Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Our dear beloved Harry Potter has grown up into an angsty young man and the load of stuff that he has to deal with is incredibly huge. Firstly, people are doubting him on his claim that the dark lord Voldemort has returned. Secondly, his nightmares are getting worse and worse each day, and he wakes up each time drenched in sweat. Thirdly, the new defence against the dark arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, has a bad impression of Harry Potter and she finds many ways to punish Harry and his friends.

This film has an relatively dark tone and the problems that plague Harry seem unsurmountable. Thankfully, Harry has two incredibly loyal friends, Hermione and Ron, to lend him a helping hand. The characters are quite well developed and we get to experience the inner struggles that Harry Potter is constantly facing.

Imelda Staunton does an incredibly fine job in portraying the hateful and obnoxious Dolores Umbridge while Michael Gambon is ever so classy as the unassuming hero, Dumbledore. I enjoyed the engrossing story immensely as well as the matured and dark tone, and the emotional heft of the movie.

***1/2