Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, the last Wizarding World movie to hit the big screen,turnedout to bea massive financial disaster. However,Harry Potter remains one of the most valuable assets that Warner Brothers has the rights to, and the studio has alreadyannounced an ambitious plan to remakethe same series as a seven-season television series for Max. Details about the project are scarce, but it appears that none of the same cast will return to reprise their roles; it’s also clear thatDavid Zazlavhas no intentions of severing ties with the controversial creator of the universe.
The entireFantastic Beastsfranchise was set to be directed byDavid Yates, who is no stranger to the Wizarding World. In addition to theFantastic Beastsfilms, Yates also directed the last four entries in the coreHarry Potterseries, beginning with 2007’sOrder of the Phoenix. By this point, Yates rarely works on projects that aren’t tied intoJ.K. Rowling’s universe, aside from 2016’sThe Legend of Tarzan.
David Yates Turned the Weakest ‘Harry Potter’ Novel Into One of the Best Films in the Series
Although he’s now a veteran, Yates was given a very difficult task with his first endeavor, as the franchise’s previous filmmakers had crafted a unique take on the source material.Christopher Columbusdeveloped a whimsical sense of wonder with the family-friendly filmsThe Sorcerer’s StoneandChamber of Secrets, butAlfonso Cuaróntook the series in a darker direction withThe Prisoner of Azkaban.Mike Newell’sThe Goblet of Firechanged the tone of the saga; although the film begins with a sense of familiarity, the characters are thrust into crisis upon the return of the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).
Yates had to live up to these high expectations, and he was also saddled with adapting one ofthe weakest installments in the novel series. Compared to the beloved first four books,Order of the Phoenixis an overlong slog. Rowling packs the story with detail, making it the longest read at 766 pages. Despite having to wade through the weaker source material, Yates made key improvements that improved the film’s pacing, tone, and focus. It’s the rare adaptation that’s better than the book; Yates turnedThe Order of the Phoenixinto one of the best films in the series.
The ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ Film Shows Harry’s Emotional Development
Order of the Phoenixexplores the aftermath of Voldemort’s resurgence, as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) prepare for an upcoming war. When they return for their fifth school year, they’re shocked to discover that the Ministry of Magic has denied all evidence of the villainous wizard’s return. The resistance group known as the Order of the Phoenix secretly resists; the band of familiar wizards aim to locate an enigmatic super weapon that Voldemort is searching for.
While the book takes time to wade through the bureaucracy of the Ministry, the film keeps things focused on Harry’s anger and sense of isolation. Harry had just watched his friend Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) perish in front of his eyes, and he’s furious about the inaction and coverup. The book characterizes him as a less sympathetic, moody teenager (perhaps most evident when Harry loses his temper with Dumbledore…in all caps,which was cut out of the movie), but Yates does a great job at showing the trauma that Harry suffers from.
Harry’s frustration increases as he watches the Order of the Phoenix develop without him. The chance to reconnect with his mentor Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) excites him, and he’s upset when the elder wizards cut him out of the official meetings. He’s turned into a more active character; Harry’s creation of the student rebel group nicknamed “Dumbledore’s Army” feels less like an act of defiance, and more like the development of a leader.
Harry’s leadership skills are something Yates has prioritized in all of his adaptations. Throughout the course of the last four films, Harry becomes an inspirational figure among the students of Hogwarts. This is a bit of an abrupt shift in the books, butThe Order of the Phoenixfilm lays the groundwork for his eventual status. Harry’s speech at the end ofThe Deathly Hallows — Part 2wouldn’t have been nearly as effective if it weren’t for his development here. Yates also made the wise decision to beef up the characters of Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) and Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), who are underutilized in the book.
The Reboot Should Look Toward the ‘Order of the Phoenix’ Film, Not the Novel
Yates is also much more concise with the pacing ofThe Order of the Phoenix, and ironically it’s the second-shortest film in the series. Readers had to struggle through a dull beginning that takes a long time to arrive at Hogwarts, but Yates opened the film with a thrilling sequence where Harry andDudley Dursley (Harry Melling)escape from a group of Dementors. It sets the film up on an exciting note, and the horror-themed scene announced the more sinister direction that the film was going.
Yates also benefits from anincredible performance byImelda Stauntonas the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. The uptight, shrill representative of the Ministry helps to continue the propaganda campaign, and installs strict new rules for the student body. While Umbridge is wholly unlikable in the book, Staunton makes her obnoxious behavior somewhat comedic without detracting from her corruption.
Yates' best decision is keeping the film focused on Harry’s relationship with Sirius. Oldman delivers a mesmerizing performance, and Sirius speaks to the core conflict of the story: Harry wonders if he and Voldemort are more similar than he suspected. Sirius shows Harry that he is inherently a good person, and quells his anxieties that he is in fact the weapon that Voldemort is searching for. It makesSirius' tragic deatheven more devastating.
It will certainly be interesting to see how aHarry Potterreboot handles some of the elements of the books that didn’t make it into the film. While a film didn’t have time to get into the original opening segment ofThe Order of the Phoenixnovel, it would make more sense within the context of an extended series that could spend a few episodes outside Hogwarts introducing each member of the Order. Perhaps more attention could be given to “Mad Eye” Moody, considering his surprise appearance at the end ofGoblet of Firewasn’t really touched upon. That being said, Yates' film is most certainly an improvement over Rowling’s original material; a reboot should to look to the film as the definitive version of this chapter within theHarry Potteruniverse rather than the original novel. Of course, this is speculation about the fifth season of a proposed series that is likely several years away.
While theWizarding World filmshave begun to suffer from a sameness of tone under Yates,The Order of the Phoenixwas a bold entry in the blockbuster series that set up the serialized nature of the last few installments. By streamlining the narrative and narrowing the focus on Harry’s emotional development, Yates succeeded where the book failed.
