HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007) - ***In a way, you can describe the HARRY POTTER franchise as being like the early glory years of THE SIMPSONS in that there were two types of episodes: The outright adventures where they commit hilarious shenanigans, or the centre of melodramas. Each have their fans, but the difference was that for the most part, all those episodes were of quality.
The difference with POTTER though, is that the early flicks by Chris Columbus were flat, happy up the ass, and most of all, safe. But with Cuaron and Newell's pictures, the villains have depth, the story became more interesting, and life aint so swell for the title character and his entourage.
Perhaps the recipe for the success with J.K. Rowling's books, at least basing on their cinematic adaptations, is that the material grew up along with their audience. Maybe that is why an adult like me dig the third and fourth movies much more, or maybe I simply prefer British kids getting murdered.
With the fifth film in THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, the saga now rests on its mythology and delivers a streamlined adventure like the first two Columbus-shot pictures, but along with some of the angst and moodyness carried over from PRISONER and GOBLET.
On that level, PHOENIX delivers as yet another satisfying chapter in a franchise that's among the Top 20 grossing films of all-time, but beyond director David Yates' narrative, the numerous small faults make this nothing more than decent.
My problem really though might very well be the script. Of course I've never read the books, but from what people have told me, some of the same faults I find with the story are present within the novel as well. Whatever they're right, or my criticisms are wrong, I wouldn't know. You book fans are free to lecture me.
Fellow friends of mine who like the novels have endlessly complained to me about how the cinema series chops out way too much good stuff, and for the most part, I simply didn't care. But from watching PHOENIX, I thought: "This movie is sure very quick to get along with the damn program."
Being based from a nearly-900 page book, I'm sure adaptating PHOENIX must have been one hell of an ass-hauling. I have no clue what was deleted, but for the first time with the POTTER franchise, and much like Harry when he meets up with the Order, I felt left out of the loop of something
bigger.I used to have a problem with the smarting and out-smarting between the kids and the Death Eaters explaining the climax at the Ministry of Magic, since I thought it was a clustermess logical conclusion this side of World War I, but now having seen PHOENIX again, I accept it now.
Then again, I understood BUCKAROO BANZAI the first time around, so either its the film's fault or mine....or both?
But what was clear with me in the first screening is present in the second. For a supposedly wicked menace to have escaped from Azkabahn, Helena Bonham Carter just doesn't have enough screen coverage to make her deliciously evil enough for me.
Anyway, people swear to me that she'll be a real uber-bitch in the further sequels. If she can be as good, if not better, than she was in SWEENEY TODD, I'll be happy.
I still don't comprehend the political paranoia behind the Ministry disowning Harry and Dumbledore. I was disapointed that Daniel Radcliffe didn't get any quality scenes with David Thewlis. They had such great chemistry in Cuaron's PRISONER, and probably the only time that Potter himself had a close relationship with a father-figure.
Sure you can argue its Gary Oldman, but who was it that taught the hero to deal with goddamn scary mothers like the Dementors?
Plus, the death of a certain character in the climax just doesn't work like it should for me. Even if it follows the book, it should have been quite sudden, enough to provoke pure blood vengeance on Potter's behalf.
Now mind you, I liked this movie and quite enjoyed it. Even if its quaint compared to Cuaron and Newell's efforts, its still superior to Columbus.
Going through YouTube, I'm surprised nobody has taken the successfully-shot sequence of the students rioting against the new oppressive school regime, and synched it up with Pink Floyd's THE WALL. It's such an easy target.
For poor Harry Potter, PHOENIX is just another brick in his wall of hurt.
