Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Genre: Adventure
Format Viewed: Theatrical Release / IMAX
Filmography links and data courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.
It’s been a Harry Potter kind of weekend, and what better way to celebrate the final chapter of our beloved series hitting the streets than to first take a glimpse back at book #5 on the silver screen … and the really big, IMAX silver screen at that!
Of course, I did mention earlier that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was one of my skeptical movies of the summer, in that as much as I’ve really enjoyed the series thus far, I just wasn’t sure how much longer the gang on screen was going to be able to retain my attention, especially after reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and finally putting to rest the seven book series that has certainly captivated me for the last several years! Granted, I had already known what the outcome of the Lord of the Rings movies was going to be long before I even stepped foot in the theater for the first installment and I still regard those flicks as some of the best movies of all time, but then again, I’d also known those stories since I was but a wee lad myself, whereas we’ve kind of had the unique experience with Harry Potter to watch him grow up in the movies and on the written page almost simultaneously, so it’s hard to tell what the experience will be next summer once we all know the fate of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…
In the meantime, however, I’ve got to say that #5 did ok – not spectacular, but I certainly didn’t feel shorted as we walked out of the theater at two o’clock in the morning, either! Out of all of the films so far, I think I would rank Order of the Phoenix a solid #3, with Goblet of Fire being my favorite and Chamber of Secrets taking the number two position because the snake at the end was very cool. It was actually a pretty interesting experience for me this time around, though, because it’s honestly been so long since I read the book (Christmas of 2003, if my memory serves me) that I really didn’t remember much of anything or have anything to compare it to! I know a common place as always is to complain about not being able to fit this or that vital scene into the final cut of the movie, but for someone who really couldn’t recall what the Order of the Phoenix was until we got going with the film, I think it all came together pretty well!
Some highlights for me in this installment included the appearance of Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, who I thought made a rather charming rendition of the bizarre classmate, playing the part without making her feel nearly as just absolutely weird as she seemed when I was first introduced to her in the books; the courtroom scene in the very beginning in which Harry is tried after using magic to save Dudley from the dementors; and of course, the final scene surprisingly offered more action than even the last movie did … but if only it had as many dragons! And of course, afterwards I’ve got to simply give Imelda Staunton props as probably being the best in show at playing her role to an absolute T because during the actual movie itself, she had me really, really, really hating Dolores Umbridge for her vile attitude and what she was turning the school into! This is one classic example of where movie magic assists the original story that it was based upon because I could’ve never pictured her as quite so horrible until I saw her stance unfold on screen … wow!
So all in all, it was a good night out. The only real qualm I have is that the Harry Potter movies almost seem a bit routine each year, as the coming of summer usually means a trip down to the IMAX theater to see Harry’s latest adventure, and while the adventures are great, I guess it’s still worth mentioning that things might be getting a little drawn out when the word routine comes to mind! Still, we’ve only got two more chapters left on the silver screen to tell the story of Harry and his friends, and I certainly haven’t come this far to call it quits two flicks early, so you know I’ll be there if for nothing but to see this thing through to the end! It’s been a good run so far and whatever happens by the end of that fateful book #7, I don’t think Hollywood’s going to let us down in bringing the remainder of the story to the silver screen just as well as they have so far…
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
