Adam Valen Levinson
Freelance Movie Critic
No, no, no, David Yates. Stop what you're doing — go back and look at what Mike Newell and Alfonso Cuarón did, and check out Chris Columbus too.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is composed almost entirely of the hollow, recyclable elements of the first films, devoid of the parts that made them great. Very little Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), almost no McGonagall (Maggie Smith), no Quidditch... why do we even come anymore?
Maybe it was just too big a book to swallow. Covering 896 pages in 138 minutes is like making a fifth, tired Pride and Prejudice in under an hour. No, thanks.
Potterheads and newbies alike will be let down by the lack of characters, with old favorites like Dobby the house elf disappointingly absent. In this superabridged version, explanations are sparse if you've forgotten the story, and all else is in short supply if you remember it.
Potter 5 often has the same sepulchral feel as Cuarón's third installment, but this time the fear and gloom is replaced by ersatz hormonal emotion. We learn that the boy-wonder and the Dark Lord are metaphysically joined by a prophecy that claims neither Harry nor Voldemort can live while the other survives.
Because they are so mentally intertwined— Harry and Voldy — Potter practices Occlumency (one of the few moments Alan Rickman has to shine) to learn how to protect his mind from the probing, mind-invading magic of his arch-nemesis. Maybe Yates forgot about it, or maybe there just wasn't enough time, but Occlumency doesn't even merit a montage as Order of the Phoenix moves on to other places for Daniel Radcliffe to grimace.
Even with all this mystical mediocrity, this Potter has some redeeming qualities. One of them comes in an unremittingly pink package. Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) is sent from the corrupt Ministry of Magic to keep Hogwarts in check. Declaring herself High Inquisitor (nearly Grand Inquisitor), Umbridge drugs students with truth serum, creates an Inquistorial Squad made up of venal students to do her dirty work, and inflicts medieval punishments on dissenters — you know, SOP for a Potter villain with no redeeming qualities. But Staunton brings Umbridge to life, popping the pink from the pages onto the screen, coloring her already striking character with a nauseating giggle.
The Weasley brothers, Fred and George, are unaffected by the film's general ho-humness, remaining as insouciant as ever. Their magical candy and fireworks provide comic relief for the generally grim film. Also, Yates does not shy away from using the duo in witty (maybe by British standards?) double-entendre. When the boys finally use magic at home, Mrs. Weasley gives us this gem: "Just because you're allowed to use magic now doesn't mean you're allowed to whip your wands out for everything!" Just wonderful.
So, this tome didn't translate into film as well as the others. Maybe it was the translator, but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix loses the magic that readers find so captivating. For now, wait for number six and don't let any black cats turn their back on you — it could be Maggie Smith finding better things to do.
Photo: I know, Daniel, I'm bored too.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
138 Minutes
Release Date: July 11, 2007
1 comment:
sad day for the potter films - do you think number 6 is gonna get any better?
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