Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, After four terrible to mediocre outings, the Harry Potter series gets a much needed change in style, direction and presentation. David Yates takes on the role of director for the rest of the franchise, teasing out the material for all its worth, while also making films that are strong in their own rights. Writer Michael Goldenberg also gives Steve Kloves a much needed break from adapting the books to the screen, opting for a much more trim and economical adaptation, and cinematographer Slawomir Idziak infuses the film with a potent mood and visual allure.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes one of the worst books in the series and turns it into one of the best films in the franchise. The film finds a way to unify tale, font and world into a cohesive film, each element feeding the others in a very direct and pressing way. For occasion, when Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) discovers the being of Thestrals, lanky flying horses that can only be seen be font who have witnessed death, it’s not simply one of those world-building moments, but an opportunity to introduce a new character, Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch).
Helen McCrory was originally cast in the role of Bellatrix Lestrange, but ultimately pulled out on learning that she was expecting her first child. She was replaced by Helena Bonham Carter, but would later grow in the franchise as Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s protect. The film also saw franchise debuts for Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood and for Imelda Staunton, playing the fearsome Dolores Umbridge for the first time.
Principal photography took up most of 2006, including an interruption in May and June to allow Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson to sit AS-levels and GCSE exams respectively. Part of the movie’s reported budget of $150 million (£93.5 million) was devoted to new sets, including 12 Grimmauld Place, headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic’s elaborate 200-foot-long hallway and a ‘makeover’ for the headmaster’s office at Hogwarts – including hundreds of Umbridge’s favorite wall-mounted ceramic plates featuring moving images of kittens. Interior scenes were mostly shot at Leavesden Studios in Watford, with location shoots in London, Scotland and Oxford.
Order of the Phoenix premiered in Tokyo on June 28, 2007 ahead of its mid-July release. Its noticeably darker tone was only heightened by the cuts made to the original source material – no Quidditch, no Rita Skeeter and no Dobby. The longest book in the series was reduced to the second shortest film at just 138 minutes. Generating over £16 million on its opening weekend in the UK and $77 million during the same time period in the US, the movie expected a positive critical reception, with widespread praise for both Staunton and Bonham Carter’s performances.
