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Having just faced his immortal enemy, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the last chapter, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) has found himself alienated from the very shaken Hogwarts community. After an unprovoked attack, Harry is even facing expulsion charges for having defended himself. (Using magic under the age of 17 in front of “muggles” is a no-no.) The Ministry of Magic refuses to acknowledge the Dark Lord’s return. Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) appears to be doing the same with Harry. His only comfort comes from his surrogate family, the Weasleys and godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), both members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization founded to fight against Voldemort’s initial rise to power which they sense is beginning its rebirth.

The paranoid Ministry, in its attempt to quelch these nasty rumors, places Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) into Hogwart’s revolving Defence of the Dark Arts position. Her pull with the rank-and-file soon finds her duties escalated into High Inquisitor, creating new rules by the hour for students, limiting their rights as well as their studies. Umbridge is more textbook than example teacher and with the Voldemort threat ever on the student’s minds, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) convince Harry to form their own underground sessions (a Dead Magician’s Society, if you will) to prepare for the worst.

Order of the Phoenix will play differently for many casual viewers and that’s intentional. There are many questions to be answered, but the adventure aspect of solving the mystery is no longer a game to be played. The Goblet of Fire competition was the final shift into this darker territory; interrupted before a winner declared and our heroes coming face-to-face with death for the very first time. Hiding children from the end of life may seem like advisable parenting, but it’s now become a key element in the Potter series. Another instantly likable new character, Luna Lovegood (newcomer Evanna Lynch), nicknamed “Looney” for her catatonic-like tranquility, has also seen a loved one die. This experience allows her to see the spirits of the Thestrals, who look liked rotted horses but are loyal and friendly transports whom the students need to get from one place to the next.

Parents may feel a little uneasy exposing their young ones to such harsh truths. (After all, three times as many people went to see Night at the Museum over Charlotte’s Web.) But if your children have been growing up on the Potter series, then Rowling’s progression continues to be a blessing rather than a curse. The fifth chapter even comforts mom and dad that their little boy or girl’s rebellious streak may actually be a positive momentum to their growth as an adult. Forced to sidestep the teachings of adults that may seem archaic in an ever-changing universe, they seek out knowledge for the betterment instead of being shoehorned into precisely what the status quo tells you is essential learning. What a revolutionary concept for children to be learning. And you thought this was all about magic spells and witchcraft.

Of course, there’s always room for child development in the form of night sweats and the nice aside for Harry’s first kiss and a post-liplock discussion with his closest friends. But Phoenix’s excitement comes not in the form of spectacular set pieces or big special effects moments. It’s in the added and premature pressure for Harry and his classmates to grow up through lessons the adults don’t want to teach and would rather keep them hidden from forever. As physically villainous as Voldemort is trying to enter Harry’s mind, it’s Staunton’s Umbridge that represents a greater and more sinister evil. Decked out in her bright colors and plastered smile, Umbridge is a teacher we have probably all had; set in her tunnel vision beliefs that her way is the right way. No debate. Punishment for the most base of dissenters. Umbridge is the quintessential harbinger of the worst of religion, politics and leadership and Staunton’s performance is frighteningly dead-on for a character who could have been a cartoonish roadblock instead of a disturbing threat.

Order of the Phoenix does end with a colors-blazing battle of wills that delivers as a combination of forces and an unleashing of the struggles Harry & Co. have faced for close to two hours already. As the shortest film in the series at 139 minutes (for the longest book to date at 870 pages) it occasionally struggles to implement one too many subplots, such as Hagrid’s giant brother or Sirius’ ill-tempered house troll. An extra 20-30 minutes could have given a few of them to breathe while continuing to expand the more central drives of Umbridge’s fascist control and the divide of Hogwart’s students into even further specialized cliques. After a pair of viewings, I’m still most impressed with this effort in a way that I didn’t feel after leaving the last couple. Chamber of Secrets remains my favorite simply for the way it perfectly recalled the fanciful adventures of the early ‘80s and Goblet of Fire nicely blended the excitement and forboding darkness to come. Phoenix succeeds where Alfonso Cuaron’s highly overrated Prisoner of Azkaban stumbled as its more focused on the development of the kids than the mythos of the world around them. For that, I see it standing the test of time and something kids (and adults) of all ages can look back upon and say “I remember those times…” even if they didn’t have a magic wand to play with.

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originally posted: 07/10/07 14:27:34
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