Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Reviewed by Angela Arlia

aaaaeing an avid reader can sometimes be a hindrance. It's hard to imagine this happening, considering that many people don't take the time to read for pleasure, but it is indeed a hindrance, in more ways than one. The first way it becomes troublesome is the overwhelming need to read almost every book that comes out. This is completely impossible since on any given Tuesday (the day most books are released to the masses) more than 30 books make their debut. Thirty books a week for 52 weeks means over 1,500 books to read a year. This is a very complicated task. In a good year, the most I've read is circa 200 books. (I do, sometimes, unfortunately, have a real full-time job. Otherwise, this number would be much higher.)
aaaaThe second reason that it is a burden to be a bibliophile is when it comes to movies adapted from books. There are ongoing discussions and arguments about whether the book is better than the movie, and, to some degree, this is true, because who can really represent what we have concocted in our imaginations while reading a book? That's the yoke that almost every director or producer has to bear when adapting a book. However, I find that it's best to not compare the movie with the book; mainly, because they are completely different art forms.
aaaaEven as I preach that you can't compare the two, I did exactly that while watching "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," based on the eponymous fifth book in the now-ubiquitous Harry Potter series. It's not as though I sat there ticking and tying all the pieces together for consistency. Mostly, I found myself mentally scribbling a list of the things in the book that were missing in the movie or the items that were different from the book. What I was looking for was to see if the movie was coherent, given that this book in the series has a number of interesting new details. Although some of those details were left out of the movie (and I'm not telling you which ones), the movie was nevertheless enjoyable and consistent in its own right.
aaaaHowever, the movie isn't off the hook yet. There is a third problem with reading the book first, that didn't occur to me until after I had seen the movie. A number of people had mentioned that the movie seemed to drag a bit and I felt similarly. Upon further review, I realized it's due to the excitement that builds as you read a book. You flip the pages and twinge in anticipation of what will happen next. By the time you get to the end of the book, you feel that all that time reading and waiting was worth it. Unfortunately, once you've read the book, you know, for the most part what will happen in the movie. You know, for example, that a certain character will continue to put up decrees after noticing different situations that she doesn't like at Hogwarts. The cinematic depiction of this particular example is not as heavy in the movie as it seems in the book. On the other hand, the comic aspect given to these scenes in the movie brings a new perspective to the character's inane antics.
aaaaThe wonderful part of the movie is seeing how the famous British thespians will carry it. And, as in almost all the other Harry Potter movies, it's a joy to see these fantastic actors enjoying what they do and not condescending to the material. Even though Imelda Staunton's Delores Umbrage seems over-the-top in the movie, remember that she's unbelievably cruel but cutesy in the book. I enjoy seeing Gary Oldman in almost anything, but he's truly terrific as Sirius Black. He's so cool you almost wish he were your godfather or uncle. You understand why Harry loves him so much as he treats him like the adult that Harry is becoming in this movie.
aaaaAnd Ralph Fiennes, he embodies Voldemort, with heavy breathing that is reminiscent of Darth Vader. However, no matter how evil and terrifying I envisioned Voldemort when reading the book, it doesn't even come close to the fear I have when I watch Fiennes perform. He makes Darth Vader look like Dark Helmet.
aaaaAnother wonderful element that comes in the movie that is hard to render in the books is the wizarding climax at the end. The outstanding lighting and special effects light up the screen and the viewer's eyes. I could never come close to this staging and power in my mental vision of this scene. Once the children enter the Ministry of Magic, the movie picks up and runs forward at a rapid pace. This doesn't mean that it's slow up to that point; it's more about the moment we've all been waiting for. It's a realm of magic that we can't fully comprehend because we are mere Muggles. The floo powder and apparating into the Ministry of Magic is a joy to watch, as is the entire movie. Even those odd Muggles out there who haven't read the books will enjoy this movie.