Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixFear drives people to make terrible decisions, usually at the expense of others. It is hope which truly motivates accomplishment and fortifies one against impending doom. Those who are truly weak in their resolve will crumble in the face of the unknown, applying blame rather than exposing themselves. Those who are strong will grow stalwart as a bulwark in the face of adversity. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is forced to make the difficult decision as to whether he will be able to resist the pull of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), or be drawn into his dark spell.
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth entry in the series, follows the harrowing events of the preceding film, where the young wizard, Harry, was forced into a deadly confrontation with the nemesis lurking in the shadows of the tale, the "dark lord", Voldemort. Harry is still reeling from the event, one which has marked him--and Hogwarts--as elements of interest for the ruling power for wizards and witches, the Ministry of Magic. From the onset, Harry is in peril of all kinds--by seemingly rogue dementors, by a biased hearing at the hands of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy), and his bureaucratic lapdog, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), not to mention the Death Eaters. The constant hint of danger and admonishment--sometimes both--stirs the anxious fear brewing in Harry's mind, unbalancing him and disarming him mentally against the incursion of his enemy. Harry rightly suspects that there is a connection between him and Voldemort, and that Voldemort seeks to exploit that by influencing him in subtle ways. When Umbridge begins to apply the thin edge of the wedge to the practices at Hogwarts, the school's is turned upside-down, becoming not a haven for aspiring magic-users, but a tyrannical prison, with a level of bleakness that is almost Dickensian. Harry finds that he is unable to receive the kind of tutelage he has come to expect from the teachers--many of which are bound by legislation enacted for the sole purpose of ensnaring the academy--so he is forced to seek alternative means of preparing himself. In a rare turn of events, he ends up being virtually ignored by his generally warm Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon); instead, he receives rigorous and invasive training against the mental thrall plaguing him by none other than Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), discovering a secret grudge between the aloof instructor and his father in the process, a moment that lends more sympathy toward Snape. Harry retains his loyal friends in Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), who stand by him as others doubt and question whether Harry's encounter with Voldemort wasn't a fabrication, as a result of reports through the Ministry, then filtered as "news" through The Daily Prophet. Harry also befriends a young witch named Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch), a misty girl who can see the Thestrals--spectral, skeletal pegasi--as Harry can, which she says is due to their mutual prior encounters with death. And Harry is reunited with many friends who defend him as part of a secret society of wizards prepared for the return of Voldemort--The Order of the Phoenix--including his beloved godfather, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman).
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix deals extensively with the role which the governing forces of this magical world--and its implements of control--play in the everyday lives of wielders of magic. Since the Minister of Magic does not want to admit that "He Who Will Not Be Named" has returned, Fudge instead sees conspiracy in the source of these "rumors", namely Dumbledore. Fudge is convinced that the Headmaster of Hogwarts is raising an army against him, and abuses the press to spread doubt among the people as to the veracity of Harry's claims and Dumbledore's competence. It is a story laden with conspiracy and schemes, with propaganda and bureaucracy employed as the traditional weapons of a despot against our hero. While the Death Eaters are a very real threat, most of the conflict played out in the story is manifested by the power mad political puppet of Fudge's--as well as the latest to hold the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor--Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge represents the real danger of a nanny state, one governed by appeasement and political manipulation and image over substance, that it is a stranglehold which is more concerned with test scores than education, and policy over humanity. Umbridge is ineffectual in her role as an instructor, not because she is incompetent as much as she is uninterested in education--only maintaining order, a veritable "Nurse Ratched" of the wizarding world. In this she is no different than an automaton; in other words, the perfect subject under a corrupt government no longer interested in the public welfare. The other students see through her uselessness, and form their own "army" to protect themselves against the dark arts instead. What's interesting is that while their own order is formed in part out of a sense of rebellion against the tyranny nipping at their heels by an uncaring government, it is truly the first, real adult act the students have committed. They act because they trust Harry--who is appointed their instructor, and is very good at it--and know that the authority which Umbridge exercises is a hollow one, since her reign is not only cruel, but is one in which they are not even represented. Harry's apprehension to lead in any way comes from a pervading sense of doubt; his mind is poisoned by Voldemort, who affects his dreams, but Harry also does not want to risk harm to his friends, opting to "go it alone". But as Luna observes to Harry, it is when he is alone that he is weakened--the end result which Voldemort has been pushing Harry toward--but with his friends, he is far more formidable...a lesson we all need reminding of time to time.
Recommended for: Needless to say, fans of Harry Potter, and those who enjoy a story of adolescent wizards struggling to find their footing in the face of a political climate changing...and not for the better. For students who have ever felt the long arm of government intrusion into their place of learning--be it the curriculum, or even just regulated school lunches.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix deals extensively with the role which the governing forces of this magical world--and its implements of control--play in the everyday lives of wielders of magic. Since the Minister of Magic does not want to admit that "He Who Will Not Be Named" has returned, Fudge instead sees conspiracy in the source of these "rumors", namely Dumbledore. Fudge is convinced that the Headmaster of Hogwarts is raising an army against him, and abuses the press to spread doubt among the people as to the veracity of Harry's claims and Dumbledore's competence. It is a story laden with conspiracy and schemes, with propaganda and bureaucracy employed as the traditional weapons of a despot against our hero. While the Death Eaters are a very real threat, most of the conflict played out in the story is manifested by the power mad political puppet of Fudge's--as well as the latest to hold the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor--Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge represents the real danger of a nanny state, one governed by appeasement and political manipulation and image over substance, that it is a stranglehold which is more concerned with test scores than education, and policy over humanity. Umbridge is ineffectual in her role as an instructor, not because she is incompetent as much as she is uninterested in education--only maintaining order, a veritable "Nurse Ratched" of the wizarding world. In this she is no different than an automaton; in other words, the perfect subject under a corrupt government no longer interested in the public welfare. The other students see through her uselessness, and form their own "army" to protect themselves against the dark arts instead. What's interesting is that while their own order is formed in part out of a sense of rebellion against the tyranny nipping at their heels by an uncaring government, it is truly the first, real adult act the students have committed. They act because they trust Harry--who is appointed their instructor, and is very good at it--and know that the authority which Umbridge exercises is a hollow one, since her reign is not only cruel, but is one in which they are not even represented. Harry's apprehension to lead in any way comes from a pervading sense of doubt; his mind is poisoned by Voldemort, who affects his dreams, but Harry also does not want to risk harm to his friends, opting to "go it alone". But as Luna observes to Harry, it is when he is alone that he is weakened--the end result which Voldemort has been pushing Harry toward--but with his friends, he is far more formidable...a lesson we all need reminding of time to time.
Recommended for: Needless to say, fans of Harry Potter, and those who enjoy a story of adolescent wizards struggling to find their footing in the face of a political climate changing...and not for the better. For students who have ever felt the long arm of government intrusion into their place of learning--be it the curriculum, or even just regulated school lunches.