thefilmguru reviews: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Rating: 7/10 (14 July 2007)

Finally the fifth Harry Potter movie is here. The franchise has been through too many ups and downs to count in the public eye. Disagreements galore over which movies are good, which adapts most faithfully and so on. We've had the magical but hollow first two, the darker, stylish and faithful third, the larger, bolder, more adult fourth, and now the fifth.
The fifth is a mixture of them all really, director David Yates has obviously learnt, and learnt well, from the mistakes of his predecessors, taking the previous potter criticism to his advantage, but this sudden change in filming a Potter movie disconcerts you for a margin of the film, preventing it from having a more rounded, fulfilling pay-off, which instalments three and four did so well (and which the first two failed miserably at, both fading out to an awkward, beaming Daniel Radcliffe in the great hall. Director for both, Christopher Columbus, not seeming to know how to end the movies but with that shot).
Yates was given a tougher job than the rest though, having to adapt the fifth, bloated and one of the worst Harry Potter books, but he excels. He creates this slow book a sense of pace and intrigue, but with this being the adaption of the longest Harry Potter book, into the shortest running time of a Harry Potter film, some of the best bits are shortened or montaged to save time and you do feel slightly rushed in places. However, Yates redeems himself by doing all this without making you feel at loss from a lot of the book like movie four did.
Not underestimating his audience, Yates really does wash out a lot of the pizazz of Harry Potter, darkening the tone another level. However there's always a well delivered quip coming up soon to relax the brain.
Yates faithfully falls back on Rowling's' teachings when creating a vital character or set, not wanting to rile up Potter nuts, and he does this rightly so.
The script is business as usual, no Potter movie yet, including this one, has even tried to meddle on the already immaculate story and dialogue created by J.K Rowling, and there's no need to, despite the odd feeling of déjà vu or the generic style still being carried on from movie number one. The only reason these feelings are cast aside is because of the unbelievable line up of actors gracing the screen every 5 minutes. Helena Bonham Carter, although only portraying the small role of Bellatrix Lestrange in book five, stands out and brings her character alive. The teenage cast also has greatly improved, especially the main three, who have proved they can finally act, and new young additions are fantastic.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a great addition to the movie franchise, and is up there with films three and four as the best yet. Parents my finally fully look forward taking their kids to a Harry Potter movie.