The rebel comes of age.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  (David Yates, 2007)

The fifth installment to the Harry Potter franchise, Order of the Phoeix, cuts down on the overbearing special effects that normally wows kids (there’s even no Quidditch), tones down unnecessary “wizarding” histrionics, goes straight to the heart of the matter, but still packs a wallop. If not for Cuaron directing Prisoner of Azkaban, I would have easily picked this one as the most grounded and best adaptation in the series. Here, we see Harry elevated into a different playing field, one that tests the essence of his unique personality and gift.

Newcomer David Yates replacing last year’s Mike Newell did an impressive job on such a daunting task. By the looks of it, the fanaticism attached to the series was never raised to the fore; you won’t feel a filmmaker’s compunction to giddily meet his audience’s expectations, especially those who have closely followed the book. Similarly, just like the book, Order of the Phoenix is a departure from childlike fantasies and machinations of the imaginative mind. Hello emotional crisis and adolescent nuances (and the proverbial kiss). Thus, Potter 5 marks Harry’s coming-of-age.

Glumly waiting for his entry into fifth year, he is faced with the threat of expulsion after using a Patronus spell within the sight of a Muggle (his burly cousin Dudley). But of course it is for a reason: Dementors, ghostlike creatures which suck out the al the happiness in you, attacked the two forcing Harry to cast the spell. He is put on trial by the Ministry of Magic led by its shadowy minister Cornelius Fudge. This unjustly-dealt matter with the improper use of magic is the beginning of the intervention of the Ministry with the academic affairs at Hogwarts, primary of which is the designation of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge (played with menacing delight by Imelda Staunton). The school becomes a guarded castle where numerous (some pointless) educational decrees that is suppose to curb academic corruption is issued at the slightest behest of the High Inquisitor Umbridge.  

The presence of the Hogwarts Hitler that is Umbridge compounds the tumultuous fifth year when Harry seems to be experiencing a sudden shift of personality brought about by the later-prophesied connection between him and Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). He is greeted with jeers from the students, even his fellow Gryffindor housemates, when The Daily Prophet denounces him as a liar for believing that the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back. He constantly dreams of a dark alley that seems to be the Department of Mysteries and strongly feels he resembles the serpent in his dreams, one time attacking Mr. Weasly. The dream turns out to be true, for at that time Mr. Weasly was assigned to guard the door – one of the tasks that the Order of the Phoenix, a group of Hogwarts alumni who has fought the Dark Lord, has set out to do.

One of the strongest qualities of the Potter franchise is its strong casting (not just because it’s like a big British thespic showdown, but yes because of that too). Hogwarts mainstays Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore, David Thewlis as Professor Lupin, Emma Thompson as Professor Trelawney, Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape among others stretch out their thespic muscles despite the limited time. Gary Oldman as Harry’s godfather, the only remaining familial bond Harry has, returns as Sirius Black and it also introduces new characters that are worthy of attention: Death-eater Bellatrix Lestrange, the deranged cousin of Sirius who escaped Azkaban along with other death-eaters, is portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter, and the character of Luna Lovegood, an eccentric Ravenclaw (?) junior who joins Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army gang. More screen presence for the character of Neville Longbottom.

As any other film version of the series, the risk of taking out portions from the book is a necessary and challenging task. The transitions in narrative sometimes seem to be abrupt and awkward and non-readers are faced with the task of digesting the meat from the screenplay, which I believe could have helped more, particularly the Ron and Hermione character dynamics present in the book as well as putting more weight into Harry's disillusionment to the much-revered stature of his father James, will probably give more impetus to Harry’s emotional turmoil. I cannot complain much as to portions skipped because as a totality, I felt Yates gave justice to the whole theme. The political subtext is slightly drawn but it also helped complemented to the series’ transition into a darker and serious level. The enthralling magic may not be the same as watching the first three but the heart is there, and Harry is ready to tread on mature grounds, something that is worth anticipating for.