
Meanwhile, I suppose it's time to share my thoughts about the fifth Harry Potter movie, which I saw a couple weekends ago. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is an exception to my current boycott of sequels, such as Live Fast or Die Hard and The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Rather, Order of the Phoenix is not a sequel, but part of a planned series, and is based on a book I already know and enjoy.
The fifth book of Harry was famous, or perhaps infamous, for showing the young hero in an unattractive light. In the book, the "boy who lived" goes through an angry phase that led fans to dub him "Caps-Lock Harry." He does a lot of moping, arguing, and yelling at his best friends, and in a climactic temper-tantrum he chews up a good deal of Headmaster Dumbledore's office. But he does have a lot of reasons to be upset. Many of those reasons carry over into this movie, which simplifies and streamlines the plot of the book and, more successfully than in any of the previous Potter films, reshapes it for maximum cinematic effectiveness.

I would like to say more about what happens in this film, but after several tries I realize there is no way to do it without going way too long. I might just point out some of the best parts of this film. It does a wonderful job with the key elements of the story: Harry's relationship with his godfather Sirius, the perky villainy of Dolores Umbridge (perfectly personified by actress Imelda Staunton), the progress and friendship of the students Harry coaches in defensive magic, the government's infuriating effort to suppress Harry's story about the return of Voldemort, the otherworldly "differentness" of Luna Lovegood and how Harry comes to accept it, and the climactic trap/chase/battle involving Harry's friends, the Order of the Phoenix, the Death Eaters, the death of someone close to Harry, and a terrifying duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort. There are also some exciting new creatures: the graceful/grim thestrals, a dozy giant, a herd of furious centaurs, and a spiteful house-elf.

On the other hand, there are also some brilliant touches. My favorite is Harry's parting shot at Umbridge ("Sorry, Professor, but I must not tell lies"), arguably screenwriter Michael Goldenberg's most inspired invention. The motif of zooming in on newspaper headlines is transformed from melodramatic cliche to offbeat charm by the added quirks of moving pictures and self-changing headlines. The editing of the "Umbridge as High Inquisitor" and "Dumbledore's Army" montages gives a convincing impression of the passage of both time and events without allowing the film to bog down in either.

The kids in the cast, too, have grown in their effectiveness; I think particularly of Bonnie Wright (as Ginny), whose performance consists mostly of "reaction shots" in which, for the most part, she shows us the unhappiness of a girl with a crush on a boy who has a crush on another girl. Rupert Grint's best moment (as Ron) is his injured look when his best friend snaps at him for no reason. Emma Watson (as Hermione) has a little more success than in the past in portraying a bossy know-it-all with a heart of gold; her most "genuine" moment is the nervous stammer with which she begins her speech welcoming the raw recruits of Dumbledore's Army. The Phelps twins (as the Weasley twins) are fun as usual, but one can't help but giggle evilly when they decide that their future lies outside the realm of academic achievement. Matthew Lewis gets to show us a bit of Neville's courageous side (though the movie shrinks back from clearly stating that his parents went insane). But the medal for "most improved" young actor goes to Dan Radcliffe as Harry, since for the first time in this series, he never once made me feel like hiding my face in embarrassment. Perhaps it helps that no fake crying was required of him.

IMAGES: The UK adult cover for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Alan Rickman as potions master Snape; Harry (Dan Radcliffe) doing detention under Umbridge (Imelda Staunton); Mr. Weasley (Mark Williams) and Harry using the "visitors' entrance" to the Ministry of Magic; Harry and Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) encountering a thestral in the forest.
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