Rating of
3/4
Abridged Phoenix Rising
Chris Kavan - wrote on 07/18/07
I never thought I would say this about any Harry Potter film, but this one was too short. Order of the Phoenix is the longest in the Potter novels and the film gets across the broad strokes, but loses much of the details.
The good thing is that what is on screen gets everything right. The three leads continue their improvement. Plus both newcomers and the other actors who've been around since the beginning, even if some of the parts amount to glorified cameos, find a good rhythm. The best addition this time around is no doubt Imelda Staunton who is pitch perfect as the delightfully evil Dolores Umbridge - the militaristic new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher who is all about rules and fluffy pink outfits.
Phoenix is also delves a little deeper into darkness as Harry must confront a general populace, including some old friends, who think he is a liar or a glory hound for saying Voldemort is back in town. Plus, he's still reeling from the death of Cedric not to mention his feelings for Cho Chang, the girl Cedric was going out with.
With so much to pack into one film, the worst part was seeing so many good actors: Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Brendan Gleeson even Gary Oldman (who has a very important part to play) being reduced to such limited screen time. However, when they are on screen, they make it their own.
The action is good - what with Harry teaching his own peers about real Defense Against the Dark Arts and the big showdown in the Ministry at the end - featuring a magical smackdown between Dumbledore and Voldemort. It's enough to keep the pulse up, anyway.
All in all, the fifth Harry Potter film holds up well. The major problem is the whole thing just feels a bit rushed - making the longest book into the shortest movie may have started out as a good idea, but in the end, I just wanted more.
