Matt's Movie Library: 'Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix'

With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald coming out this November, I figured this was as good a time as any to revisit the Harry Potter films. And it’s the 20th anniversary of the release of Sorcerer’s Stone the book, so even more reason. I’ll be looking at the original eight one at a time, before finishing with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. These won’t be regular reviews per se, but more of a review/reflection combination.

The review and subsequent rating will be based on the movie by itself; I won’t take into account how it compares to or differs from the accompanying book. But if there are notable people, scenes, etc. left out of the movie, I might make mention of those as more of something that I wish had been included simply due to my personal opinions.

And in the spirit of honesty, these look-backs won’t necessarily have the same structure. Some might be long and in depth. Others might be shorter and more light-hearted. Whatever I feel the day(s) I’m writing will be what comes out. Should make it fun. Keep it spicy, I like to say.

I don’t have any sort of release schedule planned for these. Just know that I will be done before Crimes of Grindelwald is released on November 16. These are also not in conjunction with Chris’s revisiting of the Harry Potter book series (as of this blog being published, he has written about Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban).

Rest of the movies
Sorcerer’s Stone
Chamber of Secrets
Prisoner of Azkaban
Goblet of Fire
Half-Blood Prince
Deathly Hallows Part 1
Deathly Hallows Part 2
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

*It shouldn’t be necessary given how long the movie has been out, but this will contain spoilers.*

Might as well dive right into that opening scene on the playground. I have to say, even for Dudley, making fun of Harry for his parents being dead is maybe a tad over-the-top, no? I know, I get that Dudley is, and always has been, this massive jerk (putting it lightly, I know) but making jokes about someone’s dead parents? That’s more of a Malfoy move.

And let’s just take a moment to appreciate Dudley’s outrageous fashion choice here. I mean, just really going for it. What a clown, that kid is.

Speaking of terrible fashion, we’ll go on a quick detour to take a look at Mr. Finnigan’s…interesting tie style.

Dolores Umbridge

You can’t talk about Order of the Phoenix without touching on Umbridge. I’m not saying anything new here, but man does she suck. She is just the worst. But she’s the worst in a very captivating, intriguing way. Moaning Myrtle is also the worst, but in a way that’s just obnoxious and annoying. You don’t care what happens to her; you hope you never have to see her again.

But Umbridge is more comparable to someone like Game of Thrones’ Cersei Lannister.

*Quick side note. These thoughts are completely my own interpretations. I could be completely wrong on what both J.K. Rowling and George RR Martin intended with these characters. This is just how I see it.*

Both are smart, driven, strong-willed women. Both do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. But more than anything, they are supposed to be hated. Someone like Myrtle is supposed to come off as tragic and sympathetic (big time fail). But Umbridge and Cersei are meant to represent evil, or some form of evil. Think of it like a video game. Voldemort and the White Walkers could be seen as a “Final Boss.” Umbridge and Cersei are one of the last few you need to defeat before going into the last boss battle.

I think people often (mistakenly) equate characters they hate with bad characters. I hate Moaning Myrtle and I would argue she maybe isn’t a bad character, but certainly a weaker one. And while I hate Umbridge and Cersei even more (and Joffrey for that matter), they are all great characters. Cersei is one of the most compelling characters on TV, but every episode I’m rooting for her downfall. Umbridge isn’t on that same level, but she’s on a similar path.

Some Truly Fantastic Scenes

One of the low-key best scenes of any of the movies. And it’s not only because of Dumbledore. Yes, Dumbledore’s part is cool and all, but Kingsley takes the scene from good to great.

The ending fights at the Ministry are awesome and are some of the best scenes, – visually especially – in the series. The Order vs. Death Eaters is great, but Dumbledore vs. Voldy is legendary.

Harry and Sirius have a nice heart-to-heart at Grimmauld Place. It takes on a more tragic sense once you know what is to come not too long from now.

Harry’s Pride

HARRY, STOP TRYING TO DO THINGS BY YOURSELF! PEOPLE WANT TO HELP YOU!

From an outside-looking-in perspective, this is one of the most frustrating parts of the movies. Harry always wants to do these difficult, dangerous things on his own, even with friends who are more than willing to help. I think it’s at least partially from his desire to protect those he cares about; he doesn’t want to put them in harm’s way. He feels he’s lost so much already that he couldn’t bear losing anyone else (he’s in for a rough couple years in that regard). But dude, come on. Put your pride aside and use even an ounce of logic for once. Harry would get dominated trying to do anything on his own.

Thestrals

Let’s talk about Thestrals. One of the firsts “twists” is the reveal of Thestrals – a winged animal one can only see if they have witnessed someone die. For some reason Hogwarts has decided this is the perfect animal to pull the school carriages. First of all, why? There are surely going to be a handful of students who have seen someone die. Why subject them to this? Even if it’s just one student. Why remind them of that? Why not just have the carriages work like Hermione says, and have them be pulled by magic?

Continuing on that line, this is a shocking thing for Hermione to not know. All throughout the series, she knows each and every tiny little factoid about Hogwarts. This seems like something she surely would have come across somewhere, especially with how unique it is.

But the biggest point on the Thestrals comes later in the movie. Harry and the crew use Thestrals to get to the Ministry. Harry and Luna could see the Thestrals so they were fine. But how were the rest of them not freaking out the entire time? You’re flying on something that you can’t see and yet you’re completely chill about the whole thing? Doubt it. Yes, overall something small. But I can’t help but think about it every time I rewatch Order.

Why wouldn’t Lupin run after Harry when he chases Bellatrix?

After the tragic murder of Sirius at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry is undoubtedly furious. He lets his emotions take control and chases after her. Lupin tries to hold him back but Harry breaks free and continues his chase. Why wouldn’t Lupin follow? He knows how dangerous Bellatrix is. He knows she’s a far superior witch than Harry is a wizard.

Sirius

Poor Sirius, we hardly new ye. He is probably the character I was most sad about losing. Sirius was a phenomenal character, one that would have added so much to the story had he survived even for a just a short time more. He can add some lightness and humor to any situation. From the scene above, he’s a smart and insightful man. He would have been a great father figure for Harry to have. And he was, it was just for a lot shorter amount of time than anyone would have wished.

Neville

Shouts to my man Neville. I’ve said before he has one of the better character arcs in the series, and that is strongly moved forward here. From joining Dumbledore’s Army (and all the practice that went along with it), to willingly going to the Ministry, to putting up a stronger-than-expected fight against the Death Eaters. Neville had an impressive showing in Order.

Not Included from the Book

Fred and George’s pranks on Umbridge

Of course there are plenty more, but I’m just going to stick to one this time.

While Fred and George were the big names, it was a large chunk of the school – teachers included – that banded together to stick it to Umbridge. These passages were some of the most fun to read in the entire series. We get a taste with their antics during the OWLs, but there was potential for so much more.

Unlike most of the other scenes I’ve mentioned in this section before, these not being included is something I’m actually a bit upset about. Order of the Phoenix clocks in as the second shortest of the 8 original movies. So in theory there was a little bit of time to work with here. And there wouldn’t have had to be a huge amount of screen time dedicated to it. The movie already has that montage of Umbridge enforcing her rule on the school. A few scenes of rebellion could have been included there. It would have fit, wouldn’t have added too much run time, and would have provided a few moments of laughter, happiness, and hope.