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Anticipation: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Tomorrow I’m going to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the Navy Pier IMAX thanks to Time Out Chicago magazine.

If you remember back to Episode 21 of VeerCAST, this was one of my most anticipated movies of the summer. I’m a big Potter-nut and Amazon promised to ship the new book, J.K. Rowling’s last installment, Deathly Hallows, the day of its release. There’s been a genuine excitement in watching these films from the very beginning. I thought that in anticipation of tomorrow’s screening I’d recap my thoughts of the first four movies.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

I saw Sorcerer’s Stone during my senior year of high school. I had very little knowledge of the series, I think Goblet of Fire had just been released in bookstores, but as far as the story itself I only knew as much as the teaser trailer had indicated. It’s a story about a bespectacled boy who becomes a wizard. Simple. The first time I saw Sorcerer’s Stone I was enchanted by the story. I wasn’t crazy about the special effects but the world that you get transformed into was something to behold. I loved Richard Harris’ sweet performance as Professor Dumbledore, Alan Rickman as the devious Snape, Robbie Coltrane as the lovable Hagrid, and Maggie Smith as wise elder Professor McGonagall. I was drawn in by the cast, but when I saw the cast of youngsters that take over the movie (Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and the wise-beyond-her-years Emma Watson, and even student nemesis Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy turns in his only acceptable performance in the series) I knew this would be a series I’d love watching and it made me want to read the books.

Chris Columbus’ direction was pretty standard, he really let the story tell itself and didn’t add much flair. He got away with semi-lazy direction because the concept was fascinating. Sorcerer’s Stone is great introduction to the series, but albeit not a TERRIFIC movie.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Chamber of Secrets did a lot to advance the story, but in my opinion is also the one of the weaker films. Where Columbus got away with the first film, I dock him major points on not really advancing the look in part 2. The same John Williams score was used again and the only new addition to the soundtrack was Fawke’s the Phoenix’s theme. For still not having great special effects, this movie really is kind of distracting with its action set-pieces. There’s added “intensity” that really detracts from the story. The flying car sequence has one of the characters nearly falling out, the Quidditch match has a rogue (what is it, a bludgeon? I dunno) ball that chases the characters for 10 minutes, and a sequence involving huge, hairy spiders that is supposed to be played for thrills, instead only draws laughs.

That being said, the movie does show Harry coming into his own as Radcliffe somewhat believably faces an adversary near the end, Grint is hilarious with his cracking voice, and new addition Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart steals the show. It’s actually too bad that his character only got to be in one movie because he was a joy to watch.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Prisoner of Azkaban is the only Potter movie that ranks in my top 50 of all-time. Whereas the other films are merely adaptations of the novels, this one feels like an actual movie. The credit is due to three sources. Mostly, it’s the addition of Alfonso Cuaron to the series that gives the movie its feel. It’s dark, funny, and more than any other Potter film, subtly touching. There’s a part in the film that deals with time travel which, if handled incorrectly, could’ve killed this movie, but Cuaron handles it with gusto. The visual flair he gives the Potter universe makes it the film that all other installments will be judged against.

The music is another great adjustment. The soundtrack to Azkaban is the most diverse and chaotic, except for Buckbeak’s theme, which in the movie is the only time that the Potter franchise is transcendent. The scene where Harry rides Buckbeak around the Hogwarts castle is wonderful and the special effects are awe-inspiring. The first, and really only time, that the Harry Potter series astounded me with its effects department.

Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, and Michael Gambon (filling in for the departed Richard Harris as Dumbledore) are inspired choices. Gambon is best of all. He plays Dumbledore much differently than Harris did, less irreverent and more realistic as essentially a principal. His Dumbledore is more wise-cracking and laid-back than Harris and it’s probably the best adjustment they’ve made (although I’m sure had Harris been alive, he would’ve grown with his performance under the direction of Cuaron as well).

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Goblet of Fire is my favorite Potter book, and I had mixed feeling about hearing that Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell was taking over. On one hand it made sense because this is the story where the characters start to mature “sexually” and experience feelings for the opposite sex, but on the other hand I think Cuaron could’ve done that as well, kind of like Y Tu Mama Tambien without all the boning. Goblet is the story that shifts the tone for the rest of the series and Newell does a nice job handling the calm-before-the-storm atmosphere of the last hour of the film, when evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is introduced.

Voldemort comes off as a slightly-effeminate crazy in this one and I hope his character gets an overhaul in Order of the Phoenix. I like the look and I like the raspy voice. Fiennes is a terrific actor and I trust that he’ll develop into the kind of bad guy that Voldemort needs to be. Newell needed more time introducing the character and less time farting around with a dragon unrealistically chasing Harry around the castle. Plus they really missed a golden opportunity with the maze sequence. In the novel, the sequence has a lot of richness to it, in the film it’s the characters running frantically. There was a lot cut out of the novel which I agree with, but where they messed up was trying to make this an action movie, like Chamber of Secrets. Goblet is an enjoyable movie, just slightly shallow.

Order of the Phoenix hits theaters this Wednesday. It’s currently gathering favorable reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes and I’ll be on here Wednesday morning with my review of the fifth installment, directed by newcomer to the series David Yates, as well as new screenwriter Michael Goldenberg. Order of the Phoenix was the worst book of the series, but the trailers are indicating that this one may be pretty enjoyable.

–Josh Radde

© 2007 Strong Words INC.