Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Warner Brothers Studios

Running time: 213 minutes

Rated “PG-13”

I am an avid fan of the Harry Potter books. I went to this showing hoping to be, as usual, amazed by the spectacle. I wasn’t disappointed. There were, as expected, deviations from the book, but the story was followed adequately enough to appease the fans while being short enough to keep viewers from losing interest.

Harry is older and dealing with common teen angst, his first kiss, rebelling against authority, and adjusting to new teachers and classes. This is made much more difficult by the fact that the Ministry of Magic is actively accusing him and Dumbledore of lying about the return of He Who Must Not Be Named. The Daily Prophet writes continuously about the fact that Voldemort has not and will not ever return, calling ridicule upon Harry and Dumbledore.

Harry is joined by his friends Ron and Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. He is also joined by Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, and the members of the D.A. (inaccurately identified as Dumbledore’s Army). Harry is convinced to teach them defensive arts because the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher refuses to teach magic, instead preferring to teach only theoretical defenses.

The enemies list increases as well, including the Death Eaters, ten new escapees from Azkaban (including Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange), and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher professor Dolores Umbrage (played to perfection by Imelda Stanton). Umbrage is assigned by the Ministry of Magic to keep the school under observation and to check Dumbledore’s power. Both of the latter women play significant parts and cause the most destruction possible. Anyone who has read the books knows what parts they play, anything more would be spoilers.

Harry’s growth this year is typical of most teenagers but somehow more poignant by being coupled with his growth as a teacher of the dark arts. I highly recommend this movie. - Bob LaPierre