“That’s not in the book!” A girl sitting behind me must have said that about 25 times at the midnight screening of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” But at least they tried… slavishly. The fifth installment of the hugely successful series about the young wizard crams as much of the story as humanly possible into its 138-minute running time. It probably wasn’t wise to do so. Turning a 900-page novel into the shortest movie of the series results in a rushed, superficial movie that falls terribly short of the perfect combination of whimsy and menace that previously defined the series. The magic is gone.
There are still fleeting moments of wonderment in “Order of the Phoenix.” The wizards flying over London on their broomsticks at the beginning is a sight to behold. And nobody will ever be able to separate Imelda Staunton from Dolores Umbridge. The “Vera Drake” Oscar nominee (should-be-winner) perfectly captured the cloying, pastel tyranny of perhaps the most loathsome character from the books. And Helena Bonham Carter provides some of the only genuine menace in the movie with her completely unhinged performance as the brilliantly frayed Bellatrix Lestrange… but with only about two lines of dialogue.The movie tries to cover so much ground in such a short time, though, that it all feels superficial. Rowling has created such unforgettable characters that it’s sad to see them get such shallow treatment: Nymphadora Tonks, Kreacher and Bellatrix Lestrange (although brilliant in her few moments to shine) are woefully underutilized.
This is probably the best British cast ever assembled for any film, but great actors like Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane turn in little more than cameo appearances.
“Order of the Phoenix” needs either more whimsy or more menace, because it feels emotionally distancing. Certainly the absence of Voldemort from the story until the very end undermines the sense of omnipresent villainy we’re led to believe the Dark Lord represents. Even his showdown duel with Dumbledore falls flat, as director David Yates never found compelling fight choreography for the wand battles. The final duel is five films in the making, and yet it wasn’t even as interesting as when Yoda and Count Dooku crossed lightsabers at the end of “Star Wars: Episode II.”
Worst of all, when Harry suffers a major tragedy at the end of the film, he hardly even reacts compared to his emotional devastation when Cedric Diggory died. His acting in “Order of the Phoenix” seems only capable of expressing frustration or determination.
“Order of the Phoenix” isn’t a bad movie by any means, but it just isn’t as good as what we’re used to. In the end, it feels like a dutiful exercise to slog through before we get to the good stuff. Let’s hope the good stuff’s coming.
Reach Christian Blauvelt at [email protected]
