Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review
”Magical? I think not.”
Don’t you hate it when people always say “The book was better”? Well, yeah. Literature, in general, tends to engulf a reader while movies stimulate in less time. That isn’t to negate the possibility of a movies power on a viewer, but literature has a more personal impact. This is because we create the wolrd the author describes, and we develop nuances. It’s always dicey to make heralded(or unheralded for that matter) pieces of literature fit exactly right in a movie. But if we were making a go-to-guide on how to transfer a book to movie successfully, this movie would not be on that list.
I am a Potter fan. I was at the midnight mosh-pit at Borders books to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(more on that later). As unbiased as a biased man can be, I will explain my dissapointment with this flick. Let me begin by saying that this book isn’t the best out of the 7; it may be toward the bottom of the list. It’s still a fun book and definetely worthwhile, but it’s a story that pales in comparison to the other masterpieces of the set. That being said, the movie had no kinetic energy, no undercurrent of excitement whatsoever. It felt to me like the actors are tired of doing these films and they’re simply going through the motions. This all began after the third movie.
Goblet of Fire is such an easy story to transfer onto the big screen, what with it’s action beats already in place. Viewers were spoiled with the first two movies coming out as solid as they were, and truely spoiled when Cuaron made the third movie(A movie I’ve grown to appreciate). Order of the Phoenix has the effects and the magic, but lacks some truely endearing moments or any sense of chemistry or energy. Rupert Grint, the actor who plays Ron, used to drop clever one liners and deliver funny moments. No longer. The chemistry between the 3 main actors has either whithered or simply died, and the movie itself serves as nothing but fufilling a requirement.
I was always against changing the Potter cast. I thought that if the actors could maintain their energy and chemistry, the movies would continue to be fun affairs. The past two movies have dwindled in that aspect. This movie, while providing good action, good effects and a story that is laden with intrigue, drops the ball with literally no type of…well…fun. Credit to be given is to Radcliffe, the Potter himself, who is a gifted actor, and who maintains some semblance of the character he has helped re-create. I understand the story must be trimmed and cut down, and I had no problem with their omissions, but the movie felt flat. Barring the finale and some cool moments involving Voldemort, the movie drags. The concept for book 5 is to set up the coming closing films and to please fans with a solid movie. This movie pales badly in comparison to it’s predecessors, taking some of the good of the earlier installments and totally missing the point of the kinesis that is inherent in Rowling’s prose.
I was sorely dissapointed by Order of the Phoenix. I’d love for the people producing this to find some fresh talent to help invigorate this franchise in it’s final two (and best) installments. Rowlings work deserves better than this “going-throug-the-motions” crap the cast and production team has pieced together. This movie get’s a 5 out of 10 Bones, for just not getting there and lacking in energy.
RATING: