Back in 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the first movie in the fantasy franchise that I got to see in theaters. I remember how nothing could beat my excitement at actually getting to watch the magic unfold on a big screen, how somehow everything felt fresh and new, even though I had already read the book and knew full well what was going to happen. Now, years later, I’ve seen The Order of the Phoenix countless times, but it still casts a spell over me.
The fifth installment in the Harry Potter franchise always seems to have a bad reputation among fans, and truthfully, I’ve never really understood why. As with any adaptation, there are changes that I don’t love, things I would do differently, but director David Yates’ The Order of the Phoenix is a great example of some of the series’ strongest elements, such as its cast, production design, and visual effects. It’s also a necessary part of Harry’s journey, and one where we can really see lead star Daniel Radcliffe start to come into his own.
Harry’s Journey Takes A Dark Turn In The Order Of The Phoenix
Daniel Radcliffe rises to the challenge
The Order of the Phoenix picks up right before Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts, with the young wizard still reeling from the tragic death of Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) and the return of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). If 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire signaled a more mature turn for the franchise with its game-changing ending, this installment officially ushers in the darkness, as evidenced by Harry’s tumultuous emotional state. Not only did Harry witness a horrific murder, but he must also contend with powerful forces in the Wizarding World seeking to undermine his experiences by denying Voldemort’s return.
Through it all, Radcliffe nails Harry’s angst.
In the book, a decent chunk of his dialogue is conveyed through all-caps shouting, and here, Harry shouts at Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), brushes off his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and suffers from nightmares where Voldemort encroaches ever further into his life. The Order of the Phoenix smartly keeps Harry’s personal arc tied to the main plot. As he comes to terms with what he faced before and must face in the future, his decision to lead the underground student defense club Dumbledore’s Army makes perfect sense.
Through it all, Radcliffe nails Harry’s angst. The actor, now a newly-minted Tony winner, will be the first to say his performances in the Harry Potter movies aren’t his best, and I don’t deny that at times he seems uncomfortable in the role. However, the emotional hurdles Harry faces in The Order of the Phoenix allow Radcliffe to expand his range and grow alongside his character. Some of his best work comes in the scenes he shares with his most iconic co-stars, with Gary Oldman and the late, great Alan Rickman providing excellent performances for Radcliffe to build on.
The Order Of The Phoenix Introduces Us To New Characters & Places
And it does so successfully
What The Order of the Phoenix largely excels at is introducing new elements to the franchise, whether it be characters or locations. The series’ production design has always been top-notch, but Stuart Craig’s work really shines with the depiction of locations like the Ministry of Magic and the Room of Requirement. The former is especially a stunning location, from the black-tiled hallways of the lower levels to the cavernous atrium filled with offices overlooking an imposing fountain.
As the pink-clad bigot, Imelda Staunton wholly embodies someone we all hate from the first moment she goes “hem-hem.”
The Order of the Phoenix marks the first appearances of several notable Harry Potter characters, and while a couple of arrivals unfortunately fall flat (Nymphadora Tonks is a far more vibrant character on the page), most are instant successes. At one end of the spectrum, we have Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), the soft-spoken and eccentric Ravenclaw who becomes one of Harry’s closest friends. Lynch is pitch-perfect in the role, nailing Luna’s voice and the way her dreamy demeanor can give way to insightful observations.
And then we have one of Harry Potter‘s most loathsome villains: Dolores Umbridge, Hogwarts’ new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. As the pink-clad bigot, Imelda Staunton wholly embodies someone we all hate from the first moment she goes “hem-hem.” In a franchise that includes spine-chilling antagonists like Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter, another example of The Order of the Phoenix‘s successful debuts), Umbridge has always stood as its very worst, and Staunton gives an impressively scary performance.
The Order Of The Phoenix’s Climactic Fight Is The Franchise’s Best
Few Harry Potter duels are as thrilling as Dumbledore and Voldemort’s
For much of The Order of the Phoenix, Umbridge is the primary villain as she gradually takes over Hogwarts and stomps out any agency the students might have, but the climax of the movie takes it all back to the overarching fight of good versus evil. Everything culminates in what I truly believe is the franchise’s best battle, the atrium fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Before that, Harry and his friends are chased through the creepy Hall of Prophecies in a suspenseful sequence, and our hero suffers a heart-wrenching loss (one that still puts a lump in my throat).
Still, the Dumbledore versus Voldemort duel is a breathtaking example of what magic is capable of. In other Harry Potter movies, duels are mostly kept to flashes of light shooting back and forth, but Yates smartly stages this fight as what it is: A clash between two of the Wizarding World’s most formidable magic-users. Dumbledore traps Voldemort in a ball of water taken straight from the fountain. Voldemort shatters the windowpanes of the Ministry offices and conjures a giant snake made of fire. The visual effects are flawless and demonstrate what the franchise should’ve leaned into way more.
Through its characters and still painfully relevant themes, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix represents some of the best of what the franchise has to offer.
Once the dust quite literally settles, the conflict is brought back to where it began: Voldemort and Harry. The final scene of the movie, where Harry optimistically declares that he and his friends have something worth fighting for, might ring false considering how much strife he went through in this movie alone, but the moment where he wrestles control back from Voldemort at the Ministry and defiantly pities the Dark Lord is a powerful reminder of what kind of character Harry is, and serves as a great conclusion to their latest encounter.
In case this long review hasn’t made it abundantly clear, I have a lot of love in my heart for Harry Potter. That will likely always be true, even as the series’ creator continues to be a person I cannot support. Through its characters and still painfully relevant themes, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix represents some of the best of what the franchise has to offer.
Some characters admittedly get the short end of the stick, and certain book subplots don’t translate as well to screen (we probably could’ve avoided Grawp, let’s be real), but this is a movie that leans into the fantastical to great effect and should be commended for what it accomplishes.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is being re-released in theaters for a limited time on September 14 and 15. The film is 138 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.