by Danielle Kurtzleben
Let me start by pronouncing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the best Harry Potter film yet, by a long shot. Then again, this isn’t much of a pronouncement. There was a lot of room for improvement after the saccharine, slick, and over-produced first four movies. Director David Yates, though new to the franchise, seems to have grasped this, and has finally grounded Harry’s world, both emotionally and physically.
One wouldn’t be entirely wrong in arguing that there is just better material to work with this time around. We’ve all heard ample chatter about how dark this film is in comparison to its brethren, but it’s not just darkness for its own sake. Phoenix presents us with a downright depressed, all-too-human Harry who has tired of the spotlight, as well as a Voldemort who finally transcends his cartoon villain status and becomes convincingly evil. Daniel Radcliffe and Ralph Fiennes play these respective roles with depth, while sparing us the melodrama.
Order of the Phoenix’s emotional accessibility is complemented by a grittier look as well. The usual CGI overkill has been dialed back a step or two, and is also tempered this time around by jumpier camera-work and a grand, sweeping score.
Good performances abound in Phoenix. Radcliffe has matured as an actor, as has Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), and they play Harry and Ron’s teenage-boy friendship without lapsing into silliness or sentimentality. Imelda Staunton is a riot as Professor Dolores Umbridge, turning Rowling’s rather flat character into an unthinking, rule-obsessed menace. And the other all-star adult cast members — Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, and new addition Helena Bonham Carter — each perform gloriously in the (sadly) short time allotted them.
Which brings us to Phoenix’s greatest failing: it’s just too short. The over-600-page-long book has been whittled down into just over two hours of film. Though the story is wisely streamlined in many ways — there is no Quidditch, little intrusion by annoying house-elves — the story is too clipped, and non-devotees of Rowling’s books will likely find themselves lost among numerous plot-holes. Even the most important plot point — the prophecy on which the entire Phoenix story hinges — lacks an adequate explanation.
In many ways, Phoenix allows non-stop action to trump story-telling. But one must give it credit where credit is due — where previous Harry Potter movies might have had us rolling our eyes at childish silliness, this one at least leaves us with a tear or two to dab away.
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