"I Must Not Tell Lies..."

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2007)

It's phenomenal. David Yates brings "Order of the Phoenix" to life with the same dark humor and amazing scope that Alfonso Cuaron used so memorably with "Prisoner of Azkaban." He has brought the franchise back on track after a misfired fourth film with a delightful but often creepy mix of fantastic effects, stellar performances, and fresh dialogue.
"Order" moves at a rapid pace, Yates having removed the duller scenes from the book, and it fits very well. as Yates himself said, for as long as the book is, it condenses very nicely. Still, this has been a problem for many fans of the novels who seem to have found too many cut scenes from the book. I have grown up with the "Potter" book series, and was vastly disappointed with the parts cut from the last film. For "Order" however, the cuts made seem to have enhanced the film rather than hindered it. In fact, some of the parts missing are barely noticeable for even the biggest fans of the novels (myself included) due in large part to some of the performances.
When judging an actor or actress in their portrayal of a book character, I too often find myself judging for appearance (does he/she match what I pictured). Instead, for this film I simply judged them based on whether or not they evoked the same emotions in me as they did in the book. I'll start with the highlights of the cast. Evanna Lynch is perfect as the misty Luna Lovegood, delivering her lines in a chilling, yet comical manner. Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, Jason Isaacs, and Emma Thompson all reprise their roles very well too. Even Helena Bonham-Carter shows up as the maniacal Bellatrix Lestrange, acting in a pitch-perfect manner that only she could obtain, not to mention the fact that her makeup and costuming is perfect.Still, the best performance in the film is Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the real villain in the story.
Ms. Staunton plays Dolores Umbridge, Harry's sinister new teacher. Her scenes are all immensely funny due to her crazy hilarious range, but she still manages to be quite real and very frightening. She deserves a Best Supporting Actress nod at the Academy Awards. Unfortunately, not all of the performances are quite as good, though they don't really hurt the film.
The only truly bad performance in the film is that of Katie Leung as Cho Chang. She delivers her lines very oddly, and never manages to be sympathetic. For those of you who have seen the third "Godfather" film, her performance is very reminiscent of Sofia Coppola's. Luckily, she doesn't have enough screen time for it to be a problem. Michael Gambon plays Albus Dumbledore, and he certainly has the vigorous inner strength that he is supposed to have in the books, but unlike Richard Harris, he can't be soft and gentle. He is always forceful and commandeering. Nonetheless, he does fine in "OOTP," considering the fact that most of his softer moments with Harry have been removed. Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint are fine at conveying the simple emotions, such as anger and intense happiness. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of dramatic range. As Harry, Dan over-acts or under-acts whenever he has to show a subtle emotion. For this reason, he comes off as an overly emotional teen throughout the film. Rupert is not a bad actor, but he's given very strange lines to say, and he says some of them in a rather corny way. Emma Wason is more talented than either of these actors, but she's not given enough to do. Still, these performances don't damage the film. They simply keep it from being even better than it already is.
The technical aspects of "OOTP" are incredible. The cinematography shows immense skill and depth, and the film is filled with dark and misty tones, just like the mood of the novel. The art direction is also amazing, perfectly capturing the tone of different scenes. "Order" has a lot to serve in terms of visuals, but it's really more about the story. Though the campus has never looked better, the thestrals look very real, Fred and George's fireworks display is awesome,and the dementors are disturbing, the film is not a visual gimmick. It's a story about adolescence, early romances, corruption, and governmental stupidity. It's really quite amazing.