Same boy-wizard. More spells. More angst. Shorter hair. Fans of the book will leave this film with a bad after-taste, whilst the rest will be left nonplussed.
THINGS THIS MOVIE CONTAINED:Rebellion, a first-kiss for Harry, the worst Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yet, and the continuous darker tone as displayed in the past two films.
THINGS THIS MOVIE DID NOT CONTAIN: A musical interlude featuring interpretive dance to a rousing chorus of "Another Brick In The Wall (We don't need no education..)" by the students of Hogwarts: "HEY. UMBRIDGE. LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE."
The Review:In the fifth film of the series, Harry is progressing through adolescence with raging testosterone. He's got issues with school, girls, the ministry of magic, and the wizarding world at large. He’s got 99 problems but the witch is one.
The Harry Potter film franchise has lost some of its charm. Like the ever changing post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, the position of director has switched over to David Yates. Like them or not, Alfonso Cuarón's take on the third film and Mike Newell's take on the 4th had style and vitality. Yates fails to pick up the slack with Order of the Phoenix. (Unfortunately, Yates is already signed on to direct the 6th film, as well.)
The tone is successfully darker, but dull at the same time. There is a sequence of events, yet it feels strangely as if nothing is happening as they are played out. Luckily, several of the actors' performances make the film watchable. In addition to the welcome return of Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, the perfect casting of Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, Imelda Staunton as Professor Umbridge, and Helena Bonham Carter as the underused Bellatrix Lestrange are to be noted. These actresses brought the characters of the book to life with dazzling results. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint continue to produce good on-screen chemistry as the three main characters. Still, it isn't enough to merit a second viewing. If you've seen it once, that's all you really need.
Complaints: Not enough cowbell. I need more cowbell. This film could have benefited heavily from the overwhelming intensity felt throughout the book, which wasn't translated at all to the screen.
On a side note: This was my least favorite of the books, but now that the film was even worse, I’ve stopped using the book as a doorstop in my potions dungeon.
