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"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Imelda Staunton, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon
Directed by David Yates
Runtime: 138 min.
Growing up is difficult. Especially when you're a boy-wonder wizard and the fate of the world rests on your shoulders at about the same time you're contemplating the troubles of puberty, your first girlfriend and what you want to do once school ends.
But Harry Potter handles it all with panache in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth installment of seven in the series.
Potter, played by the ever-aging and better-acting Daniel Radcliffe, finds the wizarding world against him this time after a showdown with the dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) during his untimely return in the fourth movie. The Ministry of Magic has spun the press, calling Potter a liar and telling everyone Voldemort has not returned.
Potter and his friends know better and with private practice and the help of the Order of the Phoenix, a group of wizards formed to fight Voldemort and his followers, they set out to stop the bad guys, no matter the cost.
"Phoenix" is a huge step forward for the Potter franchise with this film obviously growing with the main characters, becoming more conversationally driven and less prone to childish frivolities. In the first films the colors are vivid greens, reds and blues, the music is generally happy and the plot caters to children.
Visually darker and ominous "Phoenix" shows the evil creeping in on the wizarding world. The score is insistent and driving, and the plot operates in clandestine conversations and layers of betrayal.
The greatest improvement in the series is shown in this film as most of the child actors are now in their late teens and do more than recite lines and react when told - they actually act! New additions to the cast also tote their weight and make "Phoenix" thoroughly enjoyable, the most notable being Imelda Staunton who plays the vile Professor Dolores Umbridge.
Best described as Martha Stewart after inhaling a can of helium, Umbridge is the dastardly new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and also works for the Ministry of Magic. Constantly donning the most obnoxious shade of pink possible, she institutes new rules at the wizard school of Hogwarts, involving proper dress, proper actions and the elimination of after-school clubs.
Umbridge takes to disciplining students by making them write lines such as "I must not tell lies," which she requires Potter to write after he speaks of Voldemort's return in her class.
As he wrote it on parchment, the line slowly and painfully carved into Potter's hand.
From her first moments on screen, Staunton makes Umbridge thoroughly loathsome with an uppity throat clearing and lofty, nose-in-the-air attitude. It takes real self-control from audience members to not leap out of their seats with rage or gesture inappropriately.
Another addition to the Potter cast is the character of Luna Lovegood, played by the wide-eyed Evanna Lynch. As an outcast among the children of Hogwarts, Lynch shows Lovegood as a loveable, quirky weirdo who children might not actually mind being friends with.
"Phoenix" also allows the magic to flow in action scenes between Potter and company and Voldemort's dark army. Spells and jinxes have always been at the forefront of movies in this series, but it's just outright fun to see a wizard battle and a multitude of magic at a quick pace.
Although there's no mention of the broomstick sport Quidditch in the film and subtle details available in the novel are left out, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" still manages to be a strong offering from the franchise. It suffers from the one thing it can't help and that's being the fifth installment out of seven - there just isn't a lot of closure yet.
Potter, however, might just be the magic this summer movie season needed.
Daily Egyptian writer Alicia Wade can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or awade@siude.com.
