Harry Potter and the THANK YOU LORD of the Phoenix
--Yeah... I usually only post my garbage about movies on rottentomatoes, but I love this one too much to just let what I have to say sit in one place--
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 9/10
Now, before we get started, I am well aware this film doesn’t deserve a rating higher than a 7, realistically. But in a series that has grown shallower than your local kiddy pool, this fifth Harry Potter movie isn’t just a breath of fresh air, it’s a fuckin’ 9 outta 10.
Granted the film isn’t for everyone. Harry Potter, like most well regarded series, has two kinds of fans: Fans of the books, and fans of the stories. Fans of the books, clinging to every last detail and specific structural element of the novel, will not like this movie. In fact, many people have already railed against it. These are the people, we have to remember, that enjoyed the fourth movie simply because it crammed as much of the book as it could though completely neglected to do any sort of justice to the true nature of the story and its characters. So I could care less about them.
The first and second films were both directed hopelessly and soullessly, as is his charm, by Christopher Columbus. Made simply in response to the growing popularity of the books as a cute and whimsical way to make some green, they never truly amounted to… much.
Albeit, the first three installments are essentially not but charming Hardy Boys novels with magic, and Columbus did a decent job of providing some form of visual companion to the page.
While the third film took a step past whimsy to create a picture visually intriguing and justly involved in its presentation, director Alfonso Cuaron still seemed a trifle above the subject matter of the story, never really grasping the spirit of the novel or its role in the series as a whole.
And then to the fourth film, which seemed a mere obligation to those in charge. If there is a film adaptation of a novel more thoughtless and disrespectful than this absolute suckfest, I have yet to be introduced. Perhaps frightened by the length of the fourth book, or simply too tired to actively give a shit, the simple hack-and-slash cut-and-paste attitude of screenwriter Stephen Kloves makes me scream and gargle obscenities until I explode.
Enter Michael Goldenberg. God save you, Michael. You’re a saint.
Fans of the stories will love this film because not only is it helmed by a screenwriter who actually cared this time ‘round, but it also (dare I say it!?) improved upon the novel!
WHAT!?
Better believe it.
(And to think Kloves is coming back for the last two films. Is there no human decency left on this planet? I would think stabbing him in the throat has become a simple common courtesy by now. No?)
The story of Order of the Phoenix is really quite splendid. And while the book drowns that splendidity with an overabundance of both quirky side stories and sudden teenage angst, the film focuses to the story’s core with regard to the series as a whole and the humanity of its characters.
In fact, Goldenberg is the first to write a Harry Potter film that actually stands alone as such and does not rely to any extent on the audience’s familiarity with the books. And that is, though the fans of the books will deny it, an absolute strength.
And at the wheel of this mighty ship, with a steady hand and presence of mind, is director David Yates. God save you too, David Yates. Not only did you care about the story being told, but you actually acknowledged and used the astounding cast that the series has always had at its disposal but never seemed to respect.
Gary Oldman is, quite certainly, the only man to have played Sirius Black. Alan Rickman, who can do no wrong, finally has the screen time to do Snape justice. And without Ralph Fiennes, I would have never imagined a Harry Potter movie to be so exhaustingly creepy and strangely badass at the same time.
Even Michael Gambon, who I was sure had murdered the character of Dumbledore after the fourth movie, was effectively reigned in and used to his full potential. You can chide Warner Bros all you want for letting Richard Harris die, but Yates couldn’t have molded a more perfect second best.
Many grumble at the fact that this, being the longest book, has been turned into the shortest movie. But, you see, this is because they didn’t just make cuts. They made changes. They altered the plot to serve the story. To save the story.
And they fixed problems left by the smarmy mess that came before. Sirius’ appearance in the fireplace was changed from the hideous coal formation to the more accurate and aesthetically pleasing image in the flames, and the Death Eaters, thankfully, lost their upsettingly silly KKK hats.
OH! That reminds me. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy. Also amazing.
And to quickly address what may be the biggest change made to the film, Dolores Umbridge. Admittedly, I loathed the change when I saw it on the previews, viewing it as completely unnecessary and even cheap. However, Imelda Staunton was not only absolutely terrific in the role, but the change actually seemed to make sense. Umbridge was certainly the most terrifyingly frustrating entity I have ever met in the literary world. And the only way to truly get that effect in the film in the shorter amount of time we have to spend with her was to use the contrast of her appearance and overall front against her true nature and set of disturbing morals.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the first actual film in the entire series. And unless Kloves gets his act together for the next to, it just may be the only one of its kind.
At least Yates’ll be back. Let’s hope he can work his (pun!) magic again for number six.
