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Thanks to the sheer creativity in every story, each Harry Potter film was guaranteed to be, if nothing else, charming and enjoyable. Unfortunately, charming and enjoyable is about all the first two films were. Treating the books they were based on with all the reverence of a religious text, they never improved on or significantly altered the source material, even when it wasn't particularly well suited to the screen.
After director Chris Columbus left, however, the series took a dramatic shift; the films got shorter (in relation to the books), and were suddenly willing to shed non-essential plot elements. And both the books and the films took on a much darker tone.
With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the series has more or less completed its about-face; there's no Quidditch, the focus is on death and politics, and it's the shortest yet, clocking in at 2 hours and 18 minutes.
It also features far more action than the other films. Somewhat dull and monotonous on the page, the climactic battles in the Ministry of Magic are wonderfully realized on screen. Finally, we have wizards actually fighting, rather than just taking turns hitting each other with some kind of colored force field, and then seeing who can get up first.
Just as impressive is the casting and performance of Imelda Staunton, who plays the hated Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge infiltrates Hogwarts at the behest of the Ministry of Magic, and starts issuing draconian decrees in the name of order. Staunton's selection represents perhaps the best book-to-film casting in the entire series thus far. She is perfectly realized, and will inspire all the same hatred and frustration in viewers as she did in readers.
The rest of the cast ranges from good to very good, with nary a weak link in the chain. Helena Bonham Carter joins an already loaded ensemble and has a small but important role as a Death Eater. All three "children" (who are nearly grown-up now) have settled comfortably into their roles. They inhabit them effortlessly, and their friendships ring true in little ways.
The most compelling moments in the film are between Harry and his godfather Sirius (Gary Oldman), who recalls the events leading up to the last war with Voldemort and his followers, and notes the similarities. He implies that Harry and his friends are the ones who have to step up this time, and the initiative they show in preparing themselves is nothing short of inspiring.
Early reviews of the film have remarked that the series seems to be losing its magic; that the sense of wonder and revelation are missing from these grittier tales. This is true, to a degree, but it seems a necessary side effect of the series' continuation. The magic is still there; what's changed is the characters' reaction to it. We see things largely through Harry's eyes, who no longer has any reason to be surprised when an owl delivers a talking letter to him, or someone introduces him to a giant. Harry's moments of wonder are not joyous surprises, but rather temporary reprieves from his palpable stress and grief.
Ultimately, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix exists to whet our appetite. Revelations and heartbreak await in the next installment, and this film works best when viewed as merely priming us for the still darker road ahead. While previous films in the series have merely hinted that "something wicked this way comes," in Order of the Phoenix, it's nearly here.
After director Chris Columbus left, however, the series took a dramatic shift; the films got shorter (in relation to the books), and were suddenly willing to shed non-essential plot elements. And both the books and the films took on a much darker tone.
With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the series has more or less completed its about-face; there's no Quidditch, the focus is on death and politics, and it's the shortest yet, clocking in at 2 hours and 18 minutes.
It also features far more action than the other films. Somewhat dull and monotonous on the page, the climactic battles in the Ministry of Magic are wonderfully realized on screen. Finally, we have wizards actually fighting, rather than just taking turns hitting each other with some kind of colored force field, and then seeing who can get up first.
Just as impressive is the casting and performance of Imelda Staunton, who plays the hated Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge infiltrates Hogwarts at the behest of the Ministry of Magic, and starts issuing draconian decrees in the name of order. Staunton's selection represents perhaps the best book-to-film casting in the entire series thus far. She is perfectly realized, and will inspire all the same hatred and frustration in viewers as she did in readers.
The rest of the cast ranges from good to very good, with nary a weak link in the chain. Helena Bonham Carter joins an already loaded ensemble and has a small but important role as a Death Eater. All three "children" (who are nearly grown-up now) have settled comfortably into their roles. They inhabit them effortlessly, and their friendships ring true in little ways.
The most compelling moments in the film are between Harry and his godfather Sirius (Gary Oldman), who recalls the events leading up to the last war with Voldemort and his followers, and notes the similarities. He implies that Harry and his friends are the ones who have to step up this time, and the initiative they show in preparing themselves is nothing short of inspiring.
Early reviews of the film have remarked that the series seems to be losing its magic; that the sense of wonder and revelation are missing from these grittier tales. This is true, to a degree, but it seems a necessary side effect of the series' continuation. The magic is still there; what's changed is the characters' reaction to it. We see things largely through Harry's eyes, who no longer has any reason to be surprised when an owl delivers a talking letter to him, or someone introduces him to a giant. Harry's moments of wonder are not joyous surprises, but rather temporary reprieves from his palpable stress and grief.
Ultimately, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix exists to whet our appetite. Revelations and heartbreak await in the next installment, and this film works best when viewed as merely priming us for the still darker road ahead. While previous films in the series have merely hinted that "something wicked this way comes," in Order of the Phoenix, it's nearly here.