Emily Belsey

I went and saw the fifth HP movie today, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

I was going to go last night to the 12:01 a.m. showing, but ended up going today at the 3:00 p.m. showing. (Yes, I was supposed to be at work at that time, but they sent a bunch of us home early because they were overstaffed and under-booked – that’s a whole story that I’m still too frustrated to go into right now.)

First of all, my friend and I were able to walk right up to the ticket counter and get tickets less than an hour before the movie started with no problem. There was a line outside the theatre for the 3pm showing, but there were only about two dozen people in in it. And when they let us inside (a good 40 minutes before the previews started), there were still only about 30 of us. I played Goldilocks and changed my seat three times before I was happy.

By the time the lights dimmed, the theatre was probably a good two-thirds full, but definitely not sold out.

Why, people! Why wasn’t it sold out? I know some of you probably have jobs that don’t send you home in the middle of the day, but what about all the kids and students on summer vacation?? I guess they all had tickets to later shows, because when I left the theatre at 5:30 p.m., they were all outside, already in lines for the 8:00 p.m. showing. (I just realized that all those people are only just now halfway through the movie!)

I know, I know, this doesn’t sound much like a review, more of a recap of my afternoon, but I just wanted to set the scene.

So, the review.

I have read all 6 of the Harry Potter books, and seen all of the movies. The books were ok, most of the time entertaining, and not insulting to read. But the movies… Ah, I love the movies. They’re fun, action-packed, and they make me want to be a part of that magical world. I’ll be honest here: I like the movies a lot better than I like the books. For me, the books are supplemental material that enhance the viewing of the movies, mostly by adding backstory and depth to characters.

J. K. Rowling did a good job creating and establishing this magic world, but I think she didn’t do herself or the story justice in her execution in writing the novels. I think the different directors did the real job of creating the Harry Potter universe that we love. They took Rowling’s Potter universe and interpreted it in their own distinct styles, yet still maintained and improved upon the integrity of the story.

The fifth movie is no exception. However, I don’t think it’s as strong of a film as The Prisoner of Azkaban or The Goblet of Fire. (The first two movies, The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, are in a different class because the story and its child leads were young and still developing – very good, however, for what they promised to be and for what they ultimately were.)

The Order of the Phoenix is less action and more drama.  The main leads have definitely developed into talented young actors (evidence of Daniel Radcliffe’s recent stint on stage is prominent), and being surrounded by immortal fellow thespians like Gary Oldman, Emma Thompson, and Alan Rickman (my personal favorite – he almost steals every scene he’s in) can only help.

There were several parts of the movie that had me holding my breath not because I was worried a character was going to be hurt by an exotic beast, bludger, or Malfoy, but because the inner turmoil and angst was so physically affecting them.  Really, the acting jumped up a few notches in Order of the Phoenix.

I guess I was a little disappointed because there was less action and fun than in the previous films (Fred and George hardly misbehaved at all), but I should have expected it because the books themselves have drifted from “well-mannered frivolity” to the darkness of teen hormones, bad dreams, and pure evil.  And if the movie had deviated from the path set by the books… Well, then it would have failed in its mission as an adaptation of the book.

ANYWAY… I liked the movie and I’ll go see it again with anyone who wants to see it.  We just have to see it at an AMC theatre, because that’s where I have a free movie ticket pass thingy.  I’d also like to see it on a DLP screen, because the special effects are really cool (the thestrals don’t look anything like I thought they would) and I bet they’re just crystal clear in digital projection.

My apologies for the long review.  Snaps for you if you actually read the whole thing.

P.S. In case you haven’t noticed, Willow (played by Warwick Davis) has been in all the HP movies.  He’s Professor Flitwick!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 10:19 pm and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.