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Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Umbridge's world.
★★★
This is the point in the Potterverse film franchise a new crew comes in. David Yates steps in as the director of this film and the rest of the series. Before Harry Potter, David Yates was more of a TV director, rather than a film director. Specifically, political TV films.
As a kid, this used to be in my top three, however, upon recent viewing, this is no longer in my top three, but rather in my top five. You may wonder why this fall is much lower on my list. Well, keep reading to find out.
My biggest problem with this film is the director. David Yates' directing for this film doesn't work for most of the time. Rather than focusing on the story, the side characters, and the key points in the story, Yates put most of the focus on Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), and Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). Everyone else just takes the backseat. Even Ron and Hermione (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) don't get much character development. While I appreciate the main characters getting development, the side characters like some of the members of the order, for example, should've gotten more development. The scene at the Dursleys should have been expanded. In the book, it shows us a different side of the Dursleys, especially Petunia. It is mentioned that she knows about the dementors. She becomes worried and concerned not only for her family but also for Harry when she learns that Voldemort has returned, even after Dumbledore's howler, "REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA!" However, in the film, it just cuts after Harry gets a letter from the ministry saying he was expelled from Hogwarts.
Another problem I have is the editing, the way the scenes shift and morph together is very rocky. There's one scene that bothers me the most and that's Snape's worst memory. I remember being disappointed in the film was cutting down Snape's worst memory. I enjoyed reading the chapter in the book but was disappointed that the film cut it down. It felt rushed. It was edited. First, it showed Snape as a student with something on his shoe, then him sitting in the corner of his house or something, and then James bullying him. Here are the problems I've noticed. Those first two scenes have no meaning, they just show Snape as a sad pathetic loser. Secondly, James bullying Snape had no purpose. It doesn't tell us why he bullies him. It's just out of nowhere. Anyone who hasn't read the books, wouldn't get it. Third, it was edited, everything goes by too fast, and one can hardly comprehend what in the world was happening. I feel like Yates didn't want to include this scene so he just phoned it in. They already cut the Maruder's backstory from the third film, the least they could've done was extend Snape's worst memory.
There's a big mistake I've noticed in the Order of the Phoenix, Harry claims that Voldemort killed Cedric. He was incorrect. It was Wormtail who killed Cedric.
The only things I enjoyed in this film were the action, the character development of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), and Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), the casting of the newest characters, the chemistry between the characters, and Harry starting and teaching the DA.
Other than that, it's just a solid movie, not perfect, but good. This film could've been much more, but alas, this is when WB and J.K. Rowling had given the filmmakers full creative control.