'Phoenix' rising: Harry Potter and the abridged tome

A trim film version of 'The Order of the Phoenix' boasts a fine performance by Daniel Radcliffe.

from the July 13, 2007 edition

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His battle training is hampered by the fact that a new Dark Arts teacher has been installed at Hogwarts, Professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), whose Ministry-approved curriculum is woefully inadequate to the task. Umbridge is a marvelous addition to the series. Short and squat, clad in pink from head to toe, the aptly named Umbridge is a ferocious authoritarian who smiles and smiles – the worst kind. In a nice touch, her pink outfits get progressively darker. By the end, she's swathed in cerise.

Director David Yates and screenwriter Michael Goldenberg, both new to the series, have trimmed J. K. Rowlings's 870-page novel into a fairly well-paced 139 minutes – the shortest film in the series, though not the best. That honor goes to Alfonso Cuarón's "Prisoner of Azkaban," with Mike Newell's "Goblet of Fire" a respectable runner-up.

Cuarón, more than any of the other directors, drew out the lyricism and terror, and the great good humor, of the books. Yates, especially given the sinister subject matter on hand, does a rather workmanlike job of traffic-managing the action. But some of the magic effects are indeed magical, including a sequence featuring eerily white centaur-like creatures who can be perceived only by those who have looked upon death.

And although many of the regulars, including Hermione, Ron, and Alan Rickman's Professor Snape, are unaccountably skimped, Harry comes through loud and clear as a conflicted, edgy, avid young man. He's turned into EveryTeen.

Radcliffe, who received good reviews as the lead in "Equus" on the London stage during his downtime away from the series, actually gives a performance this time around. He doesn't just have the Harry Potter look – he's grown into the character. This may not be the most alluring reason to check out "Order of the Phoenix" but, given what lies in store for Harry, it bodes well. Grade: B

• Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.

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