Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Directed by David Yates

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltraine, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs, Helena Bonham Carter

David Yates, a director of television dramas, gets the directing helm of Warner Bros. most profitable series. And the surprise is it works.

Maybe because he's British.

Harry and his friends are to return to Hogwarts under a dire disbelief that the old enemy, Voldemort, has returned. At the magic school Harry and all other students are to face Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), a fiercely right wing politician from the Ministry of Magic. Her goal is to see that all rumours of Voldemort are snubbed, before setting a harsh curriculum of no magical learning. So it's up to Harry to train other Hogwarts students, whilst fighting off strange dreams.

Order of the Phoenix is probably the finest of the Potter series so far. And there are notes that nod back to the previous installments. An overwhelming sense of British storytelling not seen since the first film and the darker elements that Alfonso Cuaron perfected, Pheonix manages to sway the longest J.K. Rowling book into a nicely paced Sunday afternoon type fantasy. Fans may find it disappointing and the action scenes are limited - especially after the previous film's mini adventure sequences. But these are the type of films I like. And with a new score from Nicholas Hooper, the texture of Harry's world has become a lot closer to what the book set out to do.

4/5

If you like this you should try:

Toy Soldiers (1991) 3/5

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) 4/5

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 5/5