The Trouble With Harry

[July 11th, 2007]

Harry Potter—and his fans—have done a lot of growing up throughout the wildly popular books and films. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth movie in the series, hits theaters as J.K. Rowling's anticipated literary finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, gears up to turn Powell's into an orgy of nerdery on July 21.

And my, has he grown. From pipsqueak to full-blown hero, Harry's cinematic self has seen young actor Daniel Radcliffe mature from cute kid to Tiger Beat hunk, and Radcliffe's skills have improved with his character's magical abilities. Here Harry faces multiple challenges, not the least of which is the funny feeling in his pants when he locks eyes with Cho Chang (Katie Leung).

When last we met Harry, he was reeling from the death of a classmate at the hands of evil nemesis Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes, turning the creep-o-meter up to 11). Now Harry's an outcast—nobody believes his claims that the evil wizard has returned to wage war. Along to help our hero are faithful buddies Hermione and Ron (Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, growing up before our eyes), as well as Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). But Harry is viewed as a conspirator against the Ministry of Magic, which is making a coup on Hogwarts' magic school by ousting professors for the seditious act of questioning authority. The embodiment of this fascist wing of the Ministry is new professor Dolores Umbridge. As played by the magnificent Imelda Staunton, Umbridge is the devil in a home-economics apron, sneering through a smile like a snake hiding behind a wall of kitten-embossed plates. Staunton is clearly having a blast seething through her floral prints, and her performance damn near steals the show.

With Phoenix, obscure British TV director David Yates crafts a dazzling mix of magic, fun and scares and scores big in what is arguably the best Potter film—on par with Alfonso Cuarón's Prisoner of Azkaban and miles ahead of 2005's dismal Goblet of Fire. Yates' vision is otherworldly, yet the director grounds it all in a tangible reality that makes it easy to suspend disbelief, even when gigantic fire snakes and centaurs bound across the screen. There's a strong sense of urgency in the film and, except when it's bogged down in political allegory, he knocks it out of the park, particularly in a stunning climax that will leave many a fingernail chewed.

This is a more mature film, and with maturity comes caution. Phoenix is dark, edgy and quite scary. It's likely some parents will be caught off guard by the terror and nightmare landscapes. But, in the end, Harry's struggle is not unlike that of any teenager. He learns that nobody can go it alone. Whether you're fighting pure evil or just going for your first kiss, you need a system of support. With friends—and supporting actors—like Harry's, you really can't go wrong.