By the time this is printed, Potter-passion will have reached fever pitch, with many skimming the pages of the latest book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows” to see which of their beloved heroes survives.
While Harry, Ron and Hermoine may cast their last spell on page, fans (and nan-fans) can still drink in the magic potion on the big screen for a few more years, starting with the just-released “Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth of the seven-part series.
Each film has gained momentum in terms of storytelling, style and clarity. What makes “Phoenix” rise is what it leaves out.
Sheared of several subplots that the 807-page tome contained (adios, Ron and Hermione storylines; sayonara house elves), screenwriter Michael Goldberg keeps the hocus pocus focus solely on our titular wizard and the impending dread of a confrontation with Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Finnes).
The result is the leanest “Potter” yet. At a taut 138 minute, “Phoenix” cuts to the quick and cuts out the Quiddich, leaving a foreboding emotional core that stands as one of the series' best.
Potter (played by the ever-studlier Daniel Radcliffe) is once again taking residence with his wretched adopted family, after surviving a near-fatal attack against Voldemort, that noseless nuisance of the Dark Arts and the one responsible for the deaths of Harry's parents.
When Harry is forced to vanquish two rogue underworld spirits by casting spells, it placed him in front of the Ministry of Magic's counsel, who seek to expel the young sorcerer from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for practicing magic in the human world before he turned 18 (apparently magic and alcohol have a lot in common).
Rushing to his defense is Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), who gets Harry reinstated, but whose actions rouse suspicion with the ministry that he is seeking higher office and that he actually believes that Voldemort could resurface from the depths of hell.
The deck of tarot cards seems stacked against Harry and Dumbledore, as the ministry uses a series of smears in the Ministry-controlled press. It also unleashes one of its most ferocious attack dogs upon the school.
This attack dog, however, is in the form of a fluffy pink poodle named Dolores Umbridge (impeccably played by Imelda Staunton). Topped with a pillbox hat and dressed like a dumpy tuft of cotton candy, Umbridge is all forced smiles and rigid rule-making. Her power spreads, and she ultimately replaces Dumbledore as headmaster, sending the school back to the Dark Ages of education (the references to “creationism” being acceptable in some current classrooms cannot be overlooked here).
Meanwhile, Harry leads a rebellious lot of burgeoning witches, including longtime pals Ron Weasley (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (played by Emma Watson), potential Potter flame Cho Chang (played by Katie Leung) and spacey newcomer Luna Lovagood (played by Emma Lynch), to prepare for the imminent Voldemort standoff they may all face.
For the makers of “Phoenix,” there was a price to pay for the film's condensed nature: many characters are introduced with little fanfare or backstory, so it's hard to invest much interest in some of the action. But director David Yates, a veteran of British television, has signed on the for the next Potter film, “The Half-Blood Prince,” so many of the development may take place in the near future.
For now, he continues to build on the franchise's momentum. Where director Chris Columbus “birthed” the series, Alfonso Cuaron added the adult edge and mystery, and Mike Newell followed up by giving “Potter” its first feel of epic sweep.
Yates manages to give his actors (and let's face it, he's got the most impressive support ensemble from the other side of the pond – Maggie Smith, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Emma Thompson and perhaps the series' tentpole of acting, Alan Rickman) just enough time to shine without having the film feel overcrowded.
His direction has helped to make “Phoenix” Potter's most bewitching spell yet.
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