Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Movie Review

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

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Written by: Michael Goldenberg (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Natalia Tena
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return scoffed at, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.

Verdict
While this movie marks the start of the decline and bloat of the movies, it's still enjoyable though you do need a primer to see this one unlike the other movies. It's full of people and big events, though the movie doesn't have time to really develop anything. It relies on big set pieces and large egos instead.
While Hogwarts has always been a safe haven, now it becomes a very dark place as Voldemort rises to power and chaos begins.
Watch it.

Review
I enjoyed this movie, but it's much more convoluted than the previous movies while also relying more on the developments of the previous movies. Dolores Umbridge is a villain that you love to hate, but what are her motivations? Why is she so difficult?

 

The underlying story isn't as good as the previous movies and this one moves away from fun magic to dire consequences. That's fitting with Voldemort back, but this story seems poised to have more mystery and double agents working for the ministry though it fails to deliver. I don't recall what happened in the books, but in the movie Umbridge is a heel because the plot requires it.

Luna Love good is an example of the story creating whatever character needed to push the story. It seems odd we've never seen her before. I don't recall how the book handled her character, but in the movie it's clear she's present because she's in the books. I don't recall what part she plays later in the book or movies.

 

It's fun to see Harry embracing a leadership role, though hesitant. He forms a secret group to train classmates how to fight.
So much of the movie revolves around Umbridge and not Harry. Sure, she's the push that he needed to take action, but the story is just thin. This is the point where the movie just doesn't have the room that the books do and it shows.

Umbridge is a weird filler villain when Voldemort is looming large and Death Eaters are causing destruction. We do get to see Voldemort again at the end in a big battle with Dumbledore. This movie has a specific focus on spectacle and that battle is where it pays off.

This movie is filled with big scenes, larger than what we've seen in previous films. For how much happens in the movie, the underlying story is surprisingly shallow. We're introduced to a lot of different events and people, but we don't have time to develop those stories, because of that this movie feels a bit hollow. The movie doesn't have time. It's relegated to two an a half hours while the book was the longest of the series and three times longer than the first book.

 

The Order of the Phoenix should have played a larger role. They show up at the beginning and end. That's it. They are an underground group formed to fight Voldemort because the public doesn't believe Voldemort is back. The government and press discredit Harry and Dumbledore. The reason isn't exactly clear. It seems like disbelief mixed with fear. That's an intriguing premise and the movie pivots to focus on a bad principle instead.

It's an enjoyable movie, but there isn't much story. A bad principal becomes head of Hogwarts. Is she working for Voldemort? She's certainly helping, but she isn't a double agent. She's just annoying and terrible at her job, quite possibly life.

I've been rewatching the movies for the first time since they've come out. Up to Phoenix, this is how I'd rank the Harry Potter movies: The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Sorcerers Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, and The Order of the Phoenix.