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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Movie Review
August 5, 2007
Directed by David Yates
Starring the voices of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph
Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Jason Isaacs, and Michael
Gambon.
Backstory
A lot of people are stunned when I tell them that my exposure to Harry Potter
has been purely cinematic. I haven't read the books, and I really
don't have much of an interest in picking them up. However, I do like to
keep up-to-date on my pop culture phenomena, so I make it a point to go see the
movies. Besides, they've been pretty good movies so far.
Plot
It's year 5 at Hogwarts, and Harry Potter is a haunted young man. He still
has nightmares about the death of his friend Cedric (see the last film or book)
and the return of Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed his parents.
Throw in the fact that the Ministry of Magic is trying to cover up Voldemort's
return...they're playing it up as a plot by Professor Dumbledore and Harry
Potter to overthrow the ministry. This leads to Ministry Undersecretary
Dolores Umbridge becoming the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and she
proceeds to run Hogwarts in a manner that would make Big Brother proud.
This, in turn, leads Harry and the gang to form "Dumbledore's Army," an
underground group that teaches themselve how to defend themselves against the
dark arts for the forthcoming battle with Voldemort. And all the while,
Voldemort waits to make his move.
What I Liked
It's still a rollicking fantasy film, with lots of new twists and turns in the
Potter universe. I was particuarly impressed with the Ministry of Magic.
I also enjoyed a new character thrown into the mix, a rather vacant, yet haunted
young woman named Luna Lovegood.
What I Didn't Like
Gotta agree with some critics...all the films are kind of starting to blend
together at this point. But then, isn't consistency from one film to the
next something that all us nerds want?
Final Assessment
A whole lot of fun and it just might finally get me to pick up the books.
3
Nibs
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