DVD REVIEW: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Daniel Radcliffe as a more tormented Harry Potter

The first two Harry Potter films, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" were fun bits of whimsy filled with some thrilling set pieces. With the second two films, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the franchise really took off. Now here comes a giant step backward with the confusing "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the adaptation of the longest of the J.K. Rowling novels, yet the the film with the shortest running time of the five.

But that short running time could be a good thing, as this film seems closer to one conceived by Ingmar Bergman than Chris Columbus, the director of the first two films in the franchise. "Phoenix" is deary, it's slow and it's special effects don't seem all that special. What elevates it even to the level of the first two is impeccable acting by what seems like today's British Who's Who of film talent. Even the film's three leads, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger have grown immeasurably into their roles as they mature from adolescence into young adulthood.

And perhaps that's the problem with the film as the students at Hogwarts school for wizards and magicians are now struggling with the problems of young adults which are, quite obviously, far more serious and certainly more ominous than those of adolescents. This is, without question, the darkest of the five films.

It begins with Harry going on trial for using his magic in public around Muggles. (By the way, if you have yet to be introduced to the Harry Potter phenomenon, do not start with this movie and quit reading this review right now.) But the charges seem merely an excuse to expose Harry's guilt in the death of Cedric Diggory, who was killed by the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) at the end of "Goblet of Fire." But in this political allegory, the Ministry of Magic buries its head in the sand refusing to acknowledge Voldemart is even alive and Harry is branded Harry Plotter. The ministry even sends a representative, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton plays her like Mr. Chips crossed with Mr. Hyde), to Hogwarts as the new professor of dark arts to make sure Harry toes the party line. She also does her best to isolate Harry from the rest of the students.

But that's not his only sense of isolation. The once protective headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) prefers to keep a safe distance from Harry and his godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) lets Harry know that he's too young to join the Order in the fight against Voldemort. All the while, however, signs are pointing to an ultimate showdown between Harry and the Dark Lord which means, I'm afraid, episodes six and seven in the series may even get darker than this one.

Director David Yates doesn't have the style of an Aflonso Cuaron ("Azkaban") or Mike Newell ("Goblet"), but then he doesn't fumble the ball either. It seems to be that there is a lot more plotting, a lot more preparation and a lot less action in this film than in the others.

And, in addition to the fine actors already mentioned plus Helena Bonham Carter (as a witch who would repel the witches of "Sleeping Beauty"), Robbie Coltrane, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman (whose Severus Snape reveals here what he has against Harry), Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson and Julie Walters, this movie introduces us Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, the weirdest of all the witches and someone I will look forward to seeing in future Harry Potter films.

Grade: B