Marcella and I saw the most recent Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, last weekend.

These movies have gotten consistently better as they’ve progressed. Better in quality of direction, as well as better in quality of performance of the young cast. Daniel Radcliffe, in particular, showed much improvement in this film. There were moments in some of the previous movies that made me think to myself that he would never have an acting career after this franchise. Now, I’m not so sure.

Of course, from the very beginning the production had the good sense to cast the adult roles with some of the best actors alive. This has helped balance out the weaker performances of the children. Marcella and I both commented that if Alan Rickman never received an Academy nomination it will be a travesty. Not necessarily for this franchise, but the man just has an incredibly dynamic on-screen charisma. He is perfectly cast in these films as Severus Snape. That’s not to ignore Maggie Smith, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon, Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes and more….

My favorite new character is Luna Lovegood. Though she was only introduced later in the series, she immediately seemed to fit right in and become a great and essential character. They did a good job in the casting of this part. The actress, Evanna Lynch, had just the right balance of sweet good-nature and bizarre world-view.

The special effects were excellent as expected. I was particularly pleased with Sirius’ house. First with the way it revealed itself, but also with the look and feel of the interior of the house. The presence of Kreacher, the house-elf, was also revealed. He seemed fitting to the description I had pictured from the books.

There’s an awful lot more to say about this film, but I don’t want to spoil too much. Let me just say that the wait for an all-out battle of wizards is over. There was a true pitched battle in this one and the adults came out to play and show their stuff, and it was thrilling. The action was fast and focused, and it gave a renewed sense of menace for the younger protagonists. In many way it simply illustrated just how lucky Harry and his friends and companions have been in surviving some of the tests they’ve faced to this point, and that there are definitely things to be afraid of in the world, and not all of them are named Voldemort even though he may be at the root of most of the threats.

Heartily recommend! Especially if you love fantasy and adventure.