Genre: Fantasy/Adventure Director: David Yates Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma
Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes,
Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman,
Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Imelda
Staunton, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters RunTime: 2 hrs 18 mins Released By: Warner Bros Rating: PG Official Website:www.harrypotterorderofthephoenix.com Soundtrack:REVIEW
OF THE OFFICIAL HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
SOUNDTRACK
Opening
Day: 12 July 2007
Synopsis
:
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry
returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers
that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the
teenager’s recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort,
preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort
has returned. Fearing that Hogwarts’ venerable Headmaster,
Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort’s return
in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister
for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against
the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the
Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge’s
Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young
wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the
dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community,
so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry
takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a
small group of students who name themselves “Dumbledore’s
Army,” Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against
the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for
the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.
Movie
Review:
Boy, how this boy wizard has grown over the years.
Since
2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,
a certain Daniel Radcliffe has grown from a doe-eyed boy wonder
to a puberty-charged teenager brimming with angst. In this
fifth movie of the popular franchise, we see Harry Potter
facing his darkest adventure yet, with the Ministry of Magic
(it does remind us of how the state works in the most ridiculously
inefficient ways) taking control of Hogwarts, as well as the
looming return of Lord Voldemort (come on, no one refers to
the nose-less creep as “He Who Shall Not Be Named”
anymore!).
We
pity the poor chap - all these troubles, and the inescapable
experience of adolescence too!
Mr.
Potter is not a Hogwarts student for nothing. In the movie’s
138 minutes, watch as the boy wonder find time to go through
the awkward stages of teenage years, battle his own inner
demons, fall in love, teach classmates magic spells, and most
importantly, realize the true value of friendship.
Emma
Watson’s Hermione Granger has blossomed into a ravishing
beauty, Rupert Grint’s Ron Weasley looks discomfited
with his teenage look, James and Oliver Phelps’ Fred
and George Weasley are as cheekily adorable as ever, and Evanna
Lynch’s new character Luna Lovegood breathes fresh air
into the franchise.
But
Katie Leung’s Cho Chang still looks somewhat out of
place though.
The
delightfulness and joy of the previous films is absent in
this David Yates-directed movie, but what’s prominent
is the dark and somewhat frightening atmosphere that aptly
compliments the story. Thanks to the deliberate use of shady
and gloomy colors, you’d get a threatening sense of
dread throughout the movie.
There
are fun montages which will perk you up though – watch
out for the scenes where Harry teach his classmates how to
cast spells, and we hate to say it, the scenes where the new
Defence the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge are in.
In
her gaudy shades of pink outfits, veteran actress Imelda Staunton
brings a whole new meaning to the term “b**ch”.
That irritating chuckle, that irritating fringe, that irritating
smug: this is definitely one of the best villain character
portrayals in the series ever.
Elsewhere,
there are many other fine actors like Alan Rickman (Severus
Snape), Emma Thompson (Sybil Trelawney), Helena Boham Carter
(Bellatrix Lestrange), Brandon Gleeson (“Mad Eye”
Moody), Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) and David Thewlis
(Remus Lupin) who are given too little screen time to enchant
us with their fine performances.
That
is probably the problem with adapting a 766-page novel into
a movie. But there have been little successful cases –
so as long as we audiences are still entertained with the
jaw-dropping computer-generated special effects, the soaring
music score, the engaging and action-packed chase scenes,
we’d be still anticipating the sixth and seventh installment
of the series.
And
we’d be looking forward to how Harry will grow in those
years to come.
Movie
Rating:
(The
enjoyable movie will give you an enthralling time, as well
as a peek into how dark and bothered a grown-up boy wizard’s
life can be)
