Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts School of Magic for a difficult fifth year, forced to face public ridicule, an abusive new teacher and the tumults of teenage love.
After a summer of isolations, harry returns to the magic community only to discover he is the mockery of the wizard media - The Daily Prophet. Few believe in the suspected return of Lord Voldemort, which Harry experienced first hand at the end of hos fourth year at Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
On top of this, just before school tarts, two Dementors show up at Little Whinging, and attempt to give Harry and his loathed cousin Dudley, the Kiss Of Death, and harry is forced to summon the Patronus charm to send them off. However, those of you that have read the books will know that harry is underage ad is not permitted to use magic outside of school grounds, and also he is not permitted to use magic in front of muggles. Harry is promptly threatened with exclusion.
Amongst the full wizard court is Dolores Umbridge, who argues in Harry’s case, and despite Harry becoming deared of all changes from the court, he is only to find out that Umbridge has been named High Inquisitor Of Hogwarts School, by the paranoid Minister Of Magic - Fudge, who orders Umbridge to reform the school, and dethrone the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
Soon enough, Umbridge is sabotaging classes, harassing teachers and students, outlawing all use of magic in school, and is also discrediting anyone asserting that Voldemort is back. Determined to force Harry to withdraw his claims about the Dar Lord’s return, she sets him a whole week of agonizing, blood-dripping detention in her office.
With their safety and education sabotaged by the High Inquisitor, Harry and his friends have no choice but ti take matters into their own hands. Forming “Dumbledore’s Army”, Harry teaches them outlawed spells and charms in secret, and it is here that he experiences that highly anticipated first kiss with Cho.
Taking the lead is David Yates, the man behind the 2003 BBC series ‘State Of Play’. With Yates in the director’s chair and Michael Goldenberg adapting the script, The Order Of The Phoenix is technically accomplished but formulaic; there is potential for a much tenser, darker film in Rowling’s fifth book than this.
Dissapointingly, Rowling’s vivid sense of detail and wry humor is yet again rushed into a slick action-packed family film that lacks passion, natural progression and depth.
With only two installments left in the series and Yates already having signed up for film number six, we can only hope that the finale is handed over to someone capable of bringing out the intensity and epic darkness that JK Rowling’s wizardly world truly deserves.
+ IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373889/
