THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
There is no doubt that evil will test our morals the older we get to kill us from within. If you don’t believe so, look at Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
PLOT
Based on JK Rowling’s fifth novel in her Wizarding World franchise, the 2007 adaptation follows the titular wizard go through another rough year after witnessing the death of Hogwarts classmate Cedric Diggory, as a result of the returning Dark Lord Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort. Before the semester even starts, he and his cousin Dudley Dursley (Harry Melling) get attacked by dementors, causing the protagonist to defend himself with the Patronus Charm. However because teenage wizards are not supposed to use magic outside of wizarding schools, the Ministry of Magic considers expelling him until Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore suspends the decision until he is given a hearing. Harry would then be picked up other respectful wizards who are part of Albus' secret organization, the Order of the Phoenix. Those who pick him up include Alistair 'Mad Eye' Moody (Brendan Gleeson), Nymphadora Tonks (Natalia Tena) and Kingsley Shacklebolt (George Harris), the latter of which is an Auror that works for the Ministry. Upon arriving to the Order's headquarters, Harry reunites with those he's missed dearly since the previous semester: Hermione Granger, the Weasley family, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) and his godfather Sirius Black, the latter of which is falsely accused of being responsible for the death of his parents. When catching up, Sirius would share with Harry that the Ministry, particularly the Minister Cornelius Judge, is stonewalling the truth of Voldemort's return who is looking for something he couldn't get before. On the day of the hearing, Albus does help Harry get exonerated and resume going to Hogwarts, but the headmaster chooses to distance himself from him and refuse to explain. At the beginning of the semester, Fudge would appoint Senior Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge as the new professor of Dark Arts Defense. But no one would enjoy her way of teaching due to how she wouldn't teach any defensive spells at all. Harry would be the first to call her out for it, but he would be punished for mentioning Voldemort. She would force him to write multiple times on paper "I must not tell lies", but she would take it too far by scarring the quote on his own hand. His closest friends Hermione and Ron Weasley would notice and suggest telling someone, but he chooses not to due to being aware it wouldn't go the way he wants. As Umbridge gains more political power within Hogwarts, Harry also befriends with Luna Lovegood of House Ravenclaw who is in the same graduate year as Ron's younger sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright). During their brief time together, she would introduce him to winged horses dubbed 'thestrals' which are only visible to those who have witnessed death. Tired of not learning important spells, Harry goes out of his way, encouraged by Ron & Hermione, to teach students important defensive spells, being dubbed as 'Dumbledore's Army' or DA for short. Apart from Ginny & Luna, those who join include Gryffindor's Neville Longbottom and Fred & George Weasley, as well as Ravenclaw's Cho Chang who was Cedric's girlfriend before he died. Harry would naturally start a romantic relationship with her after sharing a kiss, but Hermione later points out she still misses Cedric. Albus would stop Umbridge from banishing Professor Sybill Trelawney (Emma Thompson), but would continue ignoring Potter in the process. After hearing rumors of DA, she would form the Inquisitorial Squad with caretaker Argus Filch (David Bradley) and Slytherin students that include Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) intending to uncover the secretive group. They would struggle to catch Harry's group in the act as they would hide in the Room of Requirement, one that only appears when students are in particular need of it and provide whatever is required at the moment. Harry's mental connection with Voldemort would become stronger than before when having a nightmare of Ron's father Arthur (Mark Williams) being attacked the Ministry's headquarters, but saw it in the perspective of the dark lord's pet snake Nagini. He would be able to alert Dumbledore of it, resulting in him being quickly rescued as it was proven to be true. However with the worry of the dark lord trying to exploit their connection. Albus would appoint Severus Snape to give nightly crash courses on Occlumency, where he must teach him to block his mind from Voldemort's influence. The