Wow. Am I allowed to take back my last two Harry Potter reviews?
This fifth entry into the Harry Potter franchise is easily the best of the lot. It manages to contain more drama, more wonder and more genuine emotion than I thought possible from a Harry Potter film. Michael Goldenberg (who also wrote the terribly underrated Peter Pan, directed by P.J. Hogan) has done a fine job of turning the least exciting (and most gratuitous) of the novels into a fantastic film that isn’t afraid to take its time. It’s entirely possible a lot of kids will be bored with Order of the Phoenix, but I for one loved the steady build up – there’s almost no action whatsoever until the climax… and when it’s time to get down to business, the film certainly packs a wallop.
There are a couple of new actors making an appearance this time round, but Evanna Lynch stands out as Luna Lovegood. This is Lynch’s first film and her style is so naturalistic that she doesn’t actually seem to be acting. It’s like her performance is without any pretence whatsoever – as if someone forgot to tell her that it was make-believe. Her interpretation of Luna isn’t quite as wacky as the character I remember from the book, but the drugged-out, serene and above all benevolent young girl is a welcome addition to the greater cast. The other significant newbie is of course Dolores Umbridge, played by Imelda Staunton with a stern and prim demeanour that refuses to slip into outright ‘evil’.
Of course this is a Harry Potter film, and the whole series is a bit of an oddity. I’m not sure if there’s ever been a franchise based on such an avidly read series of books. Sure, C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books are pretty popular, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe didn’t make it to the big screen for 50 years – Harry Potter’s transition has occurred whilst the series is still being written. EVERYONE (well, almost) knows what to expect, so it’s such a problematic enterprise. In the Order of the Phoenix I’m confident that director David Yates did the best job humanly possible. Sure, the supporting characters don’t get much of a chance to shine (Ron and Hermione don’t have any character arcs to speak of), and some of the new characters don’t get the attention they deserve (Helena Bonham Carter is woefully under-utilised as Bellatrix Lastrange, as is Natalie Tena as Nymphadora Tonks), but this is the first time that I’ve been captivated by the magic of Harry Potter. I would be quite comfortable if this was the only Harry Potter movie in my DVD collection, cos it’s the first one I’ve ever wanted to see again.