Edelstein Says Darker "Potter" Is Better

The Latest Movie In The Wizard Saga Is Getting Serious, And That's A Good Thing

(CBS)  Sunday Morning movie critic David Edelstein reviews the fifth Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

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Oh, sorry, just reading my advance copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." I can't believe she'd kill off — !

Kidding. It's a fake, but I'll be at the bookstore at midnight July 21st along with the other sheep to pick up J.K. Rowling's seventh and last Potter book — and probably be up the whole night to find out if Harry or Hermione or Ron or any other character I care about gets vaporized.

Meanwhile, there's a time-lapse with the movies. On Wednesday, the film of the fifth book opened, to mixed reviews. Not mine; I love it. But some critics found "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" a tad short in the childish wonder department.

They're right. It teems with sexual frustration, madness, Fascism and death. The palette is grainy and dank, the faces gray, the hero's alienation beginning to fester.

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Photos: Harry Potter

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It's quite a change from director Christopher Columbus's Christmassy first movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which didn't begin to suggest the pagan energy — and anger — out of which the saga was born.

Throughout, the orphaned Harry is a victim of prejudice from humans — a.k.a. Muggles — for being a wizard and bigoted wizards for being half-human — a.k.a. Mudblood. Yet Rowling finds a balance between enchantment and dread. The wizard school, Hogwarts, is magical and liberating but also disciplined — a counterculture without self-destructive excess.

As they've gotten darker, the "Potter" movies have gotten better. In "Prisoner of Azkabhan," director Alfonso Cuaron made the now-pubescent hero's universe tactile. It wasn't a theme park; it was real, Hog-warts and all. Director Mike Newell's "Goblet of Fire" was bloodcurdling — building to Ralph Fiennes' villainous Lord Voldemort reforming out of primordial ooze.

"Order of the Phoenix" is the first social-realist "Potter" movie, with a touch of George Orwell. It's dominated by Imelda Staunton, overacting gleefully as the latest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. She's a pink toad, a tea-cozy Fascist who loathes poor Harry. She represents an unchecked executive branch of government — abolishing civil liberties, holding inquisitions at the first whiff of insolence. Director David Yates lets loose with horrific montages to evoke his hero's nightmare inner-world.

The central trio — Daniel Radcliffe's Harry, Emma Watson's Hermione, Rupert Grint's Ron — is on the far side of puberty, which makes me sad. Their aging brings thoughts of their mortality.

I'm loath to predict what the final book will bring, but "Order of the Phoenix" is ominous. How can Harry defeat everything murderously repressive in the world without making the ultimate sacrifice?

[shannans22]

I watched this movie last night, I am a huge fan of all the others and I was very dissapointed.
There were things , characters, evets , etc..that were not explained. The movie finsihed leaving you with the question.."What was done?"
I was expecting a better story , there were so many things in the movie that i just asked myself "what was the point of that ?"
I don't know, it's my opinion but I think This was the worst one out of all of the Harry Potter movies.

[likeitis5050]

AimeePotter maybe you're just too cerebral to be watching kid movies anymore. Or maybe we need to be paying to see your stuff...and that would be???????? What.... Have you shared your critiques with the producers, directors or even the author? Maybe they could get some valuable tips from you. You sound like the type who might benefit greatly from watching the extra features on the DVD. Best wait for that to have a better connection with what the director was aiming for, don't you think? Perhaps going back to the first movie and working your way back up would help. I just want you to find some satisfaction out of all the effort you've put in to viewing the Potter movies. I look forward to seeing your movies one day.

[aimeepotter]

In the film OoP, Hermione's acting was melodramatic and so awful I laughed out loud. There was not character development. Malfoy might as well have been cut out altogether. Important things were deleted, changed or new things added in the name of artistic license. i.e.,: Rowling stated the mirror Sirius gave Potter would be important later and it was left out. The director must have a personal issue portraying betrayer because in the book the it was Sirius Black's family elf that betrayed Sirius and it was not portrayed in the movie. Also, the person who betrayed the D.A. (Defense against the Dark Arts student meetings)did so by choice. It does not matter if it was Cho or her friend that betrayed Harry and the D.A., what matters is that whoever did so consciously made a choice to do so.

Whereas the director made it out that the traitor was forced against her wishes to reveal them due to the affects of truth serum. That was an important nuance lost. In life there are those who will betray us. A lesson we at one time will all learn.

The story was disjointed and didn't flow. It felt rushed. The actress who portrayed Luna Lovegood was a spacey idiot. She must be that disconnected in real life as well. She looked stoned or something whereas in the book the Luna character was brunette, had glasses, was unattractive and at times spacey, she was still more there than this gal was.
(Continued on next AimeePotter Post)

[likeitis5050]

SharnCedar Those that can do...those that can't hate those that do...come up with something at least comparable and maybe one day we'll be here ripping your work apart. Until then..don't hate so openly that you reveal everything uninspired about your life.

[sa2572]

Brilliant book series and finally a great movie (relieved to find Yates directing HP6 as well).

Often these critics seem to feel obliged to counteract the hype with nonsensical criticism; "what happened to the magic of Harry Potter..."

I appreciated Edelstein's approach. It follows that as Potter grows and the plot develops the books will get darker. Ultimately I don't foresee either evil or good triumphing and I don't believe Potter will die.

Everything about the movie is great. CGI was expertly applied, the acting is generally flawless (a role call of British act) with the actors refusing to condescend to the material and to make it disneyesque (slapstick trivializations).

[angeladchapm]

Wow, you must be really, really smart, SharnCedar. Only someone extra smart takes the time to post a comment insulting the intelligence of the book reviewer doing his job. I'm sure this post doesn't have anything to do with you trying to makeup for your own shortcomings or failure to become the author that you so clearly dream of being. I'm sure
J.K. Rowling, the writer of this multi-million dollar series of books is probably going to be very concerned once she reads this and realizes the competition she has in such a talented novelist such as yourself. In fact, I'll bet she'll quit writing entirely and explain it to the millions of men, women, and children across the world that adore these books, that they've all been the butt of a cruel joke on humanity, just to prove how stupid "everybody else" is. Cheers to non-comformity, SharnCedar!

[sharncedar]

"and probably be up the whole night to find out if Harry or Hermione or Ron or any other character I care about gets vaporized."


LOL. That's hilarious, those books are like cotton candy, I think I read the first couple chapters of the first book (before putting it down with a great big *yawn*) in ten minutes or less - LOL, if it takes this bimb-o ALL NIGHT to read that silly little book with its big words and short sentences, my my, aren't we remedial.

Even a third grader with moderate reading skills could consume these fluffy books in 2 hours a piece, all night reading for 1 book, that's hilarious. Nice to know that CBS reporters are at 2nd grade or below reading level.

I don't think it took me all night to read War and Peace. "harry Potter and the Moron Readers" how about for the next title, or "Harry Potter and the Money Machine for Dimwits" or "Harry Potter and the Hack English Writer who Dumbed it Down for Big Profits"