More Darkness in 'Order of the Phoenix'

It’s wrong to rate the "Harry Potter” stories progressively higher because they’re darker. “Harry Potter” has been dark from the beginning. It begins in The Sorcerer’s Stone with a young Harry relentlessly abused by his good-for-nothing relatives, after all. But “Harry Potter” has always possessed a moody, mysterious element that makes it such an engaging fantasy series.

“The Order of the Phoenix” continues the trend, sometimes overdoing it. Artificial darkness enhancements, like amping up the dementors, clichéd quick-edit evil dream sequences and an off-the-wall climactic fight scene (which is nevertheless entertaining). But the darkness of Harry Potter seems to just exist and extend into each frame. It is there, never to be undone.

With Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) alive and gaining power, a mass breakout at Azkaban (the wizard prison) occurs, as many death eaters (Voldemort’s followers) rush to join him. Therefore, the order of the phoenix (an organization formed to fight Voldemort during his previous reign) re-emerges to combat this growing threat. Aurors such as Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) and Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena), a young, violet-haired auror who really really hates being called by her first name, join the effort, along with Harry’s Godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) and former Hogwarts professor/werewolf Remus Lupin (David Thewlis).

As more and more characters fill the story, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson), Harry’s best friends, become much less important. This story builds even more focus around Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), who, along with Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), is accused by the Ministry of Magic of lying when he claims that Voldemort has returned. Most people are here specifically to react to Harry’s adventure.

Radcliffe, thankfully, has developed and matured Harry’s over the years. No longer does his courage and anger come out in a whiney fashion. They are polished in the way that one would expect from a wizard with plenty of life-and-death experience under his belt.

All that said, an advantage of the “Potter” stories is the introduction of new and interesting characters. Indeed the best part of “Order of the Phoenix” is Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge, a higher-up in the ministry installed as defense against the dark arts teacher in order to keep an eye on Hogwarts. Like Brendan Gleeson did for Mad-Eye Moody in “The Goblet of Fire” (sadly he receives little time here), Staunton gives a brilliant performance as the maniacal, dictatorial, um, that-which-must-not-be-spoken. She does a wonderful job of selling the phony caring attitude and her smiles are overtly ruthless.

Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) is another new character, and while her presence doesn’t carry near the weight of Umbridge’s, she has a certain eerie feel to her. Even her smile is somewhat ghostly. Lynch is very good in this regard.

Perhaps most challenging for filmmakers who construct a movie out of a superiorly long book (The Order of the Phoenix is the longest Potter book at approximately 870 pages) is to make sure the movie doesn’t feel fragmented. Script-writer Michael Goldenberg succeeds for the most part in creating a full sense of Harry’s dramatic journey.

But there is one character with a glaring lack of attention given to him.

Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis).

Neville’s parents’ fate is one of the most dramatic aspects to the series. Death eater Bellatrix Lestrange, aided by some of her peers, tortured them into insanity. Even the thought of that is absolutely devastating.

The most poignant scene in the Phoenix book, in fact, occurs at the hospital when Harry and others visit the ravaged Arthur Weasley. While there, Harry, Ron and Hermoine come across Neville as he’s visiting his parents, permanently confined.

So why, in the movie, must we be given nothing but a short, blunt explanation by Neville about what happened to his parents, and nothing else?

While alone with Harry, Neville, just comes out and informs him about what happened to his parents. It’s hasty and unsatisfying.

That aside, “The Order of the Phoenix” does move at a fast pace. Sometimes a bit too fast. My biggest gripe in this regard might be the scenes with Harry teaching his fellow students defense against the dark arts. Of course, since Umbridge teaches them nothing of real value, Harry and the gang must create their own underground society. But the whole experience doesn’t have that feeling of growth that would make it especially compelling.

In fact, there is a sense of naivety among Harry’s pupils. Or Harry himself warns them, in a passionate speech when he first starts teaching them, that learning this stuff in school is one thing, but doing it for real is something else. But his pupils take to his teachings the way they might anything else, with a pleasant, almost joyful sense of accomplishment, without seemingly contemplating why they’re learning it.

One could interpret this as symbolizing the growth that Harry has experienced compared to everyone else. I see it as potential drama gone unfulfilled.

It is interesting also that Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) becomes much less important in this movie than in the book, although still became a member Dolores’s law-enforcing High Inquisitral Squad in Hogwarts. Somehow it seems refreshing. Not that Draco is a poor character, or that Felton doesn’t play him well. But the relationship between Harry and Draco consists of childish quibbling, nothing more. This would not be prudent for the more “adult” direction that “Harry Potter” is moving in.

Although it’s always been dark.

Grade: B