Order of the Phoenix

Ah, finally a movie review. I hear the sighs of relief from all TWO of you who ever read this. : )

I went at midnight last night (Tuesday, the 10th) to see the latest installment of the Harry Potter saga. I'm a huge fan of the series--both the books and the movies. Of course, you have to go into these movies knowing that not every detail or plotline from the books will make it into the movies. Order of the Phoenix is an 870-page book. The movie would be...well, it would be more efficient just to make it a mini-series. The bare essentials have always been in the movies, but after each one is released, there is always an outcry about what was left out and how it made the movie suck.

Get over it.

I thought this film did an admirable job of fitting everything in that time could possibly allow. It moved quickly, and we may not have gotten as much time with Dumbledore's Army or the young Marauders as we would have liked, but we got the message clearly and completely intact. There are, of course, going to be militant Bookists who will say, "What about Ron and Quidditch? What about the brains in the Ministry? What about Petunia's Howler? That was hardly Snape's Worst Memory!" (Do those tidbits make you want to read the books???) And they are entitled to rant all they want. But this is my blog and I'm telling you, it would have been difficult to stick all of that stuff in within a time limit that would still draw such a huge crowd. Would I sit through the 5-hour movie they'd have to make to fit a lot more in? Yes. But I'm one of comparatively few. With the vast material they had to work with, I doubt they could have pulled this off better.

Visually, this film is just spectacular. Within the first two minutes, I was whispering sentiments of awe to my surrounding friends, and this was before any magic was involved. It's a beautifully executed visual smorgasbord. First of all, the Dementors are even more terrifying than they were in Prisoner of Azkaban. I literally shrieked when I saw the first one pop into Little Whinging out of nowhere. The scene in the Ministry is as frightening, the room is as ominous, and the Death Eaters put up as horrific a fight as I imagined in the books. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place looked as if somehow the picture in Jo Rowling's mind was extracted and put onto film. The scenes of witches and wizards flying in front of Parliament and all through London are exciting and stunning. Voldemort. Is. TERRIFYING. I feel as though I could watch this film on mute and still be impressed. However, that would cause us to miss out on some of the even more wonderous aspects of this film.

There was not one bad performance in this film. The new characters introduced were brilliant--Evanna Lynch as the spacey but pure-hearted Luna Lovegood was perfect. Natalia Tena was as spunky and tough as Rowling wrote Nymphadora Tonks to be. Helena Bonham Carter WAS Bellatrix Lestrange, just as evil and deranged as she could be, and Imelda Staunton executed the role of Dolores Umbridge with such sickening, disgusting sweetness that I found myself nursing the desperate desire to kick her in the throat. And if you know what Umbridge is supposed to be like, then you realize that to be the mark of a superb performance.

