Although I’m a fan of the Harry Potter book series, I’m not one of those hard-core types who knows and remembers every single detail about every single character. But I do remember general storylines and the overall Harry vs. Voldemort arc, which is sufficient to get me from one book to the next.
The movies, however, are a different problem entirely. I find that the scripts cut out so much material (quite understandably, of course) that I barely know what’s going on in each one. It’s as though the filmmakers are assuming that the people who watch the movies are thoroughly familiar with the novels, so they don’t bother setting up scenes, filling in background information, or providing sufficient details. This is especially true for the fifth installment of the series, so unless you’ve recently read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or are anything short of the most rabid fan on the planet, I doubt that you’ll be able to figure out exactly what’s going on in this movie.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Order of the Phoenix opens near the end of summer break. Harry (played once again by Daniel Radcliffe) and his cousin Dudley (Harry Melling) are at a park when they’re suddenly attacked by dementors. Harry has no choice but to use magic (despite the fact that he’s underage and in the presence of Muggles). He manages to defeat the dementors, but his deeds don’t go unnoticed. Harry soon receives a letter telling him that he’s been expelled from Hogwarts and must attend a hearing at the Ministry of Magic.
At the hearing, Harry seems surrounded by enemies who would like nothing more than to knock him down a peg or two. Fortunately, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) shows up unexpectedly and speaks in Harry’s defense, as does Mrs. Figg a neighbor in Little Whinging. Harry is cleared of any wrongdoing and allowed to go back to Hogwarts, where he rejoins Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson).
We’re then introduced to the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton). Umbridge is very loyal to Cornelius Fudge, so everything that happens at Hogwarts immediately gets reported back to the Ministry. In calls, Umbridge refuses to teach her students any magic because she doesn’t believe the rumors that Voldemort is back. Instead, she focuses on textbook lessons and theory, which leaves the students feeling vulnerable.
As a result, Hermione convinces Harry to assume the role of teacher and instruct a select group of classmates in various defense tactics. The group decides to call themselves “Dumbledore’s Army,” and they meet and practice on the sly. Of course, it’s not long before Umbridge finds out about the underground group. She then forces Dumbledore out of power at Hogwarts and assumes temporary control of the school herself.
Meanwhile, Harry has been having nightmares/visions about things that Voldemort is doing to people Harry cares about. One night, he sees that Sirius is in trouble, so he and a group of friends head out to the Hall of Prophecy within the Ministry of Magic. Once there, they discover that the vision was just a ruse used by some of Voldemort’s death eaters to get Harry to hand over a special prophecy. There’s a huge showdown in the Hall, at which point Sirius gets killed by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter). In addition, Dumbledore and Voldemort going toe to toe. Their battle ends in a draw and Voldemort escapes, but not before being seen by Cornelius Fudge, which of course means Dumbledore and Harry are once again in the clear.
My Reaction: Wow, I thought this film was very disjointed (definitely moreso than any others in the series). I had a lot of trouble following the plot, and it didn’t help that many of the characters that appeared onscreen weren’t even named. It took me the longest time to realize who Mr. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy were, and I didn’t even remember half of the other Hogwarts students (they all look so different from film to film).
Like I said above, I know the movies have to leave a lot of things out, but I was disappointed at what the screenwriter chose not to include in this version. What happened to all the students who were mysteriously getting hurt at Hogwarts? What happened to Quidditch?? What happened to the Weasley twins’ store? What happened to the Pensieve? So many other great scenes were left out too…. what a waste.
Speaking of waste, how about all those characters who appeared for about two minutes? We barely got any Ron, Hermione, Trelawney, Tonks, Hagrid, etc. This film was basically the Harry and Umbridge show.
And Daniel Radcliffe may be a $100 million man thanks to the seven Potter films, but his acting is still god-awful! He has zero range and fails to capture the essence of Harry Potter as written by J.K. Rowling. In the films, he comes off as such a whining, sniveling, self-centered brat that I actually side with Snape — which isn’t how I feel at all when I read the books.
Overall, I can’t imagine how Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would appeal to a broad audience. Die-hard fans of the series might like it, but I doubt that others will. I give the film 3 stars out of 5, and recommend waiting for it to come out on DVD if you must see it.