A Handsome Runt of a Phoenix

Rating: 6/10 (10 July 2007)

The phoenix of legends died in flames and then rose from the ashes to new life. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" does no such thing. It neither croaks nor soars.
No. 5 in the Potter series is visually spectacular, on the whole entertaining, but it's almost painfully single- and simple-minded in its appeal to a strictly juvenile audience. The story of Good vs. Authority (Imelda Staunton's spirited but ridiculous caricature of a Margaret Thatcher stick figure, zaftig as she may look here in ill-fitting clothes) is not only primitive, it's dangerous: even children need to know that real Evil is not that cardboard-cutout obvious, that Snidely Whiplash not a Macbeth makes. J.K. Rowling's writing is on the lazy side here.
And yet, strangely in case of such a youth-oriented film, it's a dark, scary story, not only with the continued (escalated?) all-around torture of Harry, but with the Ministry of Magic takeover of Hogwarts School playing out as totalitarian steamroller, a kind of "1984" without the dance numbers.
But first, director David Yates, cinematographer Slawomir Idziak, production designer Stuart Craig, and the throng of special-effects folks from ILM, MPC, Framestore CFC, Warner Bros., etc., etc. should get major kudos for one of the best-looking movies around. For every dumb broom-riding scene, there are some unforgettable visuals of majestic vistas, unending, rich interiors, a cataclysmic cascade of glass structures, and so on. A truly handsome production. Small touches, such as the demonstration that even wizards need Oyster Card on the Underground, are enjoyable.
The core cast comes through well: Daniel Radcliffe could easily do Harry in his sleep, but he is very much awake, Emma Watson's Hermione has some new angles (she allows herself a small thrill in facing danger), Rupert Grint's Ron is reliably innocuous.
Michael Gambon's Dumbledore is believably magical, Alan Rickman's Snape is once again on the cusp of malignant-looking beneficence (and we do learn something interesting from his past), but not all is well. Ralph Fiennes' noseless Voldemort is annoying, that magnificent duo of Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson get screen time of a few seconds, and Helena Bonham Carter's deranged turn is brief and rather ludicrous. It's actually more fun to watch lesser-known actors making the best of their moments at the periphery.
There is a lot to see, a lot to enjoy in "Phoenix," but it's without a center, substance, heart.