Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

User Review

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  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: The Harry Potter series has many examples of people going to extreme lengths out of fear, but David Yates' 'Order of the Phoenix,' is the film when that all comes to a head as the Ministry of Magic and the wicked Dolores Umbridge do literally everything in their power to cover up rumours of the return of Lord Voldemort after the end of 'The Goblet of Fire.' The fact David Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg choose to focus in on that (instead of all the other stuff which I'm told packs this biggest of books) makes for perhaps the most thematically interesting film of the entire series, and one of my favourite of the bunch as a result.
  
  It's genuinely fascinating to watch the most powerful wizards manipulating court hearings and the media to squash what we know to be true, and what's also so great about that is how it tests the young characters we've grown to love. Gone are the joyous distractions of school life from the previous adventure, here Harry and co are forced to live in a frustrating world where even their friends are too scared to believe the truth. This drives Harry in particular to a pretty dark place to which Daniel Radcliffe now more than rises to challenge, and Hermione and Ron can only watch on. They eventually start an underground club to teach fellow pupils the defensive skills that Umbridge forbids, and that all builds an engaging sense of plucky rebels making their stand against the all-powerful dark side.
  
  When it all comes to a head at the end and the truth finds its way to the masses, it's a pretty moving thing, and it sets the stage for the final years of this franchise perfectly.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There is a fair amount of plot exposition to get through in this one.
  
  VERDICT: A story that sees darkness and fearmongering force a rebellion in the Potter universe, 'Order of the Phoenix,' is one of the best of the bunch thanks to the character beats and thematic slant that enables.

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