The Magic is Gone

Rating: 5/10 (12 July 2007)

In Order of the Phoenix, David Yates gives us a bland spectacle that lacks any real magic or character development and features a disjointed storyline and over-the-top acting. I reasonably enjoyed the book, even though it was over long and nothing really happened, but I didn't really like the movie, and as I'll show you, most of that has nothing to do with the book.
The movie begins with Harry at home in Privet Drive, morosely sitting on a swing and making angst-ridden faces. This didn't bode well. It didn't help anymore when Dudley waddled along with his friends and stuttered out lines that seemed to be read from a cue card offscreen. After a brief fight and chase the two are assaulted by a couple of poorly-animated Dementors that have gotten a pointless makeover since the third movie. They have lost much of their threat and seem just to be vapor wisps of CGI floating around. I asked myself, "What has happened to Harry Potter?" Soon Harry is whisked off to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, where the Order of the Phoenix, a group dedicated to fighting Voldemort since his return, resides. Eventually he goes off to school. All of this happens within 20 minutes, which is actually a good thing. Rowling takes 200 pages to get to the school and spends a lot of time dithering on fanciful descriptions of things, but David Yates takes us straight to Hogwarts. If only he had done it in an understandable manner.
The thing that Order struggles most with is finding a central story other than simply Harry. In a movie called "The Order of the Phoenix" you would think that it would feature the Order more than anything else, yet most of the people in the order get very little screen time. Namely Lupin, Arthur, and Sirius. It is clear from the beginning that this film is going to be about Harry and not much else. It even screws this up, though, as Harry's first crush and girlfriend is merely included because it was featured in the book. We feel none of the fleeting romance that was hinted at in the previous movie. The kiss between Harry and Cho was cheered for, of course, but other than, it was kind of anti-climactic, and nothing ever really came of it. You see Harry and Cho hang out once after that, but she is quickly shrugged aside as if the director said, "Okay, now that we've got that in, let's move on to the main story."
The two best actors in this movie are unquestionably Daniel Radcliffe and Imelda Staunton. Radcliffe gives us his best performance since Prisoner of Azkaban, brilliantly conveying Harry's inner struggle as he approaches his destiny and realizes what he ultimately must do. The screenplay doesn't give him much quality to work with, but practically everything he touches turns to gold. The only person in this film who exceeds him is Imelda Staunton, who plays Dolores Umbridge. Every single line she utters is a wonderful combination of evil and innocence, joy and anger, pain and pleasure. Her character, unfortunately, comes to an unceremonial and disappointing end, but right up until her last breath before she is carried offscreen, Staunton does an amazing job. Alan Rickman (Snape) of course is astounding, but he doesn't show up often enough. David Thewlis (Lupin) is also incredibly accomplished - his first line in the movie had me practically cheering, as most every bit of acting before that had seemed dull and forced. Maggie Smith (McGonagall) effortlessly masters whatever scene she's in. Rupert Grint (Ron) shares great friendship chemistry with Harry. Emma Watson (Hermione) tries way too hard and every line she utters sounds forced. Her scenes with Radcliffe and Grint carry none of the ease of previous outings. Michael Gambon only reminded me of how excellent Richard Harris was. Admittedly, no one could have been better than Harris. The effortless presence that he carried, the humble glory, the slightly insane wisdom, the endearing fatherly quality, and the awe and respect he instilled in others could be felt with every single micro-second that he was on screen. Gambon, at first, seemed like a good choice.Now, he seems more like a raggedy bum than a wise old wizard. He does have his moments, and it's clear Gambon is still an excellent actor, but he better get his act together or people are going to wish HE would keel over so that a better actor could replace HIM.
Even given all these faults, I might have been able to accept the film better if the effects had been up to par, but sadly, this is not the case at all. The finale is pretty spectacular, and the special effects there are some of the best I've seen this year - we finally get to see true magic battled out in a grand and uncontrollable fight scene. Everything else, though, falls far too short of the standards set by the previous four films. Even Goblet of Fire was passable because of the great special effects (the dragon looked completely realistic). But this one just seems lazy. Everything is dark, dreary, and boring. Where's the movie-making special effects magic that the series has become known for? This movie, if nothing else, succeeds as a good transition - taking us away from the fun and fanciful feel from the first four and bringing us closer to the dark world that we must enter if we are to see this series through to the end. I didn't like most of the film, but it's worth a matinée if you're a Potter fan, and don't worry - you'll only have to wait a year and a half for the next one. Unfortunately, the same director is lined up for the next movie, so here's hoping that a better book will translate into a better film.