A little less clever, a little more complicated.

Rating: 7/10 (9 October 2007)

Java Man Reviews "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix" (2007, PG-13). Directed by David Yates. Written by Michael Goldenberg, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Imelda Staunton, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Katie Leung, Evanna Lynch & Brendan Gleeson. Running Time: 138 minutes. This review originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com.
OVERVIEW:
Harry (Radcliffe) is about to begin his fifth year at the Hogwarts when he and his cousin Dudley are attacked by Dementors. In desperation he uses a secret spell to defeat them, thus breaking one of the wannabe wizards' prime directives--no magic outside the gates of the paranormal prep school. In danger of being expelled, Harry finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between Albus Dumbledore (Gambon) and the new Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge (Staunton), who has been sent by the Ministry to discredit Harry's nightmare-inspired warnings of a major threat from Lord Voldemort (Fiennes). Since Umbridge's curriculum is inadequate to the task of doing battle with Voldemort and his minions, Harry and his cohorts in conjuring (Grint and Watson) secretly form an underground revolutionary force they call Dumbledore's army. As they train for conflicts to come, they must also keep themselves hidden from the appalling Ms. Umbridge.
REVIEW: 3 OUT OF 4 JAVA MUGS
In this, the fifth of the Harry Potter film series, the characters have become a little less clever and a little more complicated, and so has the movie itself.
The idea of a school year passing has been lost, and so have the fascinating intrigues and rivalries among student and faculty factions. The only one doing any teaching is Harry, as he readies his band of wand-wielding rebels for an epic struggle with the forces of evil.
The three leads are still quite attractive, but most of the acting burden is put on Radcliffe's shoulders, and he succeeds quite well. Grint's character is given short shrift, while Watson is growing up fast and may soon be angling for adult roles. Cho Chang (Leung) gives Harry his first kiss, but doesn't really register as a character. Luna Lovegood (Lynch), on the other hand, is the most intriguing of the younger newcomers and steals the few scenes she is in.
Of the adult additions to the cast, the most welcome is Bonham Carter who boils and bubbles as Bellatrix Lestrange, gleefully channeling all three of Macbeth's witches. The series continues to be a virtual pension program for acting legends the likes of Brendan Gleeson, Fiona Shaw, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters and the great Maggie Smith. The best of these is Alan Rickman, who has been given a few silly lines, but delivers them like he is auditioning for Lear or Hamlet.
The technical aspects of the film remain at the highest level, and are now taken for granted in a series that has been so effectively innovative. The filmmakers' ability to create a world as imaginative as Rowling's is the main reason nearly all of the book's fan's are also fans of the films.