WAS1 Productions

Originally Written 07/13/07

Paul and I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tonight and it was quite good. I’m still behind on my reading, having only gotten up to The Prisoner of Azkabann, the third book, so like the last film, I didn’t know what was going to happen. There were a couple of places where the details seemed a little thin and that I might have gotten more insight if I knew the story, but even so, the plot of the film was easy to get without having read the book.

I like how J. K. Rowling continues to make the stories progressively darker. Not only are more things happening and the stakes getting higher, but the kids are growing up and their perceptions are changing, so they’re discovering how the world is darker and more dangerous than they originally saw. I like how Harry is more active in this movie. In previous stories he was pulled along with the plot, but here he takes more of an active stance, with a little help and prodding from Ron and Hermione.

I really liked how political this film was, and how the political intrigue was almost more dangerous than Voldermort himself. I asked Paul about all the political machinations and he said that he thought he remembered they were all from the book. However, we both caught a couple of bits in a few places which seemed like they could have been a nod to the current political climate and the current presidential administration. Whether that was by design or by accident catching the feeling of the times we couldn’t figure out though. If they were intentional, they weren’t heavy-handed. I totally dug Dolores Umbridge’s character as the kill-them-with-kindness enforcer of the Ministry. She was wickedly vicious, and they did some great stuff with her, such as the collection of enchanted collectors plates hanging on the walls of her office, each with its own animated cat. That was brilliant.

All in all, the movie was quite good and very entertaining. I liked how everything played out, as well as seeing some beloved characters returning from previous stories, though I wish they’d gotten a little more screen time, but such is the case with translating a book to film.

Also, one thing I forgot to mention is that I also liked how even amidst the growing peril of this film, there were still moments of wonder as the kids learned to do more with magic. I liked how they balanced that, adding lighter bits of relief to the darker story.