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 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opened
wide on Wednesday, July 11, 2007, and Pottermania is still going
strong. Order of the Phoenix, the fifth movie instalment in the
famous Harry Potter boy wizard series, enthralled fans young and
old. Eager loyal fans joined Potter novices as the movie continues
its mega successful run around the world, particularly in the UK and
the US.
The release of the movie, Order of the Phoenix,
began Potter month or July for many fans. As many are aware, the
Harry Potter phenomenon peaks with the release of the ultimate and
final book in the Harry Potter series - Harry Potter and the
Deathly
Hallows.
Hallows was made available to fans worldwide, as the clock
struck 12.01 a.m. on Saturday, July 21, 2007. July is special - it
marks the month of character Harry’s birthday, along with the
birthdays of his author and the actor who plays him in the movies -
Daniel Radcliffe. Author J K Rowling has said this will be the last
book in the Potter series, but she has also been quoted as saying,
“never say never”, in telegraph.co.uk website.
 Warner Bros has brought back the favourite cast,
with some new additions, and a new director. Director David Yates,
renowned in the UK, has helmed this movie; and Yates has brought in
some exceptional actors for new characters. For
example, actress Imelda Staunton plays the evil toad-like Prof
Umbridge, who manages to make life miserable for Harry and his
friends as she slowly gains position at Hogwarts. In addition,
actress Helena Bonham Carter makes an appearance as the vindicated
Azkaban (wizard prison) escapee and Death Eater - Bellatrix
Lestrange. And, of course, the villain we love to hate - Lord
Voldemort is back, played by veteran actor Ralph Fiennes.
Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), now in year six, finds solace in his
friends, but also finds romance in newcomer Katie Leung, who plays
the role of Harry’s crush - Cho Chang. Harry must also find some way
to cope not just with the action at Hogwarts but also with the
dealings of the ministry. In Phoenix, Harry and his knowledgeable
mentor Albus Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon) both face the
ministry's wrath as Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge fails to
believe that Lord Voldemort or You-Know-Who has returned. To deal
with the lack of Defense against the Dark Arts teaching at Hogwarts
- Harry, along with his best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and
Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), form Dumbledore’s Army. Dumbledore’s
Army is supposed to be a secret defence group, until they are
discovered by Prof Umbridge. One variation here - in the book the
traitor is Marietta (a friend of Harry’s crush - Cho Chang); in the
movie the traitor is Cho Chang. What has Potter
done for Rowling? According to cnn.com, thanks to Potter, “Rowling
is Britain's richest woman -- the first billionaire author...” As
for the movies, made by CNN’s parent company Warner Brothers, “The
Potter movies have made stars of its young actors and given regular,
colorful work to a generation of Britain’s finest performers.”
Although the movie opened to blockbuster sales of $ 330 million for
opening weekend, setting a new record, I waited patiently to see the
movie - I did not go on opening day. I thought I will let the masses
go that weekend and would go the week after - opting for less crowds
and better seats. I was wrong. After waiting in line to buy tickets,
the almost sold-out movie had about four seats left when I walked
into the theatre. Four seats left in one of the biggest screens this
movie house offered. After settling into the third row, craning my
neck to try to physically push myself away from the 80-foot screen,
the movie began and continued for 2 hrs and 18 minutes.
The excitement of the stories, the thrills and
chases - without the Quidditch matches is something else - and
Phoenix doesn’t disappoint. As Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by
the Order of the Phoenix, breathtaking scenery and cinematography of
London lights emerge. Riding on a broom came to life with that one
scene, which is again repeated in the climax, as Harry and friends
board thestrals (animals with really large wings and keen sense of
direction).
 The movie was, however, too short.
Condensing Rowling’s longest instalment into the shortest movie,
director Yates eliminated a lot of sub-plots, and in that sense the
movie just seems to go from scene to scene. Diehard fans will also
notice that the much anticipated kiss between Harry and his
kind-of-girlfriend Cho lasts about a minute, and the romance goes
downhill as Cho betrays Harry and friends, selling them out to
Umbridge. The action scenes are impressive,
particularly as all the prophecy spheres break apart in the
Ministry’s Department of Mysteries. Lord Voldemort is back, and
looks strangely abnormal without a nose and he is also gone in a
matter of minutes. Voldemort has a very short role, along with other
Hogwarts characters such as Snape, Malfoy, Lupin, Hagrid, and
McGonagall which makes the movie seem devoid of old favourites -
good and bad. How did the audience react? Well,
the name Harry Potter draws large crowds and Indians are no
exception. Crowds of people couldn't wait to give their reactions.
Seema Sharma, 11, was excited, “I couldn't wait for the Harry Potter
movie. I made my mom buy tickets ahead of time.” Her friend, Ritu
Patel, agreed, “That was a great movie,” she said. The “action
scenes were very cool, but very loud!!” Lata
Venkat is an older fan; a mom of four, she came for her kids but
also for herself. Lata said with a laugh, “I thought the whole
series was for children. But my children begged me to read the first
book, and I got hooked. I knew I would want to see the movies then,
and here I am.” Her 13-year-old daughter, Hema,
added, “I knew she would like it! Now she has to buy me the next
book so she can read it too!” Sweta Rangalu said,
“My husband doesn’t understand my obsession with Harry Potter. But I
enjoy it immensely!” The story of Harry Potter
appeals to many - regardless of their country, or background or
religion. It is this universal acceptance and it is an imaginary
world full of magic and inspiration and, of course, guilt and
temptation that draws us in. Harry Potter displays the classic
struggle of good versus evil, but it also allows us an escape - a
trip to another world - and that is the attraction.
So now – who’s ready for the next one? Pottermania continues, and
surely peaks with the release of the last book in the series. But
what will happen after the last book? Well, we still have two movies
to look forward to.
(Pic courtesy Warner Bros) Priyanka Narayanan
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