Harry Potter Stirs Controversy
'The Order of the Phoenix' the Darkest of the Series
Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix brings mixed reviews, but is well worth seeing.
Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix leads Harry deeper into the world of Lord Voldemort, where violence and horrific imagery is commonplace. Conservative religious individuals often stand against the Harry Potter series, proclaiming that the subject of witchcraft goes against God and is heretical. Such notions are silly. Whatever the frame used for the story, the fundamental truth of the series is that it is written with a good versus evil approach, with much temptation in between. These fastened roots of the story seems more linked to the religious story of Jesus Christ than they do to anything anti-Christian or anti-religious. It's ludicrous how some people cannot see the fire beyond the smoke.
Nevertheless, the Harry Potter series has sparked much discussion and debate. Though it seems to be primarly written for late elementary school and junior high, the books themselves get darker and more adult the further into the series one reads. Similarly, the movies have taken a dark turn. The scenes are becoming more violent, the characters more nervuos, and Harry is becoming more conflicted and angry. Yet, these things are appropriate. As the audience follows Harry's story through the movies and books, they watch him grow up and in a way grow with him. He's not the small child he was in the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry is interested in girls, he is facing even more adult issues and facing them in such a way where he understands their significance and can no longer rely on childish innocence. On top of that, he's at the age where he's hitting puberty.
The biggest complaint of the series, especially the most recent couple of movies, is that the movies don't always follow the book very well. This is because each book is longer than the previous book and it gets to the point where all the plot lines of the book can't possibly be crammed into a two hour or so length. As a result, The Order of the Phoenix sometimes seems a bit rushed and lacking in story. However, it's still a fun addition to the series and features some impressive special effects.
The avid readers of the Harry Potter books will continue to chastise the movie-makers attempts at translating the novels into film; the conservative Christians will continue to shun the works for their frequent reference to witch craft; yet crowds will continue to flock to see the movies and talk about the books at the office water coolers or cafeterias. The simple reason for this is that Harry Potter's story is unique and well-crafted and deserves the attention it gets.
