Harry Potter Late Review

I forgot to mention yesterday that I went to Old Country Buffet for the first time in a while (now Hometown Buffet...I still call it OCB), and went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix after. So why not make up for that by doing a (late) review of the movie?

I must say that despite the new director, the fifth edition of the Harry Potter franchise was quite up to par, as much as the last two and the first one at least (I have not seen the first sequel, so I cannot comment on that one, though I've heard it's the worst of all of them). However, the turnover in direction is a good thing, as each new director brings a fresh and objective viewpoint to each movie, so movie-goers will not be bored with the same old tricks from the previous directors.

As far as editing, sound, special effects, and lighting, and the other technical aspects that make up the movie, those were quite effective and well done. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on these things, but from a casual movie-watcher's perspective, I was quite satisfied with these criteria as a whole. There was no fluff; all scenes contributed to the movie and the plot. This isn't an easy feat, especially with adapting such a huge book, but the movie was able to get the basic gist of the plot while not skimping on details and still telling a full-bodied story. The one scene after Sirius dies where Harry screams in anguish while Professor Lupin tries to hold him to prevent him from doing anything drastic was quite well-played. The complete removal of sound and putting the scene in slow motion makes the audience focus on the horror and anger in Harry's face, making the picture more poignant, and with sound present, it'd be just another scene and would perhaps take away from the emotion that the audience is supposed to feel along with Harry. I'm not sure if this is a commonly employed technique, but very nice touch regardless.

All the child actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have really grown into their own. Maybe it's because they've played the same characters for more than a decade that the characters are now part of the actors' alter egos. Or, they really have improved their acting skills. Either way, they did a fine job. The complex emotions that Harry is supposed to feel is not a walk in the park, and Radcliffe was able to show all sides of Harry, the anger, anguish, fear, love, courage, and everything else. It's still too early to call him a legend, but I must say if he keeps this up and is able to translate his skills to other movies, he's going to be quite good. The Ron and Hermione relationship still seems a bit forced when played out, but as Grint and Watson get older it should be able to come easier.
Even the side actors did well. Of course the veteran adult actors are always good, with Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, and others. Naming the adults is like naming a who's who of British acting superstars, and they all sure flexed their muscles again with this installment. I always like to see more of Smith as McGonagall, because in the books she's such a complex and fun character, but understandably after the first two books she's just there as a necessary connection. Perhaps because my favorite book in the series was the first one and she was such an integral part is the reason. Katie Leung has improved, but she still has much to work on, this being only her second movie.

I'll admit that I haven't read the fifth book, but I would have loved to have seen some of Rowling's trademark dry humor in the movie that was present in the previous ones. Again, I know it's hard to strip down an 870 page book into a two hour movie without taking away a lot, but a little more here and there to break the tension would have been nice.

For some reason I thought Hermione's hotness peaked in the last movie. Did anybody else think so? Cho did get a little prettier, though she was more up-and-down in this movie. (Sorry, side note, as I am a guy).

It's been a summer full of major blockbuster pictures, from the very good (Ratatouille) to the awful (apparently Evan Almighty) with many in between. The Order of the Phoenix is admittedly only a bridge between the fourth and seventh books, and the only thing advancing the plot is the death of Sirius, which seems kind of forced by Rowling just to prove that Voldemort is pure evil. However, the movie is a good and entertaining watch, and ranks up there with the better movies of the summer. To the director: Harry and Cho's kiss was a little sloppy; you might want to have Hermione and Ron practice a little more before going on camera for the next time.