lessons would be halted when an argument between the student and teacher would result in Harry discovering that his father James was a bully towards Snape in their time as Hogwarts students, hence the present animosity he's had towards him. After winter break, Harry would reunite with Rubeus Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) who had been absent as gamekeeper due to trying to recruit giants to be part of Dumbledore's Army. Some time after this, loyal Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, cousin to Sirius has broken out of Azkaban prison. This frightens Neville as she tortured his parents to the point of insanity with the illegal Cruciatus Curse. The cover of DA would be blown when Umbridge finds the Room of Requirement which only became possible after interrogating Cho. Fudge would order Dumbledore to be arrested after the discovery, but the headmaster would flee in the process, causing Umbridge to become Headmistress. Tired of a boring semester, Fred & George launch an enormous firework display which causes extreme chaos for Umbridge. As the students enjoy the show, Harry would have another vision where he sees Voldemort now torturing Sirius. Potter would try to alert the Order but is quickly caught by Umbridge in the process. The headmistress would demand Snape to grant her Veritaserum, a truth potion to get the exact truth out of him, but the teacher assures her she used it all up after last using it on Cho, meaning she was forced to tell of the Room of Requirement. Harry would then speak in code of him that Sirius is in danger and as a fellow member of the Order, he ignores it in front of Umbridge. Still determined to get answers, she threatens to use the Cruciatus Curse on him until Hermione claims she'll take him to Dumbledore's secret weapon in the Forbidden Forest. This would only be a trap for her to have a stunning encounter with Hagrid's giant half brother Gwamp and get kidnapped by centaurs. With no obstacle any more to stop him, he heads to the Ministry’s HQ to save his godfather. Besides Ron & Hermione, those that join him include: Neville, Ginny & Luna, the latter who helps everyone get there via thestrals. Upon arrival, they find the Department of Ministries where Harry last saw Sirius. There, he finds the bottled prophecy that was last seen in his vision. When he wields it, he hears a portion of it claims “The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal but he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not. For neither can live while the other survives”. Just after hearing this, Death Eaters arrive which include Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs). The latter tells the lead protagonist that he was tricked to see what Voldemort wanted him to see as he was searching for the prophecy. The young wizards would defend themselves and try to retreat up until finding themselves in the room of the Veil, an archway that the Ministry was built around, containing souls of the the dead. Cornered, Harry would surrender the prophecy to Lucius and just when he does, Sirius arrives with the Order to better the odds which was possible thanks to Snape warning them where Potter was going. Harry would stay with his godfather to fend off the Death Eaters while his friends try to retreat, which would unknowingly become a grave mistake because just when he helps overpower Lucius and destroy the prophecy, Bellatrix would slay her cousin with the Killing Curse. Heartbroken and angry, Potter pursues Lestrange and attempts revenge but stops himself when he hears Voldemort's voice push him to commit murder, trying to break him like he has been all year. Just when he shows up in person, Dumbledore does as well to duel with the dark lord. The battle would then end when Voldemort tries to possess Potter, pushing the wizard to sacrifice him. However, Harry is able to overcome the possession and push him out of control due to his ability to love, like what he has with his all friends. Defeated again, Voldemort leaves but warns his rival he will soon lose everything. Just before he retreats as would Bellatrix, Fudge arrives just in time with other aurors and witnesses him leaving. Accepting the truth, Umbridge would be removed from the position of Hogwarts' headmistress, whereas Dumbledore would be reinstated as headmaster and vindicated like Potter. With another school year gone by, Albus would confess that his past act of being distant was an attempt to prevent Voldemort exploiting their connection. As Harry would board the train that would take him to the Dursleys, the film would end with him declaring to his friends they can still defeat Voldemort because they have love unlike him, which to them is worth fighting for.
