Innocence finally fades for the students at Hogwarts as well as the audience enthralled in their adventures. This isn’t a kid’s story anymore. Death and destruction are as real in the wizarding world as they are in our own. Perhaps that’s what makes the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series so poignant. This is a world on the edge, teetering on the balance of good and evil, sideways politics and the piercing wisdom of younger citizens.
The shortest of the movies so far, Order of the Phoenix was conversely the longest book in the series. This film follows Harry as he enters his fifth year at Hogwarts and chronicles the changing wizard world as the Dark Lord (Voldemort) gathers an army once again. There’s no lollygagging in this movie, no side stories to follow. Like Harry, throughout much of the movie we feel isolated in his thoughts and actions. Many of the beloved secondary characters we have come to love make brief appearances at best.
The movie felt rushed but somehow complete. Fans of the movies only will find it hard to follow as little details that give more insight into the plot are left out or barely noted. Several montages in the film skipped through intriguing moments with breakneck speed. The result is a compact film with punch, but without the enchanting feel of the other movies.
Order brings the students to the forefront. We rarely see students in class with instructors—unless it’s Harry and Dumbledore’s Army (D.A.), which was the most anticipated part of the film by far. Scenes of the D.A. live up to expectations, as do the pivotal moments in the high-stakes finale at the Ministry of Magic. This film has a unique style of flashback and flash-forward sequences—rarely used in the other four movies—that creates a sense of urgency. We are also treated to the irresistible character of Luna Lovegood, though fans of the movies alone won’t understand all the quirkiness behind her.
What resonates most is the emphasis the film places on Harry’s capacity for love. It is love that separates him from Voldemort, and it is love that saves his life time after time. After passing through such a dark world, it’s nice at the end of the film to hear Harry say they’ve all got something worth fighting for.
