Review - Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix (2007)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we're officially halfway through talking about the Harry Potter series, and now we get into the David Yates era with 2007's Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix. And let's just say that it's in this movie where stuff gets real. 

       Okay, so the movie opens with Harry at a local park, where Dudley and his pals show up, mocking Harry for the nightmares he'd been having about the death of Cedric Diggory at the hands of Voldemort. Unfortunately, the sky darkens and something is approaching, do Harry and Dudley run for it, only to be caught by two Dementors. The Dementors nearly suck out both Harry and Dudley's souls, but Harry drives them away with the Patronus Charm. Harry and Dudley are then found by their neighbor Mrs. Figg, who is a Squib, and she escorts them home. Upon return to the house on Privet Drive, Vernon scolds Harry for what's happened to Dudley, and Harry ultimately receives a letter from the Ministry of Magic, informing him of his expulsion from Hogwarts. 

         Later that evening, a group led by Moody (the real one this time) rescues Harry and take him to an apartment building called Grimmauld Place. Moody taps his staff three times, revealing a hidden part of the building: Number 12 Grimmauld Place, home of Sirius Black and headquarters of the newly reformed Order of the Phoenix, a group established by Dumbledore to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Among the Order's members are Arthur and Molly Weasley, Sirius, Remus Lupin, Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Snape, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Also staying in this place are Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George. After the Order's meeting, Harry reunited with Sirius and Remus, who show him the smear campaign being lobbied against him by the Daily Prophet. It seems that Minister Fudge, who plans to hold a trial against Harry in front of the entire Wizengamot, has been using the Daily Prophet to smear those who claim that Voldemort has returned, such as Harry and Dumbledore. 

         Arthur takes Harry to the Ministry of Magic, and leads him down to the Department of Mysteries, leaving him to the Wizengamot, where Minister Fudge reads the charge: conjuring the Patronus Charm in front of a Muggle, while outside of school and under the age of seventeen. Harry admits to this, and says that he only did so because of the Dementors that had attacked him and Dudley. Fudge tries to brush it off as a made-up story, but Dumbledore (who is acting as defense counsel for Harry) informs that there was a witness: Mrs. Figg. She informs that she did, indeed sense the Dementors and did indeed see them. One of the members of the Wizengamot questions the validity of the claims, as Dementors are technically under Ministry control. Dumbledore, failing to convince Fudge that Voldemort has returned, references that the law states that exceptions can be made in the event of a life-saving emergency situation, which a Dementor attack would be. The Wizengamot then votes to clear Harry of all charges, and he's off to Hogwarts once again. 

         Before departing, Sirius gives Harry a photo of the original Order of the Phoenix, whose members included Frank and Alice Longbottom, and of course Harry's parents Lily and James. The Hogwarts Express takes Harry, Ron, and Hermione back to school, and Harry sees the carriage being pulled by a creature he doesn't recognize, but no one else sees them... except for a very odd girl already on the carriage. Hermione introduces her as Luna Lovegood, who is a Ravenclaw student in her fourth year. During the feast, Dumbledore reveals the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher: Professor Dolores Umbridge. 

          Unfortunately, Harry is being ostracized by several of his peers, including Seamus Finnigan, who almost wasn't allowed to return because of what his mother read in the Daily Prophet about Harry and Dumbledore. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge informs that this year, the fifth years will be taking their O.W.L.s (which are the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams). In addition, Defense Against the Dark Arts will now be taught in a theoretical manner, no longer teaching defensive spells and instead be done in a risk-free way. Harry then speaks up, continually asserting that Voldemort is back, and Cedric Diggory was murdered by him. Umbridge then assigns Harry detention in her morbidly pink office. Harry's detention is a writing assignment: using a special quill to write the phrase "I must not tell lies." Harry writes this phrase over and over, and as he writes, the quill Umbridge gave him mystically carves it into the back of his hand. In the Forbidden Forest, Luna reveals to Harry that the creatures that only the two of them can see are Thestrals, and can only be seen by those who've witnessed death. 

          Some time later, McGonagall confronts Umbridge about her method of punishment being too medieval for the means of punishment being used at Hogwarts, and Umbridge realizes how serious the situation at Hogwarts really is. Reaching out directly to Fudge, Umbridge is officially named Hogwarts High Inquisitor, and she begins to investigate the teaching staff, address several things going on with the students, and enacts various Educational Decrees that are just straight up ridiculous. Umbridge nearly sends Professor Trelawney, but this act is stopped by Dumbledore, who reminds Umbridge that while she has the right to dismiss teachers, the power to banish them from Hogwarts Castle remains with the Headmaster: Dumbledore. That night while having a fireplace chat, Sirius informs Harry, Ron, and Hermione that apparently Fudge doesn't want the students trained to defend themselves, and the disappearances that are going on are clearly a sign that Voldemort is on the move. Hermione decides that they need a teacher actually willing to teach defensive magic. 

        Some time later, a group of students, including Luna, Ginny, Neville, Dean Thomas, Cho, Fred, George, and the Patil sisters meet with Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. It seems, however, that a few of them are only interested in knowing about the death of Cedric Diggory, but when Luna mentions how Harry can produce the Patronus Charm, Dean is taken aback by this, and both Neville and Ginny mentioned how he killed a Basilisk with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. Harry, doing his best to be modest about these accomplishments, ultimately agrees to teach them defensive magic, and everyone in the room signs their names on a roll of parchment marked "Dumbledore's Army." 

