Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint & Ralph Finnes

In Harry's fifth year, he finds that Hogwarts quickly changes into something he didn't expect. Controlled by the Ministry of Magic, and particularly the newly appointed High Inquisitor, Professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), a sweet-faced, spine-tingling, toad of a woman that if you've read the immensity of the 870 page book, you'd know that just at the sight of her name you want to resort of gauging your eyes out. Harry is also dealing with unhinged dementors, girl trouble, Dumbledore's obvious disregardance of Harry, news of the Order of the Phoenix, and the memory of last year's death of Cedric Diggory and Lord Voldemort's return to the Wizarding world.

"The Order of the Phoenix" as a novel, is long, indulging, tedious, and only worth reading about half of the 870 timeless pages. It is full of nonsensical details that neither heighten the book nor are important to the main plot. It is by far the worst written and edited book of the series. However, that does not go for the film. In the adaptation, director David Yates (who will be returning for "The Half-Blood Prince" in 2008) brings us Harry's world as we have read it in the book. It deals with Harry's mental situation - being tormented by his natural surroundings at school and with the impression Voldemort has left him with, not to mention dreaming exactly as Voldemort sees. With breath-taking scenes and excellent filming, "The Order of the Phoenix" looks and is the best film of the Harry Potter series thus far.

Not only is the directing better in the fifth movie, but the acting is incredibly enjoyable and so much better. Radcliffe, Watson and Grint are finally discovering their characters, as they have shown awkwardness and ignorance in the past - save Grint who's humor has always been fun to watch. "The Order of the Phoenix" also brings an exceptional supporting cast. Actors such as Alan Rickman as Snape, Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Emma Thompson as Trelawney, and of course Ralph Finnes as Lord Voldemort are having loads of fun with their characters, while fresh roles such as Umbridge played superbly by Imelda Staunton, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, and Evanna Lynch as the strange Luna Lovegood add a sense of superiority to the film. But still, after three movies filmed with Michael Gamdon as Dumbledore, the headmaster is still not adapted as he should be. The late Richard Harris, who appeared in "The Sorcerer's Stone" and "The Chamber of Secrets" before passing away, captured Dumbledore's age and power, whereas Gamdon appreciates only his wizarding caliber and brings an unneeded brutality to the headmaster.

Like the fourth film, "The Goblet of Fire," which is an exceptional book but a dimwitted swoosh of a movie, "The Order of the Phoenix" does not stick to the book as close as the first three films - which isn't always a bad thing. "The Goblet of Fire's" demise was its lack of exciting flair. But the current film has so much flair and creativity that it is delightfully overwhelming. Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg, in his first "Potter" movie, fixes what J.K. Rowling failed to do in the book, by simplifying complicated, inessential material, arranging the storyline to a generally easy-to-follow mode, and also threw in a few minor details of dialogue that gave readers a chance to know the back story of the scene without taking away from the movie's main drive. Usually, Rowling has an ability to make the book better than the movie, however, in the case of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," it is certainly not the case.

Grade - A-