It’s amazing how far this series has come. What began as sort of a bouncy, special-effects-laden kids movie with the first one six years ago has culminated into one of the darkest blockbuster mainstream movies in recent memory. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a horror film, drenched in menace, filled with dread. There is very little action in the movie until the big finale. The set-up is slow, the movie takes awhile to pick up the pace, and some familiar characters, like Snape and Hagrid, aren’t even seen until the second half. These are all compliments–Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a brilliant movie, maybe the best one yet, and it’s a promise of more great things to come with this series with the final two installments.

Most of you probably know the story, but here’s the gist. Harry is having a rough summer back at home with the Dursleys. He is having nightmares and is clearly disturbed by the recent death of Cedric Diggory and the return of Voldemort. Of course, no one back at Hogwarts truly believes that Voldemort has returned except for Dumbledore and Harry’s close friends Ron and Hermione. The ministry has appointed a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, who’s the nastiest teacher on the planet–her appearance is jovial but her implications are devilish. Harry takes it upon himself to teach his fellow students how to defend themselves with the possibility of attacks looming, and he has to prepare himself for the big fight that is to come. But this time, his friends are there to help him.

One of the great film series of our time, the Harry Potter films truly just keep getting better. The care that Warner Bros has allowed to be put into these films has been astounding. Harry Potter is a cash cow, and any studio could easily hack out mediocre, flawed films that don’t serve the books justice. Instead, they take gambles by hiring new visionary directors like Alfonso Cuaron and let the movies breathe by allowing different takes on the films. If every single movie had been made by Chris Columbus, we wouldn’t have come very far. If Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had been made by Chris Columbus, the experience would be a whole lot different. The series is also commendable because the actors always remain the same. Except for the required change of Dumbledore’s actor due to the death of great actor Richard Harris, the actors have remained completely the same, with the main three actors particularly growing from novice child actors to strong young adult actors. It’s a delight every time in watching the new Harry Potter movie to wait in suspense for the next familiar face. When is Hagrid coming? When is Snape coming? Much of the adult actors have very little time on screen, so it has to be appreciated when their respective characters get chances to shine.

The acting in this film is never better. Daniel Radcliffe, who has been almost annoyingly lately trying to prove he’s more than just Harry Potter by appearing nude on stage in Equus in London, does a great job in this playing the role much darker. He’s not all that likable for large portions of the movie, and he and the director took a huge risk in having Radcliffe play the role so subdued–it pays off beautifully. Emma Watson gives what may be her first genuinely solid performance in the series. She’s always been just OK in the other movies, but here, she seems a lot more natural. Rupert Grint, given fairly little to do here, is as good as he’s ever been. The adult actors all range from good to great, with Michael Gambon clearly coming into his own as Dumbledore. The major new face Imelda Staunton was born to play Dolores Umbridge. It’s as if the character just fell off the page and rammed its way against the movie screen. She’s deplorable and nasty, and she’s absolutely riveting to watch. Every slight turn of the head and subtle guessture and smirk are clearly thought out and rehearsed. She’s a fantastic addition to the series. But ultimate props have to go to Alan Rickman, who has been my favorite part of the entire series, playing Snape. Much like the last film, he is given very little to do here, but his small handful of scenes with Harry, including one where we get to see Snape as a young Hogwarts student, are some of the best in the movie. His character has always been darkly funny, but he takes a slightly more serious turn here, and it bodes well for what’s in store for the character in the next film.

Technically the movie is nearly flawless. The special effects work has come maybe the furthest way of everything, with particularly the flying sequences looking amazing. Sound work is genius, and the score paves way for suspenseful scenes of eerie circumstances. The production design is worthy of an Oscar nomination, what with Umbridge’s scary office dungeon of cats and the epic sights of the final battle. The sets are absolutely beautiful from beginning to end in this movie, and they already put the movie on a high-quality scale.

On the negative side, there is very little I didn’t like about the movie. One negative aspect I guess could be seen is that the movie is much slower than any of the other films. While the last film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was a bouyant action adventure with scene after scene of battles and physical challenges, this newest installment is a lugubrious journey into Harry’s nightmares. The last one was an adventure, this one is a horror movie. Neither one is necessarily better; what’s fascinating is the different tone each movie takes on. Luna Lovegood I found to be kind of a blah character, and… SPOILER!!!… the manner in which Sirius Black dies didn’t work for me in the book and it certainly didn’t really work for me in the movie, either. I wanted to cry for him. Instead, I just felt like he disappeared and could maybe come back by the time the credits rolled. Overall, though, these are minor problems.

One other terrific manner in which the series has evolved is that this installment is not for little kids. While there were some scary moments in the last two, this film is on a whole different level. Not only is it much slower than the other ones, but there are scenes of true terror, particularly in the last thirty minutes. The series has evolved along with the audience that has been following each book and film. The fans of the first book are much older now and can appreciate the subtleties of the later installments better. The fans of the first movie are older to the point now where we can appreciate the dark aspects and the more sorrowful tone of the newer installments. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix seemingly takes place in Hell, with most of the magic now having to do with staying alive and defeating evil, not playing quidditch and playing tricks on the opposite sex. The need for change was practically mandatory, and newbie director David Yates has brought his style to what is an absolutely extraordinary vision.

The movie treats its audience with respect. I can’t even imagine the different kinds of roads other, more successful directors might have taken. They would’ve played up the comedy more, or cut out the quiet character moments in lieu of big action scenes. There is scene after scene after scene of characters just talking, and it’s all fascinating stuff, but it’s surprising that the filmmakers got away with subject matter and characters that appear so somber. It’s for fans of the books and the series, who care about these characters. It’s a joy every year and a half to spend time with these people, if even for a short while. And it’s emotional to consider that the end is near… There are just two more movies to go, and the last book comes out in a week. After the last page is turned on the book, it will be good to know there are still two more movies to look forward to, but it will definitely be hard as the final film particularly draws near. This is a rich series of both books and films, and it will be hard to see the day when it’s all over. Don’t miss Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It’s the anti summer movie. It’s everything that a lot of the other big summer movies don’t have. A lot of heart. A rich story. A reason to get up and go to the movies again.

4 stars (out of 4)