My fingers are crossed. How about yours!?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 9/10
Now, before we get started, I am well aware this film doesn’t deserve a rating higher than a 7, realistically. But in a series that has grown shallower than your local kiddy pool, this fifth Harry Potter movie isn’t just a breath of fresh air, it’s a fuckin’ 9 outta 10.
Granted the film isn’t for everyone. Harry Potter, like most well regarded series, has two kinds of fans: Fans of the books, and fans of the stories. Fans of the books, clinging to every last detail and specific structural element of the novel, will not like this movie. In fact, many people have already railed against it. These are the people, we have to remember, that enjoyed the fourth movie simply because it crammed as much of the book as it could though completely neglected to do any sort of justice to the true nature of the story and its characters. So I could care less about them.
The first and second films were both directed hopelessly and soullessly, as is his charm, by Christopher Columbus. Made simply in response to the growing popularity of the books as a cute and whimsical way to make some green, they never truly amounted to… much.
Albeit, the first three installments are essentially not but charming Hardy Boys novels with magic, and Columbus did a decent job of providing some form of visual companion to the page.
While the third film took a step past whimsy to create a picture visually intriguing and justly involved in its presentation, director Alfonso Cuaron still seemed a trifle above the subject matter of the story, never really grasping the spirit of the novel or its role in the series as a whole.
And then to the fourth film, which seemed a mere obligation to those in charge. If there is a film adaptation of a novel more thoughtless and disrespectful than this absolute suckfest, I have yet to be introduced. Perhaps frightened by the length of the fourth book, or simply too tired to actively give a shit, the simple hack-and-slash cut-and-paste attitude of screenwriter Stephen Kloves makes me scream and gargle obscenities until I explode.
Enter Michael Goldenberg. God save you, Michael. You’re a saint.
Fans of the stories will love this film because not only is it helmed by a screenwriter who actually cared this time ‘round, but it also (dare I say it!?) improved upon the novel!
WHAT!?
Better believe it.
(And to think Kloves is coming back for the last two films. Is there no human decency left on this planet? I would think stabbing him in the throat has become a simple common courtesy by now. No?)
The story of Order of the Phoenix is really quite splendid. And while the book drowns that splendidity with an overabundance of both quirky side stories and sudden teenage angst, the film focuses to the story’s core with regard to the series as a whole and the humanity of its characters.
In fact, Goldenberg is the first to write a Harry Potter film that actually stands alone as such and does not rely to any extent on the audience’s familiarity with the books. And that is, though the fans of the books will deny it, an absolute strength.
And at the wheel of this mighty ship, with a steady hand and presence of mind, is director David Yates. God save you too, David Yates. Not only did you care about the story being told, but you actually acknowledged and used the astounding cast that the series has always had at its disposal but never seemed to respect.
Gary Oldman is, quite certainly, the only man to have played Sirius Black. Alan Rickman, who can do no wrong, finally has the screen time to do Snape justice. And without Ralph Fiennes, I would have never imagined a Harry Potter movie to be so exhaustingly creepy and strangely badass at the same time.
Even Michael Gambon, who I was sure had murdered the character of Dumbledore after the fourth movie, was effectively reigned in and used to his full potential. You can chide Warner Bros all you want for letting Richard Harris die, but Yates couldn’t have molded a more perfect second best.
Many grumble at the fact that this, being the longest book, has been turned into the shortest movie. But, you see, this is because they didn’t just make cuts. They made changes. They altered the plot to serve the story. To save the story.
And they fixed problems left by the smarmy mess that came before. Sirius’ appearance in the fireplace was changed from the hideous coal formation to the more accurate and aesthetically pleasing image in the flames, and the Death Eaters, thankfully, lost their upsettingly silly KKK hats.
OH! That reminds me. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy. Also amazing.
And to quickly address what may be the biggest change made to the film, Dolores Umbridge. Admittedly, I loathed the change when I saw it on the previews, viewing it as completely unnecessary and even cheap. However, Imelda Staunton was not only absolutely terrific in the role, but the change actually seemed to make sense. Umbridge was certainly the most terrifyingly frustrating entity I have ever met in the literary world. And the only way to truly get that effect in the film in the shorter amount of time we have to spend with her was to use the contrast of her appearance and overall front against her true nature and set of disturbing morals.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the first actual film in the entire series. And unless Kloves gets his act together for the next to, it just may be the only one of its kind.
At least Yates’ll be back. Let’s hope he can work his (pun!) magic again for number six.
My fingers are crossed. How about yours!?
posted by AHaynes at 3:23 AM
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