society, called The Order of the Phoenix, for the same purpose as Harry's. But soon, Harry begins to have a strange connection to Voldemort, having crazy nightmares and going angry all the time, leaving Harry at his darkest yet.

Also returning in this film includes Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Alan Rickman as Snape, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw as the Dursleys, Julie Walters and Mark Williams as the Weasley parents, David Thewlis as Lupin, Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody, Jason Issacs as Lucius Malfoy, Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, The Phelps twins as Fred and George Weasley, Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley, and Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom.

New to the film includes Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater who is also Sirius's sick and twisted cousin, Timothy Bateson as Kreacher, a house elf who lives with Sirius, and Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, a Hogwarts student who pretty looney, and also part of Harry's army (or Dumbledore's Army, as they call it).

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is directed by newcomer David Yates, whose previous experience as a director was just British TV movies. People were skeptical of an unknown director making a Harry Potter film, but I believe the studio paid off. Yates has created the darkest Potter film yet, while still continuing the story of the Potter films. Yates would later direct the rest of the Potter franchise.

The cast has matured at their best, with Daniel Radcliffe having the biggest. He shows his dark side in this film (we got a little bit of it before briefly in Prisoner of Azkaban), but here, he's really good. As he says in one scene, "I feel so angry. All the time." Rupert Grint has also matured as Ron. No longer is he the coward we saw in previous films, but a brave young man. And Emma Watson is still playing her bright, smart self as Hermione. Other kids in the film, besides the main three, have really matured as well, particularly Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom. No longer is he the forgetful, weak, always picked-on kid who doesn't have the best learning skills. Here, he's bright, a little smarter, and dedicated to saving the day.

The adult cast is also a delight. While not in the film much, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, The Durselys, and Maggie Smith continue to shine in their roles. Gary Oldman, with much more screen time than his role in Goblet of Fire, is incredible, so incredible that you root for him more than any other person in the film. Ralph Fiennes continues to be menacing as Voldemort. And Michael Gambon proves here that he's a great Dumbledore. In a sequence where his character battles Voldemort in the climax, it's really hard to picture Richard Harris playing Dumbledore in this scene. Gambon has really stepped up his game after the negative reaction in Goblet of Fire, though I still enjoyed him in that film, though.

But what really steals the show here is Imelda Staunton as Umbridge, the evil teacher dictator. She's brilliant, menacing, and pure evil, probably just about as evil as Voldemort. I love her line, "I WILL HAVE ORDER!" Also, Helena Bonham Carter is memorable as Bellatrix Lestrange, the evil Death Eater with a dark secret.

Like in Goblet of Fire, fans of the book have complained about the scenes cut from the book that didn't make it in this film, scenes including the characters in the wizard hospital, explanation to who really sent Dementors to attack Harry in the beginning of the film, and more development on Neville Longbottom. The thing about the book was, it was pretty long, longer than any of the previous Potter books. Yates was good in cutting out some of the unnecessary scenes from the book and making a film that's keeps the spirit alive. Film wise, Yates uses the dark direction of both Cuaron and Newell and creates a take that's as brilliant as Cuaron.

Order of the Phoenix is definitely the most action-packed of the Potter films so far. The climax, which involves a wizard battle in the Ministry itself, is incredibly filmed, entertaining, and even thrilling in some places. The visuals are also major standouts in the film. There's Thestrals, a group of flying horses that are only seen by those who have witnessed death, a crazy fireworks sequence, and Grawp, a man-giant who is also Hagrid's half-brother.

Like in Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix received the PG-13 rating, and it's well-deserved, due to Harry's darker side, a very emotional death scenes towards the end of the film (and yes, an actually sad ending cause Pattinson is not involved), and a very disturbing scene involving Harry being possessed. Personally, the Potter films are at their best when the dark side shows up.

Nicholas Hooper takes on the score in this film, and while he's no John Williams, the score is still memorable, keeping some of the Williams themes, and is actually a step-up from the score in Goblet of Fire.

With the darker direction of David Yates, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is an entertaining, action-packed, and character-driven Potter film, right up there with Prisoner of Azkaban as the best Potter film at this point. People have hated this film for the stuff cut from the book, with many viewing this as the worst Potter film, but I view it as the most underrated Potter film.