The Order of the Phoenix

During the spring of 2000, I emerged from the haze that was my dissertation to find that there was a hubbub surrounding a series of books about someone named Harry Potter. As I was always seeking things to read, I perused the first few pages of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” at my local Barnes and Noble. I was hooked. That evening, I ordered the 3 available books in the series from Amazon, but only the first book and the third book arrived. At the time, I was living with my buddy Aaron and his wife Julie in Baltimore. I left the books on the kitchen table, figuring that the second book would arrive soon enough and then I could read all three in order. The next day, Aaron exclaimed how he started flipping through the first book the night before and ended up reading both book 1 and book 3 because they were so entertaining. He started after me to let him read book 2 as soon as I got it, but in my infinite cruelty, I made him wait until I had read the first 2 (but it was not a long wait, as I, like Aaron, am a fast reader). With that experience behind me, I became a huge Harry Potter fan. I did not care that the books were touted as “children’s literature.” They were fun to read and intricate in their references that wove tapestries between and among the books in the series. I remember Hagrid delivering Harry to the Dursleys the first night, claiming that he borrowed young Sirius Black’s motorcycle for the task. I did not know at the time that Black would play such an important role (more fully explained in “Azkaban”). I loved the series, and I pre-ordered “Goblet of Fire,” staying up all night to read it. The first of the films was released in the fall of 2001, and I was amazed at how the magic and the places in the book had been so wonderfully translated to fit the large screen. Of course, there were some problems with the earlier films. Chris Columbus is a cookie cutter director, one who is better at coloring in the canvas rather than creating a sketch from scratch. It was not until the cinematic adaptation of “Azkaban” that the Potter film series really took flight. With each successive film, the directors have been more and more willing to discard the less vital elements of each story in a manner that still allows for some of these things to have been going on in the background but just not on screen. The success of the films has really peaked with the latest film in the series, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

Having watched “Azkaban” at the IMAX theater 3 years ago upon its release, I was already excited over the fact that this newest film would similarly be released in the IMAX format. When word was leaked that the last 20 minutes of the film (with story that entailed the exciting climax) was to be in IMAX 3-D, I knew that seeing the film in IMAX (or experiencing it, as it were) was a must. I organized a viewing party of 16 people and purchased tickets the day that they were released-3 weeks before the film came out! The nice thing about Navy Pier’s IMAX theater is that all seating is reserved. I was careful to choose excellent seats at the time of purchase (middle of the rows, but not too close to the screen) for the viewing party. Including in the party were Daisy, Jeff, Kate, Mike, Elese and more than a few other friends. The film began without any previews or warning of any sort, and the audience was at once in the world of Harry Potter. We follow Harry, alone in his thoughts, as he is interrupted by Dudley and his band of bullies. The Dementor attack soon follows, and we are whisked away to Sirius Black’s home in a thrilling broomstick ride through London at night. This is what IMAX was made for! Writer Michael Goldenberg and director David Yeates wisely streamlined the story to maintain the focus on Harry and his efforts to train his friends and companions in the Defense Against the Dark Arts. The result is a tight film that is the shortest of the films, all the more remarkable when one realizes that the book was the longest of all the Potter films. The three principle actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have really grown into their roles. I, for one, envision these actors as I read the Potter books. More importantly, the interaction among the three seems less forced and more natural, as if the audience is looking in on a gathering of real friends rather than watching actors falter through some forced humor. A key example of this is the Gryffindor common room sequence where Harry, Ron, and Hermione have gathered in front of the fireplace as Harry recounts his first kiss. The audience is treated to a wonderful scene of friendship, complete with gentle ribbing and laughing.

What else worked in the film? The following scenes illustrate why this film was able to supersede the wonders of the magical world with some well directed character moments: 1) the arrival of the kids at Hogwarts and Ginny’s expression upon seeing Harry’s interest in Cho, 2) scenes where Harry is angry at Ron and Hermione for not understanding his pain over what he has endured and Ron and Hermione’s angst at not being able to understand, 3) Harry’s scene with Luna where she explains that Voldemort would most likely want Harry to be separated from his friends as it would make Harry an easier target, 4) the quick flashback to Snape’s time as a student and as an object of ridicule at the hands of James Potter, 5) Neville’s recounting to Harry of the death of his parents and Harry’s words of comfort, 6) Fred and George comforting a young member of the DA crying from Umbridge’s tortuous punishment, 7) changes to the betrayal of the DA by one of their own, 8) Trelawney’s firing and Dumbledore’s response, 9) the final battle sequence, including Harry and Sirius fighting side-by-side and the showdown between Dumbledore and Voldemort. There were very few ill-conceived moments in the film. I suppose the only weakness might have been the shoddy CGI of Grawp (Hagrid’s brother), but the stunningly rendered centaurs more than made up for it. I was also struck with the busy-ness of the battle in the Hall of Mysteries, as the audience is witnessing a full on battle among good and evil wizards and witches.

In the end, the film surprised me because I usually find film adaptations of literary works to be incomplete at best and incomprehensible translations at worst. This film, however, transcends the normal shortcomings of cinematic adaptations, and this transcendence resulted in my failure to realize what, exactly, was missing. In the end, I decided that nothing was missing. This was the perfect film to whet my appetite for the final Potter novel, and I am pleased that Yeates will be back to direct the next film in the series.

Suresh’s rating: Wonderfully Entertaining and the best of the Potter films