I have a chronic condition where I have to schedule time to go see movies in the theater. I don’t know why this is now the case, but I find it extremely difficult to decide on a whim to go see a movie. I managed to break out of this pattern last week when I decided to go see Transformers, thanks in no small part to the goading of friends and siblings, eagerly referring to it as the coolest movie they’d ever seen. Not to break tradition, however, I also reserved a ticket for the newest cinema installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in the local IMAX theater. Following are my brief impressions of both films. I’ll do my best to keep it spoiler-free.
“Oh, yes. I’ve been able to see them ever since my first day here. They’ve always pulled the carriages. Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.”
— Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The first film I’d like to discuss is Order of the Phoenix. It has become something of a tradition between friends to go see these films on IMAX as they come out, no doubt due to the enormous size of the screen and the above-average sound system in the theater. Having seen the previous film in IMAX as well, I was prepared. However, there was an additional perk: the last thirty minutes of the film were presented in “IMAX 3-D”, which certainly had its ups and downs.
Technically, the film is fantastic. David Yates proves an able director and continues, as expected, the trend with an increasingly darker atmosphere that has prevailed through the films. The film looks simply fantastic, though I prefer slightly more the style Alfonso Cuarón brought to the third film. That film just felt a little more real than any of the others, and I appreciate how each film since then has kept some of the ideas he revamped, such as the spacier sets and heavier emphasis on character development than set pieces. This fifth film comes the closest to this and makes the fourth film look tame in comparison.
Story-wise, I was pleasantly surprised. It really worked out this time, what with all the content they had to excise from the story found in the book. Coincidentally, Order of the Phoenix is the longest of all the books at 870 pages, yet the film adaptation is the shortest film yet, at only 138 minutes. Somehow they manage to keep the soul of the story alive, though, which is all I really care about. Yes, there are several details missing (and one major detail that may come back to bite the filmmakers at some point in the future), but it works well as a film on its own.
There has been a lot already said on the subject, but I just want to second that the casting for this film could not have been any better. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood was absolutely perfect, as was Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix. They just did an amazing job, along with everyone who returned from the previous movies. Who knows, Daniel Radcliffe may be a real actor someday.
Although I consider this to be the finest film in the series so far, I still cling to Prisoner of Azkaban as my favorite film of the series, just because of how awesome it still is. I will definitely be going back to see it again, though, so this opinion may change. It will be interesting to see what Yates has in store for Half-Blood Prince, being the first director since Chris Columbus to direct two consecutive Potter films. I hope for the best, and wish they would get Cuarón back to do the final film, though that is purely wishful thinking. I suppose I should just be grateful that the films aren’t plain awful.
Grade: A-
Now, about Transformers.
This film was flat out awesome, but incredibly stupid. I knew it was a Michael Bay film when I walked in there, and was somewhat successful at shutting my brain off for the entire two and a half hours, but I couldn’t keep it up. The CGI is fantastic, Shia LaBeouf did a great job considering how ridiculous the plot is, and Megan Fox is hot. That just about wraps it up.
Grade: B