THOUGHTS
2007 was a peak year of fandom of those who love the Wizarding World franchise for those who got to see this in theaters and at the same time read Rowling's final novel entry, the Deathly Hallows. Expectations would be high on where direction would be taken on bringing things full circle by the time we get there. At this point, David Yates would set things up so well that he would stick around for the remainder of the film adaptations, all the way up to the Fantastic Beasts films. Everything we loved from before elevates as we would expect because that is the name of the game is to keep things exciting in a fictional landscape. The production design really has a whole other elevation because while you would start to feel how Hogwarts is much bigger than you imagined, it was quite special to see the Ministry's headquarters as it was talked about for so long. The visual effects of course have their own pay off because while it was intriguing to see creatures like thestrals, it was without question a captivating moment when Dumbledore and Voldemort had their first and only duel. Each entry in this franchise has grown to be special in their own way for telling us something that sticks with us forever. For this one, we have this coming of age story, big theme of the series, with a twist that tells us it is always our own choices that will define us and not those who tempt us go against our morals, and it is the gift of unity that makes one stronger. Without the gift of love and will, it can be easy to be emotionally crippled, a feeling that is impossible to be prepared for. This is what our titular protagonist goes through and Daniel Radcliffe expresses all the stress he has to consume all at once. He's a teenage orphan going through puberty and can't stand how people outside his inner circle doubt him of what he wen through the previous year. And his emotions get the best of him half the time because he doesn't know how to be natural on saying what's bothering him. Despite all the temptation that was surrounding him, you're in awe that he kept his morals intact and didn't become broken no matter how close he was. Ralph Fiennes is hardly present as Voldemort yet at this point, you feel all the tension knowing he's around. His goal in this entry is to corrupt Harry whenever he infiltrates his mind, yet failed when being reminded he doesn't have the ability to love like his rival does. Despite this brief defeat, it won't stop him from getting what he wants as it will only make him furthermore determined. Again, Harry does not have love had it not been for the ones who choose to do so without a second thought. Rupert Grint & Emma Watson still make great friends out of Ron & Hermione because they know Harry's pain and they want him at his most stay centered. They're the only ones to truly motivate him to do the absolute because they know he wouldn't want Cedric's death in vain, which he proves when teaching true Dark Arts Defense in secret as long as he did. The confidence they give towards him would also encourage themselves to boost their own confidence because they never thought they would be capable of what they can do until they do it. In fact, this confidence passes on to others just as they would have hoped. When we first saw Matthew Lewis play Neville all the way back in the Sorcerer/Philosopher's Stone, we were aware on what a shy boy he was. With the friendship and guidance of Harry however, he gained confidence much stronger than before where he was almost willing to confront Bellatrix herself. What hasn't been said enough is the great dynamic of James & Oliver Phelps as Fred & George Weasley. You just can't help enjoy how mischievous they are in the most friendly way possible. They were all about having fun and they reminded how Hogwarts can be just that when standing up to Umbridge. While Harry had his handful of friends, it does not mean there wasn't room to make more. Evanna Lynch made Luna so special because she's unconventially sweet and gives an extra layer of warmth Harry needed. They get along so well due to relating to the feeling of loss. Harry in a way looks up to her as well because he sees how she doesn't let it define her and it only makes her stronger which she proved when standing up to Death Eaters. As a teen, you are bound to pursue the intimate form of love and Harry would find his first when it came to Cho. Katie Leung had us enjoy the presence of Cho because she had her own level of sweetness and kindness. She was a good match with Harry for a while because she admired his confidence that he gave as a teacher and I think Harry liked her back for that in return. It was a shame that it abruptly ended due to Umbridge's actions, but them staying just friends is for the best because had they tried, they both would've kept thinking about Cedric which only make it harder for them to move on. Harry will always have friends, but mentors are always the ones that come rare these days and he knew when it came to his relationship with Dumbledore. Michael Gambon really tested the waters for having his own character test his wisdom with something that wasn't guaranteed to work. His decision to be distant from Harry all semester was so bold of a decision it pushed Harry's patience because he couldn't understand why someone who is supposed to care about him only chooses to ignore