I rate this movie 5 cauldrons out of 5 and that’s the way I see it.

WARNING: The rest of the post discusses Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, both the movie and the book. If you have not read the book, nor seen the movie (I recommend you do so, in either order) and do not wish to know the story, do not continue. As Wikipedia says, the following contains spoilers.

The story begins in the same manner as it has since we were first introduced to the main character. Harry is spending the summer with the Dursleys, his aunt, uncle and cousin Dudley. He is haunted by the memory of seeing one of his friends, Cedric Diggory, die at the hands of the cruel Lord Voldemort which had returned to power in the previous installment of the Harry Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While in a park, with Dudley taunting him about his dead parents, Harry finds himself and his cousin under attack by two Dementors. He manages to fend them off and save both himself and his cousin by producing a Patronus charm. Being under age and having performed magic in the presence of a muggle, Harry receives news that he is expelled from Hogwarts. It is here that we get a first look at the Ministry of Magic’s London headquarters and it is a beauty. Harry is brought in for a hearing, at which Dumbledore is able to convince the Wizengamot the charm was produced in self-defence and all charges are dropped.

From here the story progresses in a somewhat normal fashion. Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the characters begin their fifth year at Hogwarts. It is announced at the opening feast that Dolores Umbridge, who works for the Minister of Magic, will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts for the upcoming year. Imelda Staunton does a marvelous job of portraying this annoying woman. Umbridge begins a reign of terror on Hogwarts, forbidding the use of magic, after school activities (Quidditch for a select few too) and interrogating professors. After Dumbledore’s Army is discovered, she is named headmistress of the school.

The namesake of this book/movie comes from a secret organization set up by Albus Dumbledore to prevent Voldemort from carrying out his plans, the Order of the Phoenix. While the action at Hogwarts is going on, the Order is investigating Voldemort’s activities and came to the conclusion he is searching for a prophecy made about himself and Harry.

Because of the link between the Dark Lord and young Harry, Voldemort is able to place visions of Sirius Black being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. This prompts Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville to fly to London and rescue him. Upon arrival they are confronted by Death Eaters with the Order arriving just in time. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Black, the last link for Harry to his family, is killed. Chasing his murderer, Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry comes, once again, face to face with Voldemort. Dumbledore arrives as well and confronts ‘Tom’ (Voldemort’s actual name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, an anagram making it ‘I am Lord Voldemort’) while protecting Harry. Special effects are very realistic during the duel of these two great wizards with the Ministry of Magic being left in ruins. At the end of the duel, Voldemort enters Harry’s mind through Legilimency and begins torturing him with images of the death of his parents as well as that of Sirius and Cedric.

It is at this point that one of the main themes of the story comes out and hits you in the face. The power of love. Harry is able to counter the Dark Lord’s torment with happy memories of time spent with his friends, with is godfather Sirius, how he felt when he first found out he was a wizard and many more. He tells Voldemort that he is weak and Harry pities him for never having known love and friendship. Voldemort is expelled just as the Minister of Magic arrives and is forced to admit the Dark Lord had returned. Though Rowling has said the main theme of her books is death, one can clearly see love and friendship gleaming through in the movie.

The movie was a masterpiece because it moved away (just like the book) from awing us with the power of magic. It showed us the characters have all grown, both in age and more so maturity. Hermione realizes that breaking the rules is OK sometimes. Harry that he is not alone, he will never be alone. He’s got something Voldemort doesn’t have: people that care for and love him. The movie put an emphasis on the relationships between characters and developed some lesser known characters as well. Neville Longbottom has become a good friend of the Gryffindor trio, along with Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood. Also, Ginny Weasley was more prominent. The message of the movie was loud and clear: evil will never triumph over love and friendship.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a definite must see movie whether you have read the book or not. While it skipped some scenes from the book, the overall themes were carried through and allowed us to move away from the magic of the wizard world and closer to the one that each and everyone of us is capable of.

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