Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I think this may be my favorite of the movies because Order of the Phoenix is my least favorite book, and the movie does a good job minimizing some of the problems I had with it.
Like everyone else in Creation, Harry drove me crazy in the book. I wanted to smack that sonofaprick and take away Rowling’s caps lock key. Maybe teen angst is interesting while you’re living it, but all his unfocused anger was tedious. The movie tightens Harry’s rage into by having him articulate it better and not just go off on everyone he meets. I think he only actually yells once (no matter what Fred and George say), much to the relief of my patience. And most of his anger is toward Dumbledore, who, let’s be honest, really deserves it at this point. Seriously, the kid is going to pieces over here, Professor. Your nonintervention plan is failing pretty spectacularly.
Of course, no one can fix the biggest plot hole, since it’s pretty much the plot (i.e., Voldemort spending an entire freaking year trying to manipulate Harry into going to the Ministry to get the prophecy [which would be entirely useless even if he got it, by the way] because he can’t risk entering the Ministry, except that he totally does anyway at the end). But I think this movie does a good job ameliorating this problem by making Voldemort’s invasion of Harry’s mind a multiple motive plan. Okay, yes, he’s still trying to trick Harry into the Ministry to get the prophecy, but this isn’t the only emphasized reason. Movie!Voldemort is also using this plan of attack to isolate, manipulate, and hopefully break Harry. It’s a feature, not a bug.
This also gives us a good reason why Voldemort will not continue to invade Harry’s mind in Book and (probably) Movie Six. The reasoning in the books is a little weak. Voldemort may worry about Harry having access to his thoughts and feelings, but 1) he’s a far superior Occulmens and should be able to put a stop to that, 2) Harry is a very good source of information, especially since after the Ministry battle Voldemort could wager that Harry will be taking a more active role in the larger war (which he does), and 3) torturing Harry is probably fun. However, if you assume the attempt to break Harry is important (as in the movie), then Movie!Harry’s straightforward denial of Voldemort means that there’s no point in continuing.
The movie’s biggest problem, on the other hand, is the time condensation. This, of course, has been a problem for every movie since PoA, which is really no one’s fault. The books are long, and there’s only so much you can put before the running time becomes absolutely unmanageable. This does not change the fact that OotP mostly feels like it is careering around from plot point to plot point. I’m not an admitted shipper of anybody, but even without a pre-disposed bias, the Harry/Cho interaction seemed vaguely empty. Which is a pity, because Katie Leung is really freaking pretty. But they don’t have much time to do much else other than looking longingly at each other, kiss once, and hold hands once before they are ripped apart by the cruel hands of fate Umbridge. And even after Harry discovers it wasn’t really Cho’s fault the DA was caught (I’d just like to note here that I really liked this alteration/cut of the plot; it worked pretty well at taking two separate events from the book and working them into a new context), they get no resolution! This is only an example; just about everything except the establishment of the DA and Umbridge’s regime suffers from a lack of exploration due to time constraints.
Speaking of which, Imelda Staunton’s Umbridge was absolutely golden. It was everything: the Bradford Exchange kitten-of-the-month plates (and I love kittens!); the hem hem; and the outfit by way of Jackie O, made from skinned, pink sheepdog, all combined with the pure unmitigated evil of torturing students and being an obsessive little fascist. My friend, who does not read the books, but watches the movies, leaned over during the film and said, “Dear God, please tell me she dies.” I can’t think of a better compliment to Staunton.
Daniel Radcliffe also gave a surprisingly good turn as Harry. Not to disparage the younger cast, but in general, when I think of the acting talent in the Harry Potter movies, I’m thinking of the adults. But Dan’s Harry matures nicely in this movie, despite how much angst he has to wade through before reaching the climax of this movie’s character arc. It’s a little weird to watch Dan Radcliffe grow up right before our eyes, but it’s nice to see that he’s turning into an actual actor.
Rupert Grint and Emma Watson had less to work with in this movie, but at least Rupert no longer has to wear the Expression of Perpetual Fear, and Emma gained a few more facial expressions than usual herself. Evanna Lynch, as Luna, was utterly adorable. She often looked like she was about to drift straight off the ground, as Luna ought. I’ve always been a big fan of Luna, so I’m glad she was given a slightly more meaningful, if not larger, role than in the book. Her dialogue was not the best, however. It was sort of the character development equivalent of an exposition block. Someone has to say these things because, again, in the time given, it’s nearly impossible to show. I also think that the script writers were a little stuck in writing the same as for the earlier movies. OotP had a PG-13 rating, but sometimes the dialogue felt like it was being written for younger audiences.
Nonetheless, overall, I think subtlety was director David Yates strength in this movie. There were dozens of little things that referenced the book (without interfering with the plot too much), or implied something instead of making it exposition. He built up for the next movie without making it too obvious: Ron and Hermione interacted a lot more outside of Harry, Ginny was making faces at the mention of Cho, and Snape finally got to act like an actual antagonist instead of a slightly annoying guy who’s always hanging around.
Another thing I really enjoyed was how Yates utilized continuity from previous films. The Great Hall is in the same place as in Chris Columbus’s films, the Bridge of Solitary Brooding from PoA is still a favorite spot for walking and talking, and there’s still a random giant pendulum, though it’s inside now and unlikely to swipe passing students trying to get out the door.
What’s missing from the movie is also interesting. Some cuts have to build off cuts from previous movies. For example, Rita Skeeter can’t write an article for the Quibbler, because the Trio has no leverage on her. Rowling has a say as to what makes and does not make the final cut, so there can be hints as to what’s important. Kreacher stays, but Petunia’s letter goes. Grawp’s still there, but the mirror from Sirius disappears. Does it mean anything? Possibly (and we’ll know shortly), but it does help to convince me that some things I thought would be more important (say, Dobby), may not be. And some things I hoped wouldn’t be important (e.g., Grawp) may come back.
And by the way, did anyone else think Grawp was looking weirdly affable in the movie? Seriously, he did not look scary at all, even if his special effects were very good. The special effects in general were pretty amazing, especially the final fight at the Ministry of Magic. I can only imagine how much it all cost, but once it got going, the Voldemort- Dumbldore battle of the century really took off. (However, the CGI for the centaurs still sucks.)
In conclusion to this ever lengthening review, I greatly enjoyed this installment. The younger actors are beginning to look and act like adults, and the story is beginning to turn into something other than episodic mysteries-of-the-year. Since the general tone of the movie is different (and less nerve-grating) than the book, I found that I liked this movie despite what preconceptions I had about it. Yates is signed up for the sixth movie as well, and I’m interested in seeing what he’ll do with it, and hope that it doesn’t turn entirely into the Department of Backstory movie of the series.
Like everyone else in Creation, Harry drove me crazy in the book. I wanted to smack that sonofaprick and take away Rowling’s caps lock key. Maybe teen angst is interesting while you’re living it, but all his unfocused anger was tedious. The movie tightens Harry’s rage into by having him articulate it better and not just go off on everyone he meets. I think he only actually yells once (no matter what Fred and George say), much to the relief of my patience. And most of his anger is toward Dumbledore, who, let’s be honest, really deserves it at this point. Seriously, the kid is going to pieces over here, Professor. Your nonintervention plan is failing pretty spectacularly.
Of course, no one can fix the biggest plot hole, since it’s pretty much the plot (i.e., Voldemort spending an entire freaking year trying to manipulate Harry into going to the Ministry to get the prophecy [which would be entirely useless even if he got it, by the way] because he can’t risk entering the Ministry, except that he totally does anyway at the end). But I think this movie does a good job ameliorating this problem by making Voldemort’s invasion of Harry’s mind a multiple motive plan. Okay, yes, he’s still trying to trick Harry into the Ministry to get the prophecy, but this isn’t the only emphasized reason. Movie!Voldemort is also using this plan of attack to isolate, manipulate, and hopefully break Harry. It’s a feature, not a bug.
This also gives us a good reason why Voldemort will not continue to invade Harry’s mind in Book and (probably) Movie Six. The reasoning in the books is a little weak. Voldemort may worry about Harry having access to his thoughts and feelings, but 1) he’s a far superior Occulmens and should be able to put a stop to that, 2) Harry is a very good source of information, especially since after the Ministry battle Voldemort could wager that Harry will be taking a more active role in the larger war (which he does), and 3) torturing Harry is probably fun. However, if you assume the attempt to break Harry is important (as in the movie), then Movie!Harry’s straightforward denial of Voldemort means that there’s no point in continuing.
