Collegiate Times

“Harry Potter” fans nationwide held their breath last weekend for the release of the highly anticipated fifth installment in the franchise: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

When the curtain closed on premiers around the world, crowds left theaters with mixed reactions. Such a response is understandable considering the nature of the film itself: In many ways it is the most impressive film in the series, and in many ways it is the most flawed.

Despite such disparity in fan response, “The Order of the Phoenix” does achieve exactly what the producers needed from the film — a suitable stepping-stone that will leave fans aching for the final two installments.

Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts proves to be by far his most turbulent. The film begins with Harry facing charges for using magic in the interest of self-defense, and it quickly becomes evident that he and professor Dumbledore are being ostracized for their insistence that Lord Voldemort has returned.

As Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix scramble to assemble an army to counter Voldemort’s masses, they also face increasing harassment from the bureaucratic Ministry of Magic.

As the two sides continue to impose pressure on Harry and his allies, it becomes apparent that a full-scale war is brewing between the forces of good (The Order of the Phoenix) and evil (The Death Eaters).

Caught right smack in the middle are the students of Hogwarts School of Wizardry, who must overcome stringent regulations from a new headmaster and teach themselves the skills necessary to survive the impending war.

There is good and bad news for audience members obsessed with the “Harry Potter” franchise. The bad news is that the film runs long, is very heavy on plot and low on action in the first hour and a half, and the script nonchalantly kills off a major character.

The film will also more than likely offend everyone with the substantial amount of pertinent information that has been omitted from the book. (Keep in mind, however, that it is impossible to fit all the information in a 900 page book into a two hour film.)

The pacing of the film is its biggest flaw. First time “Harry Potter” director David Yates seems to have saved the majority of his budget allotted for CGI and action sequences for the very end of the film (or possibly the next installment).

This makes the rest of “Order of the Phoenix” seem to drag on with heavy plot development rarely broken up with comic relief or action.

Die-hard fans will enjoy the depth given to Harry’s personal development as well as the expertly handled set-up for the upcoming war; however it is always nice to have thick plot lines broken up by fights with dragons, chase scenes involving giant spiders, or a not-so-friendly game of quiddich. None of these appear in the fifth installment. All we get to break up the talk-fest in the first half of the film is a half-hearted exploration of Harry’s relationship with Cho Chang.

That being said, there is also brilliance to be found in “Order of the Phoenix.” It has more complexity and intensity than any of the four previous chapters, and successfully completes the franchise’s leap (a leap that started with “Goblet of Fire”) from cheeky children’s tale to dark and brooding fantasy epic.

This film has by far the most impressive production design of any of the previous four, as well as scenery and immaculately planned sets that do an excellent job of conveying a sense of impending doom for Harry and his friends.

“Order of the Phoenix” is also the first Harry Potter film to fully utilize the acting talent at the producer’s disposal. Ralph Fiennes is once again phenomenal as Lord Voldemort, and is supported by an all-star cast including Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy) and newcomer Helena Bohnam Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange).

Harry, Ron, and Hermione also display serious development from “Goblet of Fire,” especially Daniel Radcliff (Harry Potter) whose heartfelt performance may finally silence critics who have labeled him as miscast since 2004.

Another thing this film handles masterfully is the final battle scene between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters. This scene single-handedly ushers in the new era of Harry Potter films, moving away from the cartoonish fight scenes from earlier films and embracing the hard-hitting magical action fans worldwide have been dying to see.

The climactic fight scene between Dumbledore and Voldemort features hands down the best visual effects yet to be seen in a “Harry Potter” film. As thrilling as this last scene is, it is over just as soon as it began and transitions into a predictable conclusion to the film.

As a film in itself, “Order of the Phoenix” is nothing stupendous, but as a pivotal part of the “Harry Potter” epic series it handles its transitional role very well. The film slowly builds up to a climactic battle (giving the audience a taste of what the future of the franchise looks like) and then abruptly ends- leaving fans disappointed, yet ready to pre-order their tickets for “Half-Blood Prince.”

The sixth film, which was also directed by David Yates, is set for release in November 2008.