HP & Order of the Phoenix - Review

The 5^th HP movie installment, Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix, is engrossing from start to end. It picks up just where the Goblet of Fire left off. I applaud the performances of the three leads – Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. I can’t imagine someone else reprising their characters – they’ll always be Harry, Ron and Hermione to me. One can’t fail to notice the muscles on Daniel’s shoulders and his oh-la-la biceps. Gone is the geek-looking Harry Potter. Pero nasobrahan yata nya ng kaka-weights. Di na tuloy convincing na pwede pa syang ma-bully nila Dudley or Malfoy and his gang.

The veteran actors also are able to pull off the best interpretations of their characters, but not to the point of overshadowing the young leads. Helena Bonham Carter gives the deranged performance of Bellatrix Lestrange. It's just how I imagined the Voldemort-fanatic dark eater should be. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her in the next HP films. Ralph Fiennes’ face as the Dark Lord is now more exposed, it’s less snake-like… makes me wanna let Voldemort resurrect to his full power so I can see Ralph Fiennes in all his handsomeness, hehehehe :p Sir Michael Gambon is able to show that why Dumbledore is the only wizard that Voldemort fears during the climactic face-off of the two great wizards. That scene had me grabbing the edge of my seat. The Umbridge woman (I don’t know the actress’ name) is also very effective in her role as the 2^nd villain… she’s infuriating!

It’s obvious that Ginny is about to play a major role in the next film. Though mostly in the background, she’s practically in every scene. Just like Hermione, she’s gotten prettier. The newcomer who plays Luna Lovegood nails the role.

Though I really enjoyed the movie, it just ranks third on my list. My favorite is still Prisoner of Azkaban, followed by Goblet of Fire. It’s because the other characters are not given much credit. For example, it’s hard to notice that Remus Lupin (the werewolf) is still in the film because he doesn’t even utter a single line. The members of Order of the Phoenix are not also properly introduced. I didn’t even recognize if Mundungus Fletcher, an Order member who thieves on antiques or treasures in the Black house, is there in the movie. Kreacher, the old house-elf of the Blacks, is not also given due airtime. In the book, he helps the Dark Eaters by lying to Harry that Sirius is gone. Emma Thompson’s Sybill Trelawney is also not able to redeem herself. The film still paints her as an incompetent seer when in fact in the book she's the one who made that prophecy, tsk!

I am, like every Harry Potter fanatics, very excited to get my copy of the 7^th (and last, by the way) HP book. I'll lock myself in my room on Saturday, mag-catheter and dextrose na lang ako so that I'll be able to devote all my time finishing it (hehehehe!). I hope JK Rowling won't disappoint me with the ending... wag lang nya patayin si Harry, lagot sya! Si Ron okay lang patayin yun...