Harry potter and the order of the phoenix

By Matthew Rodgers

Ask any of the thousand salivating would-be wizards, witches, and warlocks that will be queuing outside bookshops on 21st July for the final instalment of the “boy who could” – Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – and they will begrudgingly tell you that The Order of the Phoenix is the least eventful of the boy wizards adventures; heavy on exposition and brooding adolescence, like David Yates’ film it is a necessary chapter in the life of Hogwarts wand wielding students, but also the least enjoyable.

Following the familiar annual cycle loathed by all ankle biters we join Harry (who else but Daniel Radcliffe) during the final weeks of his summer holidays, depressed at the Dursleys and itching to return to Hogwarts. Shaken from his tedium by an unprecedented attack from the genuinely scary Azkaban guards the Death Eaters in the muggle (non-wizard folk) world he is whisked off to The Order of The Phoenix – a secret organisation bringing together Syrius Black (Gary Oldman) and Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) amongst others - and so starts a chain of events that will see him accused of lying about the return of He-who-must-not-be named, or Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) to those not scared of a balding snake faced villain, seemingly abandoned by those who he considered friends, and facing the most fearsome of all encounters, a first kiss.

Extending the world so beautifully altered from Columbus’ CBBC vision by Alfonso Cuaron with Azkaban, first time feature director Yates’ handles the impressive scope with a seemingly veteran hand. Hagrid’s hut, the school walkway, and those insurance claims waiting to happen changing stairways are all ticked off on the register with recognisable comfort; add to this the stunning introduction of the Ministry of Magic to make sure that the film has his own individual seal stamped on it and it’s little wonder that he has been asked back for the Half Blood Prince.

Such familiarity though makes Order of the Phoenix feel little more than a filler for better things to come and the need to accommodate as many as the convoluted plot threads as possible results in most characters floundering with very little screen time, even with the customary Quidditch scene thankfully dropped. Hermione and Ron are concealed for a large chunk of the story, but Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have evolved as actors and characters so much that when they do appear they are naturally convincing, Grint is given more to say than “bloody hell” at regular intervals and his touching defence of Harry is a highlight. It’s not just returning characters that suffer because add to “1-2-3…..poof” appearances of Madame Trelawney (Emma Thompson), Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Snape (Alan Rickman) the introduction of ferociously feral Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham-Carter). It may be nit picking because they don’t feature that prominently in the book but to have actors of that considerable talent and not using them fully is enough to be sent to Azkaban for life.

If blame lay with anybody, and it seems to be the general theme of Phoenix “blame Potter” then it has to be aimed at the spellbinding Daniel Radcliffe. A stint in the West End getting his own wand out in Peter Shaffer’s Equus to many plaudits coupled with an against type contraception flicking cameo in the otherwise patchy Extra’s has magically changed him into a potentially great actor. His Harry consumes the story rather than just being the fulcrum for greater things happening around him so it’s not surprising that others suffer. The only performance to rival his is that of Imelda Staunton as the Ministry’s meddling Dolres Umbridge, who revels in the devilishly nasty side to the giggling mischief maker, and the story’s only prominent “boo hiss” baddie.

Any muggles worried about lack of excitement during the 138min running time have to wait until the films tragic climax in which the key sequence is filmed as a complete rip-off (but what hasn’t been about this Star Wars/Rings hybrid?) of Gandalf’s Fellowship demise, all the while set against the backdrop of a superb Dumbledore vs Voldemort lightsab……sorry…..wand battle. It gets the blood pumping right before the films low-key denouement but is alone worth catching the Hogwarts Express for.

There are no excuses for Potter fans to be disappointed, they knew what to expect from this worthy instalment into an ever improving franchise and the sense of dread creeping into proceedings is quite unsettling. Those casual viewers that have treated visits to Hogwarts like trips to Open Days in the last 6 years and are expecting something great, might feel the magic slightly wearing off.