Hmm, it’s only been a few years since I rated and reviewed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That makes doing this a bit weird but I finish what I start (usually) so here we go. This is the turning point for the movie series since David Yates sits in the director’s chair and will never relinquish it. So I hope you like his style because he is finishing this thing.
Oh shit … this is going to be a massacre. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is an absolute marathon of a book so I didn't envy the screenwriter. Right from the beginning there is no Mundungus Fletcher, which wasn’t a problem until he played a major part in the final book. Whoops. The continual bypassing of house elves continue as Kreacher is only shown in the background and he is never explained in any fashion or play any role in the story. Dobby is given the shaft again. The Room of Requirement gets 3 of the movies favorite alterations; Neville discovers it instead of Dobby, Hermoine narrates what it is even though she had no idea in the book, and Umbridge uses bombarda maxima to blow up a wall to get inside which goes against everything about the room from the book. Good times. We don’t even step foot in St. Mungo’s, so no Lockhart or Neville’s insane parents. Instead of wiping the floor with Fudge, Umbridge, Dawlish, Percy, and Kinglsey, Dumbledore just uses Fawkes to teleport from his office to escape arrest. Boo. Then Kingsley steals Phineaus Nigellus’ line because there is no Phineas Nigellus in the movie. No Quidditch, which meant no “Weasley is our King”. The cuts from the Ministry of Magic sequence are so significant that I can’t even list them all. This is a huge disappointment. And Bellatrix straight up kills Sirius in the movie instead of leaving it ambiguous as he falls through the veil. The Harry/Dumbledore confrontation and conversation is eviscerated to fit into the movie. They barely even explain the prophecy. I’d move on to nitpicks but I don’t have all day. The bottom line is that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was too damn big to fit into one movie and this is the fallout.
Alright that’s enough bitching let’s get on to the good stuff. We have gotten really deep into the franchise, so the amount of new characters to cast has gotten smaller. We only got two worth mentioning this time around. I despise Dolores Umbridge in the book and Imelda Staunton’s performance allowed me to despise her in the movie. I hate that character so very much. On the other hand, Helena Bonham Carter always brings something interesting to her performances. She made Bellatrix Lestrange her own and will always be how I view the character. Although those are the only big name additions, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix provided many of the returning actors chances to shine. Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, and Ralph Fiennes all dominate every second of screen time that they are given. This is also a heavier emotional movie for Daniel Radcliffe to deal with. He takes advantage in Dumbledore’s office and during his occlumency lessons. Thankfully, the boy actually has some talent. Order of the Phoenix was also the introduction of Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, probably the best child actor casting choices in the entire series.
So I spent about half a day bitching about what was left out of the movie, does that mean there is anything I like in the movie? That is an easy yes. Like I said a couple lines above, many of the adults are given just phenomenal scenes to ply their trade. Oldman nails every single line of dialogue he delivers. Alan Rickman uses the occlumency lessons as an opportunity to show why he was the only choice for Severus Snape. And Gambon and Fiennes are just incredible during the Dumbledore/Voldemort battle. Not only are their performances amazing, this scene is the highpoint of magical effects to this point in the series. They way they bounced spells off each other was beautiful to see. Although I usually don’t have much to say about the younger actors, I did think that all the Dumbledore’s Army sessions were very well done and another highpoint of the movie.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a weird movie to review because the only real complaints I have are what they didn't put in the movie. But judging the movie as a movie, it kinda rules. And the producers must have agreed, since they trusted Yates to director the rest of the movies.
9 out of 10
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