harry5.JPGBoy I liked the most recent installment of the Harry Potter movie franchise.

This is really “The Two Towers” of the Harry Potter story arc.  We’re in the middle here, as Voldemort has finally “come back” after a couple of foiled attempts.  We’re no longer establishing characters or themes, and at this point if you’re still paying attention you’re probably pretty invested in these characters.  Heck, we’ve watched these kids grow up, literally.

I’d say this film is in some ways unburdened with exposition — it doesn’t have to set anything up.  It just moves things along, and we learn more about people’s pasts and some of their motivations.  Alan says this is all exposition in a way.
Of the films thus far I found this to be the most emotionally compelling — one does care about these characters after all this time.  Harry and Sirius establish a family connection, albeit a brief one, and Harry’s loss at the end is one we can understand.  There’s a strong set of themes about self-sacrifice, friendship, and choice that are well played out without being moralizing.

The star of the film is of course Dolores Umbridge, the “pink side of goth” uber-bitch who comes in to “set things right” at Hogwarts.  She’s brilliantly played by Imelda Staunton, a BBC mainstay who received critical acclaim with her compelling portrayal of abortionist Very Drake.  Umbridge emits this wonderful sort of motherly menace, who seems content to torture teenage children in the name or order, decency, and respect for one’s elders.  Staunton plays her with the right combination of haughty snobbery, comic relief, and a bit of fear that gives some real dimension to what otherwise might just be a convenient foil for Harry.  Actually that’s one of the parts of the film that works the best for me:  the central tension in the film is the state of denial that pervades Harry’s world about Voldemort’s return, and both Umbridge and Crouch are played with enough real sense of fear that you know that their denials and obstructions are nothing but whistling in the dark.

The visuals are excellent, with great continuity from the previous films.  The best moments are the final set-piece conflicts with the Death Eaters and between Voldemort and Dumbledore.  The black-tile Ministry of Magic sets are quite cool, and its great to finally see the gloves come off with some real magical combat between two powerful and expert opponents.

The music is somewhat forgettable.  We still have Williams’ theme of course, but most of the incidentals are forgettable, and as Alan said to me “kind of wierd or inappropriate at times”.

Despite that, a good installment.  I’m excited to read the final book when it comes out later this month.