Feature: Harry Potter Marathon, Part 5

YEAR FIVE
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

So, I'm down to my last new director of the series - David Yates is the man behind all the remaining movies. I think I'll actually miss seeing more new interpretations of the Potterverse; one of the things I've really enjoyed so far is the different flavours each director has brought (even if that flavour in Chris Columbus' case was vanilla). With the knowledge that Yates would be seeing the series out, I crossed my fingers that I would like his take. After Cuaron and Newell, Yates was another offbeat choice, having had only TV work (albeit acclaimed) under his belt.

Again, it's immediately obvious that the new director has brought a new aesthetic and character. The colour palette is desaturated and heavy on the shadows; the trend that has gradually seen the series get darker continues. It's tonally darker too. The wide-eyed whimsy of the early years seems a distant memory now (even though I only started a few days ago!), replaced by some serious, heavy-duty stuff. The occasional moments of humour are swamped by the pervasive gloom. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

There's quite a lot of introspection in this film, right from the start. The first scene begins with a wordless Harry just contemplating. It demands more use of Radcliffe's acting muscles, and he lives up to the challenge, improving all the time. Throughout this film Harry is a troubled soul - it even approaches psychological horror territory occasionally - and Radcliffe delivers a performance of authority and conviction.

Having had a film off, the Dursleys return this time, much to my chagrin, but Yates' handling of them is for me the most successful yet. This time they're reasonably like real people rather than clownish caricatures; indeed the muggle world scenes have a sense of realism that's new to the series and makes them a better fit. In fact much of Yates' approach seems to revolve around this realistic approach, his Hogwarts being grounded in an earthy verisimilitude too. The only exception is the Ministry of Magic, a location not thus far seen in the movies, which looked too fake to me, with its shiny black tiles and glowing green fireplaces. It's the first time I have found myself questioning the production design in the franchise. Admittedly, when later we return to the Ministry for the finale, it makes for a good arena in which battle can commence.

Phoenix takes a bit more time to actually get to Hogwarts than recent instalments, mainly because Harry is forced to stand trial for use of magic in the presence of a muggle (a normal, non-magic-using person, for those not keeping up). Surprisingly, the film as a whole feels in less of a rush than the last two - surprising because this is the shortest film yet, made from the longest book. It's interesting that the necessary condensation required to squeeze a 700-page novel into a film was far more evident and obvious in Goblet of Fire than it is here. Phoenix actually goes about its adaptation with efficiency and grace, its narrative never feeling too compressed. It probably reflects that the book is more padded, longer but with less incident, than its predecessor, but I also wonder what part the screenwriter played. This is the only film in the whole series not written by Steve Kloves, Michael Goldenberg taking over instead.

Characters really seemed to take a front seat this time, with the plot being less of a relentless driving force. The lead trio really have found their groove now, and supporting characters receive more time in the spotlight, from the terrific Gary Oldman's Sirius Black to Alan Rickman's sneeringly entertaining Professor Snape. This year's latest new professor is Delores Umbridge, played with delicious relish by Imelda Staunton. Permanently clad all in pink and with a sunny demeanour hiding one of the most detestable personalities J.K. Rowling could have possibly come up with, she makes Lord Voldemort look like a pussycat.

The big V is back again this time, remaining in the shadows (and Harry's dreams) most of the time only to again take corporeal form for the climax, which is another great showdown. Phoenix is pretty light on action - particularly compared to the last two films - so the battle at the end comes as a relief. Having said that, I'm increasingly getting the impression that I would have found it intensely frustrating to watch these films when they were originally released, each more than a year apart, because none of them has been quite satisfying within its own right. I guess the fact that I want to find out what happens next is a sign that the filmmakers are doing something right, but none of the films have managed to work as single entities. The feeling was exacerbated here, as Phoenix is all buildup; the tension is released somewhat by the ending but there's not quite a payoff.

Despite generally liking Yates' artistic direction I did come away with some grumbles. I still miss the touches of the fantastic that Cuaron used to bring Hogwarts to life, Yates' drab palette having sucked out some of the magic. The CGI effects are actually a slight step back overall, particularly a friendly(ish) giant who just doesn't work at all. The film is lacking some action in the midsection; the relentless pacing of Goblet is replaced by a lot of brooding, which works to increase the tension and sense of imposing doom but lessens the excitement. A game of Quidditch wouldn't have gone amiss. Also the death of a character is slightly bungled, to the extent that I questioned if he had actually died, so abrupt was the event. Even though he was a great character I felt no emotional tug when he died, mainly because I wasn't sure what I had seen.

Not a complete triumph in my book, then, but still overall an engrossing effort with plenty to offer. The stakes are clearly being raised now - I just hope the remaining films can live up to the potential.