without explanation until it was too late. Despite feeling such, he still had his back when mattered most which was fending off Voldemort. Whenever we see Snape, we get the sense of feeling how there's a hater in the room because Alan Rickman has always portrayed him to be a stern teacher towards Harry. However, no one would've expected the reason to come from being bullied by his own dad, which you can say the trauma from it has made him quite insecure. Even though James changed his attitude enough to maintain a healthy relationship with Lily, it didn't undo what he did. Despite learning of this the way Harry does, we're relieved that he remains loyal to the right cause. Gary Oldman steals our hearts as Sirius this time around because he is everything the Dursleys aren't which is being so true to heart with the only family Harry has left. Although he didn't spend enough time with him like he wished, he made it matter whenever he was capable to protect him. Sadly, his commitment led to his own demise. His death broke our hearts like it did for Harry because he was feeling more alone than before losing the one relative that loved him unconditionally. Little would we expect this to happen by someone from his own bloodline. Helena Bonham Carter would really take the wheel and let loose in embracing how completely sadistic and deranged Bellatrix as a villain. She is smart when no one expects her to be, which she proves when threatening Neville and crippling emotionally by killing her own cousin. As much as she deserves to have gone through a demise, it is a relief for Harry to not go through with it because Voldemort would have succeeded in corrupting him and everything he went through would have all been for nothing. As if Death Eaters and a dark lord weren't enough, Harry actually put up with the worst teacher ever. Imelda Staunton was the true highlight of this film because she stood out for defining Umbridge as the teacher everyone hates. You want to respect her for wanting to do right by the Ministry, but you know she goes too far with her attitude towards children. And if you don't like kids in the first place, that is already a red flag. The creepiest part about her is how she doesn't blink and the pink all around her is a facade of the darkness she has deep down. It was never said legitimately that she sent the dementors after Harry, but she does imply it during the hearing when addressing only the Ministry can summon them where/whenever. The only reason she is hostile towards Harry because him speaking the truth only paves the way for Fudge to lose power and since she's part of his cabinet, she ain't willing to lose it either. For the most part, Robert Hardy makes Fudge quite bumptious as he was kind to Harry from the start, but his paranoia and denial makes him change that, which is why Umbridge acts the way she does. Thankfully, her reign of power ended before it could truly start and Fudge accepted the obvious truth before things got worse. With that in mind, we can only be hopeful that the war does not end us all. I still enjoy this movie whenever I have the time to re-watch, but it doesn’t excuse some things story wise that don’t make that much sense. For instance, isn’t it crazy the Ministry received intelligence that Harry used magic outside school yet didn’t know about the dementors. Since Harry has to bring it up during his hearing, I’m surprised the Ministry wasn’t investigated. And how the hell is London empty near the one telephone booth Harry and Arthur go to in order to enter the Ministry’s HQ? If there’s an enchantment done to make them ignore it, that should be just as clarified when deducing what Umbridge was doing. And nobody is conveniently in the public Waiting Room where Sirius needs to say goodbye to Harry before returning to Hogwarts. Also, how the hell does Hermione not know about thestrals being invisible to those who don’t witness death? She’s the bookworm, she should know shit like this. Going on for 5 years not knowing this is more insane than the hypocrisy of calling Luna ‘Loony’. I’m even surprised Umbridge went so far as to publicly shame fire Trelawney in the middle of the courtyard. This may prove she has no decency like she thinks she does, but it’s baffling neither Dumbledore nor Professor Minerva McGonnagall (Maggie Smith) stopped her sooner. Moving on, how did the student Dean Thomas (Alfred Enoch) not know Harry can do the Patronus Charm? That was the reason there was a hearing and if you’re telling me he was ignoring the news unlike everyone else, that’s fucking more insane than neither Hermione nor Harry not discovering the Room of Requirement sooner. Also, why is there only one hallway wall for Filch to hang up Umbridge’s proclamations? You can see it as a fun gag, but he doesn’t have to put himself at risk like that for climbing so high. On top of that, why is Bellatrix the only witch to use the killing curse unlike the Death Eaters she was with? If they were choosing not to, that was just lazy on their end. Ignore this, then youll still enjoy the movie as is. In short, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is another fine entry for the franchise for racking up the intensity to be clear on how high the stakes are. If you’ve enjoyed past entries, there’s no reason to miss out on this either.
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