After watching "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," I have to say that I think I'm in love.
No, neither Harry nor Ron suddenly became super attractive, and I don't have harbored feelings of love for Sirius Black, but I think I'm definitely crushing on the creators of the new movie.
Going into my first screening of the film, I had to remind myself to be fair. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series was my least favorite, and I had few expectations that the movie would be any better, as books usually surpass their movie counterparts.
But within five minutes of the opening credits, I realized that this film was exceptional.
Within ten minutes, I had gotten chills twice because of some effect in the movie, something that had never happened for me in a previous Harry Potter film.
Director David Yates effectively used lighting, camera angles, scenery and music to tell the story of "The Order of the Phoenix" without overdoing it and being over-the-top.
And unlike the other movies that portrayed the books in an overly magical or creepy way, the image created in this picture was the most realistic to date. As I watched the movie, I felt that what was presented was plausible.
As if riding broomsticks across London was really something that could happen.
Here's the rundown of the plot: After using magic to fend off a dementor (guards from Azkaban, the maximum security wizard prison) attack, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is charged with violating laws that prohibit magic from being used in front of muggles (the non-magic people).
After being acquitted of the charges, Harry goes to Hogwarts where a new defense against the dark arts professor instated by the Ministry of Magic causes trouble for Harry. Because the professor refuses to teach the students how to defend themselves with spells, Harry, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) form "Dumbledore's Army," a group of students who learns and practices protective dueling spells.
Along the way, Harry continues to have searing visions that turn out to be a link between his mind and Lord Voldemort's.
The movie removed some of the plot elements that I didn't find necessary when I first read the book. When I read them, I felt they were too full of teen angst and indecisiveness. Harry and Ron were also much more likeable in this movie than either were in the book.
While the book used the devices I so disliked to show how isolated and confused Harry was, the movie accomplished this by showing how difficult it was for Harry to relate to his peers at times.
One particular scene did this beautifully, as Harry walks into a corridor full of students, the halls begin to empty and Harry is left standing there alone.
The climatic encounter between Harry and his friends and some of the most notorious Death Eaters (followers of Voldemort), as well as Harry and Voldemort, was handled so well that it made for as good of a face-off scene similar in excitement to when Luke Skywalker battles the Emperor in "The Empire Strikes Back."
Film devices like music, special effects and flashbacks made the scene alone worth the price of admittance to the movie.
Perhaps the best part of this movie was that it effectively got me pumped and excited for the final installment of the book. While I've always looked forward to the releases of the movies and books, I left this movie feeling more excited about Harry Potter than I had in a long time. Perhaps since I first got into the series years ago.
