"There's a storm coming, Harry, just like the last time."

Rating: 6/10 (16 July 2007)

Perhaps surprisingly, the Harry Potter franchise of films has so far remained relatively consistent in terms of quality, with each new director leaving their own unique mark on the series. Chris Colombus, known for his assortment of warm-hearted family movies, offered a warm touch to the first two films (respectively,'The Philosopher's Stone' and 'The Chamber of Secrets'), offering Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy an air of magic and wonder. As the stories gradually became darker, a new direction was needed for the films, and Alfonso Cuarón was an excellent choice to helm 'The Prisoner of Azkaban,' crafting J.K. Rowley's story into something bleaker and more intimate. Mike Newell's vision for 'The Goblet of Fire' wasn't quite so dark, and most certainly had a more epic scope on Harry's world, but this was used well by the filmmakers. The most recent addition to the Harry Potter series, David Yates' 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,' is probably the darkness film by far, and, despite perhaps being a bit underwhelming, there are certainly many good things to say about it.
Ever since 2001, we have been watching the young stars of the series mature, grow into their roles, advance their acting talents. Whilst previous films had usually shown Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) to be a tight-knit team, and almost as the three main characters, Harry Potter is most definitely the only main protagonist in this installment, with his two friends reduced to supporting roles. With a much greater demand on his acting abilities, Radcliffe is phenomenal in a difficult role, successfully portraying the confusion and torment of his well-known character. Notably, the scene in which he screams "look at me!" in Albus Dumbledore's office gave me shivers. The supporting cast of young actors is adequate: Rupert Grint is funny again as Ron Weasley, though I wasn't a big fan of Emma Watson, and often the lighthearted scenes between the three friends came across as forced and unnatural. Unfortunately, considering his previous efforts, Tom Felton  playing Harry's sinister adversary, Draco Malfoy  is given very little screen time, and not very much to do at all. Of the newest young additions to the cast, acting debutant Evanna Lynch is very enjoyable as the softly-spoken, hilariously-crazy Luna Lovegood, whose welcome support for Harry's theories is somewhat tarnished by her unwavering belief in the existence of Nargles.
Once again, a delightful ensemble cast of seasoned acting veterans complement the younger performers, with Yates seemingly trying to accumulate as many big names as possible into his film. Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, David Thewlis, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane momentarily reprise their respective roles, but not enough time is afforded for any of their characters to be further explored, with the exception of perhaps Oldman as Sirius Black, whose character (presumably) leaves the franchise when he could still have offered the series so much more. Ralph Fiennes, a favourite actor of mine, is fiendishly wicked as the all-powerful, serpentine Lord Voldemort. Helena Bonham Carter is also extremely disturbed, twisted and downright scary as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's most devoted followers. The most outstanding performance of the film, however, is that of Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge, the powerful Ministry of Magic official who arrives at Hogwarts to interfere with its operation. Though sickly-sweet and softly-spoken, Umbridge is one of the most loathsome villains the series has yet seen, and I definitely detected a bit of Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher from 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) in her character.
My primary problem with this film is that it felt rushed, much too rushed. Quite plainly, it's the sort of effect you get from trying to cram an 800-page book into a 138-minute film; ironically, the longest book to date has been adapted into the shortest film so far in the series. Perhaps because of this noticeable rushing, Sirius Black's death didn't have the same emotional resonance that was no doubt intended, and Harry's "silent scream" seemed a bit cliché and uninspired. Unlike the previous films, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' didn't feel like another Harry Potter adventure, but merely a single chapter, as though it's leading to a spectacular resolution but hasn't quite got there yet (in fairness, however, this was also a problem I had with the later volumes in the novel series). It also didn't seem that David Yates had made the film his own, given it his own distinctive style, as Columbus, Cuarón and Newell had. Nonetheless, despite my seemingly-endless complaints, the overall product is a worthy addition, without being anything particularly special. With Yates apparently set to direct the next film, 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,' it'll be interesting to see in what direction he chooses to take it.