Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix
Following the events of the previous movie, it is no one’s guess that things have taken on a darker turn. While Harry and Dumbledore claim that things most definitely will take on a turn for the darker, the Minister of Magic refuses to listen (reminds you of a certain someone). Well I am not being political here at all (I promise, maybe). But more on that later.
We are now past the halfway mark. Things have happened, significant ones and everything is just seconds away from unravelling. Things are unravelling, falling apart faster than ever. And tensions running high. Amidst it all, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry gets a High Inquisitor. So the High Inquisitor is basically your class monitor, who loves to torment the people they hate. However, this one is older, makes unreasonable rules, punishes those she feels like and, wait for it (you can start the drum roll right here, if you want), gets PAID by the government (well, the Ministry of Magic, which basically is the same thing). I promise, I am not kidding!
Normally, right about here, I will go off on one of my favourite rants. I call it my “what exactly went wrong with this movie?!” However, when I started on this series of reviews, I promised myself that I would make a concerted effort to keep these rants to a minimum and so far, I have been able to keep it to a minimum. I keep my fingers crossed that this is the case for the rest of the reviews as well. So, our Golden Trio is back again. They are older, wiser (who am I kidding?) and more ready for battle than ever. Now, remember a little while ago I had asked you how the situation might remind you of a familiar situation at home? Well, let me get to that and elaborate on that particular train of thought. The ones that know the truth and shout it out to those that will listen, are being termed as “mad”, “delusional” and guess what “hungry for power and fame”. Whereas those that are actually responsible are living happily in their own wonderland, spreading rumors, making everyone believe everything is hunky dory and nothing is wrong. Oh! I almost forgot to mention this. Their best course of action, to prepare for a war that might finish off the Wizarding World as it exists, is to regulated what is being taught. Masterstroke, right! I promise this is purely a movie review and no political analysis. Like I always say, don’t believe me? I will just let you watch it!
Darker than the ones before it, this movie probably takes the cake (for now). The lines between good and evil blurs down till you cannot differentiate between what is good and what is bad. Have you ever met someone who is just purely evil? They are not with the bad guy but they too are bad, their opinions and mentality narrower than the width of a thread? Well no worries if you haven’t. You will be meeting one of those, right here. Relationships are strained and as it happens in a family, miscommunications abound. Will it be the carrier of something unpleasant. Like, maybe, Death?
Throughout the series, you must have realised, one thing that is the only constant is Death. And it strikes in one form or another. While this installment in the franchise makes you wonder about loyalties, friendships and honesty, it also keeps the hope alive by introducing us to wonderful people who stay and have Harry’s back, no matter what. No questions asked. I know for this one, I might have talked a little too much about the political aspect and trust me that is not even the half of it. So let me just give you a quick overview. The cast, having worked together for four movies before this have a wonderful equation. Daniel Radcliffe delivers as an angsty, teenager who has lost all his credibility and is doubting his every move, and losing his mind (quite literally). Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis, with the limited scope that they had, shone. I am not even going to start about how wonderful Emma Watson was in this one. However, the one that quite literally stole the show, in my opinion, was the lovely Evanna Lynch (I’d happily be called a Luna simp). The ambience, the VFX, the sound everything came together to deliver a well-balanced movie, which in the opinion of a loyal, pure-blood Potterhead, could have done better had it followed the book more.
So if you are up for it, let us just get together for a watch party and we can talk all about how the books did it better. For now I am only waiting for the weekend so I can start on my Harry Potter Marathon Binge!
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.