Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one of those notable turning points for the Harry Potter franchise. After Voldemort’s return and Cedric Diggory’s death at the end of Goblet of Fire, the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe Harry. The Ministry has sent a new defense against the dark arts professor in the form of Dolores Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton). When Umbridge flat out refuses to teach them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to teach a select group of students in secret. This will ultimately lead to a final battle that truly begins the war. I will admit that this movie is my least favorite from an adaptation stand point (as those are truly the elements that annoy me). That said, I will still admit to it being a solid film on its own. I think this movie truly understands and sells the government paranoia that is apparent throughout the movie. This is probably the movie in the series that truly sold me on Michael Gambon as Dumbledore (who has played the part since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). One of the best lines of the movie in my opinion is: “You’ve got to admit, Dumbledore’s got style.” After seeing him in this movie, I fully buy that this is the only wizard Voldemort has ever truly feared. Imelda Staunton and fellow franchise newcomer Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange are perfect casting choices. As much I believe that adaptations can stand on their own, the one major issue I honestly have with this movie is one from an adaptation stand point. There is a moment in the book where Harry is asked by Hermione to meet her at the Three Broomsticks. When he gets there (it also costs him his relationship with Cho Chang), she is sitting with Luna Lovegood and Rita Skeeter. The ultimate goal is to use the Quibbler (a sort of Wizarding World tabloid similar to something like the National Inquirer) to get the truth about Voldemort’s return out in the open. To me, this is one of the most important elements of the story. The final battle is fine overall, and actually has one moment that I feel the movie actually handles better than the book, as I think the actual impact is a little heavier. I also like that this movie explores Neville’s backstory a little more (as he becomes more important as the story goes on), and reveals he has a link to Bellatrix Lestrange. Overall, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix still mostly works on its own merits as a movie. It has a couple minor stumbles as an adaptation (as I feel it cuts out a couple crucial points from the book), but it doesn’t really diminish the final result, as I can’t call this a bad movie. 

7 / 10