        It's then decided that they need a secret place to meet where Umbridge won't catch them, and one day Neville randomly finds the Room of Requirement. It's decided that it's here that Dumbledore's Army will have lessons here. Harry teaches various defensive spells, like Expelliarmus the disarming spell, Stupefy the stunning spell, and spells including Levicorpus, Reducto, Diminuendo, and so forth. Meanwhile, Umbridge becomes infuriated in regards to a secret student organization, and puts together the Inquisitorial Squad, which most of the Slytherin students join, along with Mr. Filch. 

       Ultimately, Dumbledore's Army meetings are put on hold for the winter holidays, and Harry and Cho, who both stay behind, share their first kiss. Yeah, that happens. Unfortunately, Harry has a nightmare of Arthur Weasley in the Department of Mysteries being attacked by Voldemort's snake Nagini. Luckily, by informing Dumbledore of the attack, the Order is able to get to him in time, and Dumbledore has Harry begin Occlumency lessons with Snape. The goal of the lessons is to teach Harry to defend his mind from being attacked by Voldemort. Back at Grimmauld Place, Harry spends his Christmas with the Weasleys and Sirius, and Arthur gives a Christmas toast to Harry for his role in saving his life. Sirius, after calling off the disgruntled House Elf Kreacher, shows Harry the family tree of the Black Family, including his cousins Andromeda Tonks, mother of Nymphadora Tonks, and Bellatrix Lestrange. Some time later, a mass breakout of many Death Eaters occurs at Azkaban, including Bellatrix Lestrange herself. Fudge stupidly blames the breakout on Sirius, and Seamus finally apologizes to Harry and the two are friends again. Harry and Snape finish the Occlumency lessons, where Harry sees Snape's past of being bullied in school by Harry's father and the other Marauders.

       In the Room of Requirement, Neville reveals to Harry about how Bellatrix Lestrange used the Cruciatus Curse to torture his parents for information, and they resisted, leaving them with severe brain damage. Dumbledore's Army, now joined by Seamus, begins to practice the Patronus Charm. Unfortunately, their secret location is found out by Umbridge, who used Snape's supply of Veritaserum to interrogate students, including Cho. Upon confronting Dumbledore about the situation, Dumbledore makes an incredible escape with help from Fawkes the Phoenix, and Umbridge is named as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts.

          Hagrid introduces Harry, Ron, and Hermione to his half-brother Grawp, who is a giant who'll need some company when Hagrid goes away. During an O.W.L. exam, the examination is interrupted by Fred and George, who cause a major ruckus. Harry experiences a vision of Voldemort brutally interrogating Sirius, and he decides to go after him. Despite Umbridge's attempt to stop them, and her eventual capture by a herd of pissed off Centaurs, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna head by Thestral to the Ministry of Magic, arriving in the Department of Mysteries, where a crystal ball is found with Harry's name on it. Within the crystal ball is a prophecy, that mentions that some day, Harry will have to face Voldemort and finish him. Suddenly, Death Eaters arrive, being led by Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, and battle ensues, with Harry and co. working to defend themselves using all the lessons from the Dumbledore's Army meetings. 

        Suddenly, members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Moody, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, and Sirius arrives to fight off the Death Eaters, and they are successful, but Bellatrix casts the Killing Curse and kills Sirius. Harry goes after her, and is confronted by Voldemort, who is confronted by Dumbledore. A duel ensues between Dumbledore and Voldemort, allowing Bellatrix to escape, and the duel is easily one of the most epic moments of the movie. Harry eventually drives Voldemort out of his head, and Fudge arrives and sees Voldemort is really back. 

      After the battle is over, Umbridge is fired from Hogwarts, Dumbledore is reinstated as Headmaster, Fudge resigns as Minister of Magic, and the news is confirmed: Voldemort has returned. Dumbledore reveals the reason he stayed distant from Harry throughout the school year: to protect Harry and make Voldemort less tempted to take over his mind. So, the school year ends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione taking consideration for the battles to come. 

          So, I definitely feel like Order of the Phoenix was a massive improvement over Goblet of Fire. The story felt much more evenly paced and straightforward, and was much easier to follow. Now, while there were a few things cut from the book, including a moment when during Quidditch, Harry, Fred, George, and Ron get in trouble, and Umbridge suggests a lifelong ban for all four of them, and Ginny replaces Harry as Gryffindor Seeker. However, the Quidditch stuff in the book was mostly just fluff, and it was the one thing omitted from the movie that didn't feel missed. And while the pacing during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries felt rushed, it was mainly an editing issue, and one that doesn't really affect the movie as a whole. 

       I also really enjoyed the new cast members introduced in this movie, including Natalia Tena as Tonks, and moreso with Evanna Lynch as Luna. Imelda Staunton definitely did an excellent job of taking the most hated of the new characters, Umbridge, and bringing her to life on screen. However, the best new addition was Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange. This woman was as gorgeous as she was deranged, psychotic, and dangerous. Hell, her character of Marla Singer in Fight Club felt like a warm up compared to Bellatrix. 

        I absolutely loved seeing the Room of Requirement in this movie, as it definitely felt massive, and I was amazed at the sight of it. I also loved the design of the Ministry of Magic, as well as the creature designs for the Thestrals. Also, the music score by Nicolas Hooper was definitely an improvement over Patrick Doyle's score from Goblet of Fire. Hooper definitely gets closer to the original themes by John Williams, and it shows. 

        All in all, aside from some editing issues, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I therefore give Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a rating of 4.5/5. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll be back tomorrow with my review of Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince.