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Ironically, after Universal Orlando announced that it had secured the rights from Warner Bros. and from British author J. K. Rowling to bring "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" to their Islands of Adventure themepark, industry insiders would have hypothesised the Potter films to continue on the family-orientated trend. Instead, newbie director to the franchise (this being the fifth instalment), David Yates, decided to add the darkest elements yet to the phenomenally successful series, signalling a more mature thrillride than ever - an emotionally raw jaunt in contrast to the artifical fun of the Sunshine State's mythical kingdoms and the uber-fantastical yarns of preceding tales. The twenty-acre fantastical island in Florida will feature attractions, shops and restaurants set inside such locations as the Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade Village and the iconic Hogwarts castle, whereas Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix features an established Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, spearheading an excellent all-star British cast which is actually acting, and dominating the mendaciousness of the CGI in the process - Rickman, Oldman and Bonham Carter seem incredibly engrossed in their characters and the source material. This is a no-frills escapade of sheer acting ability with visuals taking a backseat and marketable elements of the series (the bits of Rowling's imagination used to entice executives into constructing a top attraction in the capital of vacationing) making way off centre stage. Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge and Michael Gambon's Albus 'Vagabond' Dumbledore steal the show by giving more to their respective roles than Yates would have ever hoped, and the latter even surpasses Richard Harris's interpretation of the prickly headmaster. Grint and Watson pop up again with the ginger drip as passive as ever, and Watson getting more gorgeous by the minute. The resistance they set up with Harry to combat Umbridge's academic dictatorship is more sophisticated than before - obviously the kids have grown up, but these are darker and more advanced acts of mischief than ever before. All in all, this is the thespian's opportunity of the series to join the infamously naked stage actor (Radcliffe in his Equus theatre run) in shepherding H.M.S. Box-Office to the multiplexes in order to satisfy the needs of the wizard's devoted fans - an objective duly passed.
The magic is obviously not lost completely here, and the film is certainly an improvement on the Marmite experience of the book, but the first films of the series had something extra, an intrinsic quality which made one believe the gargantuan grosses. In a sense, Yates has made the film feel like an overlong preview lucky critics have the pleasure of being invited to. In addition, that is probably the result when you join the production of a series so far into the overall story of the protagonists, which is in turn only two films from an explosive completion. With a Bond film for example, or even an episode of The Simpsons, a director has the task of creating a formulaic structure (beginning, middle, and end). Yates however has had the task here of making sure he follows on and sets up the foregoing and following films. In other words, a Potter director can only feast on what is served up by Mother Rowling, a job requirement with both advantageous and problematic ramifications.
The summary
An appetiser poised for some sort of flame grilled meaty climax.
