Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Army, Politics and Angst...oh my!

In the fifth film Voldemort has returned and the Order of the Phoenix starts to assemble once again.  Fourteen years earlier the Order was comprised of people like Lilly and James Potter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Peter Pettigrew (turned traitor) and some of of our current characters like the Weasleys, Siruius Black, Remus Lupin, Dumbldore, and many more.  This film sets up for the younger generation to learn to defend themselves and be able to fight back.

There were several scenes in the films, in which first time Potter director David Yates, used to help make this film visually stunning.  The scene were Harry and the rest of the Order fly through and over London, and the epic battle at the end where the wizards and witches duel.  Yates first foray into the world of Harry Potter was not the strongest, but throughout his journey he has grasped the material and used cinematography to help weave the tale.

The main problem is main governing body within the wizarding world, The Ministry of Magic lead by the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge is in denial and afraid of what Voldemort's return means.  There is some great symbolism within this film built around the new defense against the dark arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, who also works under Fudge.  Umbridge and the ministry represent a force that wants to pretend that everything is alright, while the wizarding world is falling a part.  This book was published in the post 9/11 world and the invasion of Iraq had just happened.  Rowling is a British author, but this time period had a huge effect on the entire world, and both the UK and US government seemed to work in hand in hand on not understanding the terrorist issues of the world.  I do not know Ms. Rowling's politics, but this book has connections to fighting the authority to do what is right for the citizens of the wizarding world, and not just sitting back and letting things happen.

My least favorite part of this book (the book specifically) and the film is how much angst Harry has.  The angst is understandable because; he is dealing with the death of Cedric Diggory, the return of Voldemort, being called a liar by many of classmates, and seeing visions in his head because of his connection with Voldemort.  the boy is dealing with so much (but in the book again more specifically) I grew tired of him fighting the teenage angst.  The angst combined with Umbridge made this a difficult book to read for me.

With the new film only a few days away I am more and more excited, but still realize that this will be the conclusion to the story of my favorite boy wizard.