The movie’s biggest problem, on the other hand, is the time condensation. This, of course, has been a problem for every movie since PoA, which is really no one’s fault. The books are long, and there’s only so much you can put before the running time becomes absolutely unmanageable. This does not change the fact that OotP mostly feels like it is careering around from plot point to plot point. I’m not an admitted shipper of anybody, but even without a pre-disposed bias, the Harry/Cho interaction seemed vaguely empty. Which is a pity, because Katie Leung is really freaking pretty. But they don’t have much time to do much else other than looking longingly at each other, kiss once, and hold hands once before they are ripped apart by the cruel hands of fate Umbridge. And even after Harry discovers it wasn’t really Cho’s fault the DA was caught (I’d just like to note here that I really liked this alteration/cut of the plot; it worked pretty well at taking two separate events from the book and working them into a new context), they get no resolution! This is only an example; just about everything except the establishment of the DA and Umbridge’s regime suffers from a lack of exploration due to time constraints.
Speaking of which, Imelda Staunton’s Umbridge was absolutely golden. It was everything: the Bradford Exchange kitten-of-the-month plates (and I love kittens!); the hem hem; and the outfit by way of Jackie O, made from skinned, pink sheepdog, all combined with the pure unmitigated evil of torturing students and being an obsessive little fascist. My friend, who does not read the books, but watches the movies, leaned over during the film and said, “Dear God, please tell me she dies.” I can’t think of a better compliment to Staunton.
Daniel Radcliffe also gave a surprisingly good turn as Harry. Not to disparage the younger cast, but in general, when I think of the acting talent in the Harry Potter movies, I’m thinking of the adults. But Dan’s Harry matures nicely in this movie, despite how much angst he has to wade through before reaching the climax of this movie’s character arc. It’s a little weird to watch Dan Radcliffe grow up right before our eyes, but it’s nice to see that he’s turning into an actual actor.
Rupert Grint and Emma Watson had less to work with in this movie, but at least Rupert no longer has to wear the Expression of Perpetual Fear, and Emma gained a few more facial expressions than usual herself. Evanna Lynch, as Luna, was utterly adorable. She often looked like she was about to drift straight off the ground, as Luna ought. I’ve always been a big fan of Luna, so I’m glad she was given a slightly more meaningful, if not larger, role than in the book. Her dialogue was not the best, however. It was sort of the character development equivalent of an exposition block. Someone has to say these things because, again, in the time given, it’s nearly impossible to show. I also think that the script writers were a little stuck in writing the same as for the earlier movies. OotP had a PG-13 rating, but sometimes the dialogue felt like it was being written for younger audiences.
Nonetheless, overall, I think subtlety was director David Yates strength in this movie. There were dozens of little things that referenced the book (without interfering with the plot too much), or implied something instead of making it exposition. He built up for the next movie without making it too obvious: Ron and Hermione interacted a lot more outside of Harry, Ginny was making faces at the mention of Cho, and Snape finally got to act like an actual antagonist instead of a slightly annoying guy who’s always hanging around.
Another thing I really enjoyed was how Yates utilized continuity from previous films. The Great Hall is in the same place as in Chris Columbus’s films, the Bridge of Solitary Brooding from PoA is still a favorite spot for walking and talking, and there’s still a random giant pendulum, though it’s inside now and unlikely to swipe passing students trying to get out the door.
What’s missing from the movie is also interesting. Some cuts have to build off cuts from previous movies. For example, Rita Skeeter can’t write an article for the Quibbler, because the Trio has no leverage on her. Rowling has a say as to what makes and does not make the final cut, so there can be hints as to what’s important. Kreacher stays, but Petunia’s letter goes. Grawp’s still there, but the mirror from Sirius disappears. Does it mean anything? Possibly (and we’ll know shortly), but it does help to convince me that some things I thought would be more important (say, Dobby), may not be. And some things I hoped wouldn’t be important (e.g., Grawp) may come back.
And by the way, did anyone else think Grawp was looking weirdly affable in the movie? Seriously, he did not look scary at all, even if his special effects were very good. The special effects in general were pretty amazing, especially the final fight at the Ministry of Magic. I can only imagine how much it all cost, but once it got going, the Voldemort- Dumbldore battle of the century really took off. (However, the CGI for the centaurs still sucks.)
In conclusion to this ever lengthening review, I greatly enjoyed this installment. The younger actors are beginning to look and act like adults, and the story is beginning to turn into something other than episodic mysteries-of-the-year. Since the general tone of the movie is different (and less nerve-grating) than the book, I found that I liked this movie despite what preconceptions I had about it. Yates is signed up for the sixth movie as well, and I’m interested in seeing what he’ll do with it, and hope that it doesn’t turn entirely into the Department of Backstory movie of the series.