I felt that this was also Michael Gambon's best shot at Dumbledore. I've never felt Dumbledore was quite right in the films. Richard Harris was a bit too soft-spoken and gentle. Michael Gambon has yet been just a tad harsh and demanding. Rowling's Dumbledore is somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, and Gambon was the closest in this film that either Dumbledore has yet been. This could be due to his limited screen time, but what time he had was spent effectively. Ralph Fiennes of course produces a stunning performance as the Dark Lord--how one man can be such a swoon-worthy, charming male lead in a movie such as Maid in Manhattan, and then turn around and scare the pants off of 20-year-olds as the Ultimate Evil is just beyond me. But Fiennes does it, superbly, and it never even crosses your mind once that this is the same handsome man who made out with J. Lo. Seriously, I was a little scared that night while trying to fall asleep. The man was frightening.
And Matthew Lewis is just heartbreaking as Neville Longbottom. I swear, if these movies ever reach Oscar potential (unlikely, but one can always hope, right?) he should win Best Supporting Actor. He rips at the viewer's emotions almost more than Harry does. Lewis was The Only choice to play Neville: he somehow, miraculously, perfectly shows us all the confusion, torment, and purity Neville contains inside himself without ever having to say a word. And the few words he does say just make you want to be the guy's best friend. I can think of no other character that evokes such simultaneous pity and pride within a viewer/reader.
Two actors that impressed yet again were Gary Oldman and Jason Issacs. Of course, these guys never seem to give a bad performance in any film, but it seems as though these parts were practically written for them. Issacs is pure evil in this film, and it's fantastic. He's on the right hand of the devil, and he's all too proud of it. He's a truly sinister man, and if there is one man who can pull off sinister, it's Jason Issacs. Gary Oldman is PERFECT as Sirius Black, worn with suffering, anger, and the sorrow of loss, while still retaining that roguish, youthful, and slightly arrogant sense of adventure and passion. (Let's face it, shall we? Sirius Black is a hot character.)
But let's not forget some of the most important people in the film: the trio. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were good little actors way back in the days of the Sorcerer's Stone. And we've grown up with them (some of us quite literally--they are all between 6 months and 2 years younger than I am) and seen them develop their acting skills, and no one can see this film and not realize how far they've come and how hard they've worked to get here. Dan started out as such a cute, innocent young boy, and now is able to play incredibly intense scenes just wrought with emotion. My most emotional reactions are in response to HIS most emotional reactions. Emma has done such a beautiful job making Hermione transition into a young lady as I believe Hermione really would. She retains her basic personality, but just grows her up as she experiences more of life. And then there's Rupert. And some of you may know that I am a huge fan(girl) of his, and that I'd probably say he was my favorite even if he sucked. But he doesn't. When he started out, he was more the plucky comic relief than anything, but he has grown into such a fantastic natural actor. He's no longer about cute faces and a nervous voice. He is everything Ronald Weasley is supposed to be, and he makes it look absolutely effortless. I personally believe he's been the best of the three all along, and that has nothing to do with my girlish admiration for him.
And the three of them together pull off EXACTLY the type of dynamic Rowling writes between the book characters. I don't know even how to describe it. There is one scene, by a fireplace, I think, right after The Big Kiss Scene, where the three of them are sitting and just discussing this huge (yet comparatively VERY normal) event in Harry's life, and you fail to see three young actors on the screen. You see instead three young friends, sitting by a fireplace and discussing one's first kiss. Picking on one another, laughing and joking. IT IS THE TRIO. Not Daniel, Rupert, and Emma, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It's brilliant.

I think a lot of the new effects this film has (on the screen and on our emotions) has everything to do with the new director, David Yates. Of course, each of the past three directors in the Potter saga has brought something new, different, and amazing in its own way to the films, but Yates goes way beyond what Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, or Mike Newell did (no disrespect intended--I love every one of these films. Well done, men). Each of the other films had a very specific atmosphere, due to the director. This one is not different in that respect, but the others always felt a little disjunct. More like real, separate films, rather than different segments of the same story. Each (combining Sorcerer's Stone with Chamber of Secrets, of course) was sort of a singular, separate item. But Yates has taken certain measures to incorporate things from each of the other films, tying them into this one and making it seem more like a collaborative effort than HIS work of art (such as the flashback to the Mirror of Erised, but with the new memory intrusion by Snape). He seems more concerned with making it all fit together as one story than making his imprint on the Harry Potter phenomenon. Funny, then, that he's managed to produce the best film yet.
Also, he fits in little subtle bits--just looks and gestures from one character to another--that give the viewer a much greater sense of the inner workings of the Potter characters than a non-reader could normally pick up on. Many subtle looks and moments between Ron and Hermione emphasize the tension and unspoken feelings between them without there ever being a blatant "RON AND HERMIONE ARE IN LOVE" moment. Yates has made sure that there is just enough foreshadowing in that area. Harry and Ron also have at least one look exchanged between them that just shows a tiny bit better the extent of their friendship. It's a Boy Look, and it's perfect. Also, I don't believe the book ever says anything about the love interest Harry has in the series besides Cho (I won't mention names, for those of you who are solely Potter Film fans), but there is just a brief second in the movie that hints of things to come, to prepare you Filmists for the future without really giving any spoilers. It's handled just perfectly.

I don't know what else I can tell you about this film to make you want to go see it. I can't give it enough praise. I am a huge Harry Potter fan. Nerd, to the highest degree. I think that absolutely everyone should read the books, as well as embrace the movies. And I am telling you: GO SEE THIS FILM. It is the best one yet. I laughed, I cried, I squeezed the hands of the friends on either side of me in excitement and fear. It is an emotional roller coaster and a magical phenomenon. Everything that Harry Potter is supposed to be.