Fifth Harry Potter Film Pulls It All Together

Rating: 9/10 (13 July 2007)

Just when I thought that another Summer movie sequel just might send me over the edge, Harry Potter saves the day. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix provides an all-star display of all the best elements of the previous four J.K. Rowling stories. Surprisingly tight at two hours and fourteen minutes, the latest Potter presentation predictably takes us back to Hogwarts, but don't think for a minute that you have seen all this before. Director David Yates delivers a movie with style and a consistent rhythm that makes the familiar characters and locations seem new and more exciting than ever.
Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg had much too much material on his plate, Rowling's novel was longer than any previous Harry Potter book, but he manages to find the most essential parts. Some characters from the series get short shrift, none more than Harry's nemesis Draco Malfoy. The wizarding world's favorite broomstick sport Quidditch, a popular Potter subplot, is not so much as mentioned. In the name of efficient storytelling, there is a very real danger that viewers less familiar with the story will be lost along the way at times. There simply is not enough time permitted in this film to fully illustrate Rowling's novel. However, the important things, the tone, the excitement and most importantly, the heart of the Harry Potter experience is still there.
The movie's big battle takes us to a new place, where we see the personality, power and fighting styles of many different wizards and witches. The satisfaction of seeing wizards seriously battling it out satisfies in a way that tips its hat to the long-awaiting full strength Jedi battles in the most recent Star Wars movies.
The greatest achievement of this installment is in the thrill we share with Harry and his friends thwarting the ridiculously sadistic Dolores Umbridge. The film strikes the perfect chord of subversive energy combined with a timely sense of hope among youth dealing with a seemingly hopeless situation.
In the end, the only thing wrong with this movie is that it needs to be longer, and when was the last time anybody said THAT about a 'sequel'?