Taking Umbridge
Written: Aug 25 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Radcliffe, Staunton, supporting cast, Yates's direction, story
Cons: Some slow spots; some will contend some characters appear too briefly
The Bottom Line: Voldemort's not taking a break. Neither can Harry.
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| pmills1210's Full Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
Between his fourth and fifth years at Hogwarts, Harry Potter certainly has not received any sort of a summer break. In Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself in the muggle world, with dementors chasing him and his muggle cousin, Dudley Dursley (Harry Melling). Harry also has visions of impending evil. Harry recognizes the danger of the dementors, and dispatches them with a spell he knows. Even though the dementors were real, and put the boys in real danger, Harry receives notice that he has been expelled for using the spell in the presence of muggles. He must face the Ministry for trial, and for a final disposition in his case. Harry appeals his expulsion before Judge Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy), who has a hard time believing that the attack was the work of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), as Harry claims. With the help of Hogwarts headmaster Albis Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Harry is acquitted of the allegations that brought him to the court of the Ministry, and is reinstated to Hogwarts. However, as a result of the dementor incident, Dudley's parents, Vernon (Richard Griffiths) and Petunia (Fiona Shaw), demand that Harry leave their home, where Harry was considered a nuisance, for good.
Changes come to Hogwarts as a result of the trial. The biggest change comes with the addition to staff of Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), a member of the Ministry who specializes in dark arts defense. However, none of her teachings involve the usage of defense. They simply involve reading the textbook on the subject. She is strict with her students, especially Harry. Like Judge Fudge, she does not believe that the visions of Voldemort are true, but Umbridge is more skeptical than the judge. She believes that it is impossible that the dark lord has reassumed any sort of human form. She uses her authority in the Ministry to impose stricter rules at Hogwarts.
With the help of friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), Harry decides to lead a crusade against Umbridge and calls it Dumbledore's Army. There, Harry teaches his fellow students to harness their powers. When Umbridge breaks Harry's secret organization, Dumbledore takes the fall. In fact, Umbridge tries to have Dumbledore arrested, but he uses his powers to disappear before her eyes. Dumbledore, in his effort to assist Harry, calls on Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) to help Harry strengthen his mind so he will will not be overcome in his eventual showdown with the man who killed his parents. Harry's godfather, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who gave Harry a home after the Dursleys evicted him, also understands the threat of Voldemort is real, and does what he can to protect Harry as a member of the Order Of The Phoenix. Hermione creates a diversion for Umbridge so that she can join Harry and the Army in the Department of Mysteries, where Harry learns some upsetting truths and face Voldemort.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling, is the shortest, darkest, and best of the first five releases of the Harry Potter series. I enjoyed the first four films, but I also felt each entry was too long, and none were particularly distinguished. This time, however, Harry and his behavior start to come into question. The students at Hogwarts are just as divided as the Ministry over the dementor incident, as well as events that had occurred the previous school year. Dolores Umbridge shows her displeasure with Judge Fudge's verdict by severe discipline at the school, most of which revolves around her opinions about Harry. Yet, Harry's friends and supporters show they won't bow to Umbridge's pressures. They see a change in Harry's mood, even if they can't feel the terror Harry experiences in the privacy of Harry's nightmares. As it was in the case of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, another character dies. Dumbledore reveals to Harry a secret about Voldemort that will affect the fate of one or both of the adversaries. Director David Yates, a veteran of British TV and short films, starts the film slowly, but builds momentum as trouble grows and people take sides.
With Yates's focus on key characters, most of the film's ensemble is reduced to brief appearances. Radcliffe and Staunton are the only ones with leading roles. Radcliffe continues to admirably play Harry, but the emphasis in this installment is on his dramatic skills. He is, like many typical teens, an angry one. The reasons for his anger are justified, yet leave him wondering if there is any difference between himself and Voldemort. He is at war with at least two factions, yet he remains loyal to those who stand by him. Staunton is excellent as Umbridge, the self-assured, power-hungry instructor whose actions will remind some of a strict school marm. She is certain Harry is incorrect about Voldemort, and she uses her sorcery to inflict a unique punishment upon Harry. She also adds plenty of rules to make life difficult for most students at Hogwarts.
Grint, who's usually a fun-loving lad as Ron, shows a different side of his character, especially in the film's climactic scenes. Watson, Oldman, Gambon, and Fiennes also fare well in their limited appearances. Robbie Coltrane returns as Hagrid, a friendly professor whose actions play a role in Umbridge's fate at Hogwarts. Other regulars who return in virtual cameo roles are Maggie Smith as Headmistress McGonagall, Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody, Julie Walters as Mrs. Weasley, and Emma Thompson as Professor Trelawney. Making their first appearances in the series are Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, a prison escapee from Azkaban and a minion of Voldemort, and Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, a younger Hogwarts student who makes a connection with Harry due to deaths in their families.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, like the other entries in the series, works for me on two levels. The story, on one hand, is a fine tale of good against evil in the world of magic as opposing forces head closer to a final showdown. This series, on the other hand, also works as a coming-of-age metaphor. Every student and every instructor at Hogwarts has a special ability possessed by no other person. Everyone is encouraged to hone the skill that makes them special. The muggles in their world are the humans who live their lives in an absolutely ordinary fashion. Along the way, Harry and his friends learn the upside and the downside of their gifts. The honing and the application of their gifts are likely to impact their future. As Harry Potter and his friends continue their education, they learn that it is imperative that they succeed.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Good for Kids
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Pacing
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Member: Pat Mills
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"Nothing in moderation." - Ernie Kovacs. Read and enjoy!
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