The Potter saga returns to form

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2007)

I was very pleasantly surprised by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The book is a tough slog and actually reads very much like a screenplay, so I was curious to see how it would be handled in film form. I have seen the film in both conventional and IMAX 3D versions and found Order of the Phoenix to be the best HP film since Prisoner of Azkaban. This is no paint-by-numbers adaptation like the first two films, nor is it a profound departure from the original text, like Goblet of Fire. Director David Yates and writer Michael Goldenberg, both of whom are new to the franchise, have simply pared the story to its basic elements and built up from there, to excellent effect. Aiding them in their quest to create a Harry Potter "movie" is the phenomenal performance of Imelda Staunton, who exudes the right amount of creepiness as the sickly-sweet-with bitter-aftertaste Dolores Umbridge. I may never want to see pink and kittens in any combination again.
The rest of the cast is also in fine form, with Michael Gambon continuing to make Dumbledore his own, and Daniel Radcliffe balancing teen angst with pathos in a performance miles removed from his earlier work in the franchise. The angst is more easily sympathised with here. I recommend this to anyone remotely curious, and also recommend the IMAX version, as it makes the conflicts in the film more palpable.