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Friday, July 13, 2007

MAGIC!

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The rest of India can burn with envy...Hyderabad's Prasadz IMAX is the only theatre all over India that is showing Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix in the 3D - IMAX version. And what they miss by seeing a normal multiplex version is something that they can only experience by seeing the 3D - IMAX version. Spectacular does not even begin to describe the experience.

The latest installment exceeds its predecessors in every manner possible...entertainment, magic, emotional appeal and every other angle you could conceive of. Harry Potter fans will agree that the book is not amongst JK Rowling's better works. Seeing a bitter Harry being troubled to no extent by Prof. Umbridge was not a really enticing option in terms of the movie too. But all credit to David Yates for having converted what was the longest book in the series to the shortest movie of them all. The thing I carried out of the movie hall was that all the whoop worthy moments in the book were intact and elicited the loudest cheers from the audience. Dumbledore escaping, Fred and George leaving school, Fred and George apparating, Neville's successful spellwork, Hermione getting excited about breaking a few rules, Sirius's spectacular entry into the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore's two spectacular entries, one at Harry's hearing and the other one in the grand finale, the climax face off with the fear showing on Lord Voldemort's face...everyone of these moments had the required buildup and perfect execution in the movie (Im pretty sure that Ive missed out on a number of others, but I might as well write out the entire movie in that case). Every person who sees this movie will walk out of the theatre very very satisfied by what they just saw.

The cast that seems to be getting better all the time is in full form as usual and the additions to the cast are delightful, to say the least. Imelda Staunton puts in a fine turn as Dolores Umbridge, her mannerisms, exactly copied from the book are so natural, it almost seems impossible to like her. Helena Bonham Carter is impressive as Bellatrix Lestrange oozing menace as the death eater. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood puts in a performance one would expect from a seasoned actor and shows every bit of insensitivity in dropping in unexpected lines as written in the book. Daniel, Emma and Rupert are as reliable as usual. Gary Oldman plays a wonderful Sirius Black and one really wished one could see more of Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks - the two or three mischief filled scenes that she has leave us longing for a lot more.

Over and above all this, the part where the movie succeeds is the way it shows the warmth in those relationships. When Sirius says Harry Potter and Harry rushes to give him a hug, you can see that these are two people who connect at a much deeper level. When he gives Harry that imperceptible wink, you can see that 'kid stuck in an adult's body'(to quote a friend) facet to Sirius's personality that helps him connect so well to Harry. Whenever Harry is teaching a spell to Cho Chang, you can feel the chemistry and when Ginny excels at all her spells, Harry's gaze lingers on just for that much longer, for you to know there is something in the offing. When Hermione tells Ron that he has the emotional range of a teaspoon (one of the best lines in the movie) and they both break out into guffaws, you can see the warmth that Harry feels seeing two of his friends bond together so well. When Neville does manage to disarm one of his opponents, the moment is not lost, all the lookers on rush to him and congratulate him. When Neville looks at the photograph of the original Order and Harry tells him that he will make sure Neville becomes a worthy son, I could almost see James and Lily beaming down from the pictures (these wizard pictures, wonderful things with all the moving people in them). When Mr. Weasley raises a toast to Harry, the camera focusses for a brief instant on Mr. Weasley and you realize that he means what he just said.

I could go on and on and on, but I will rest my case here. Brilliant movie and the 3D effect in the climax was outstanding. Prasadz Imax, bow down to thee for bringing us this spectacle and making it one of the best movie watching experiences ever. Im dying to see the movie for a second time, but the movie is all booked up until tuesday, well, next weekend is as good a time as any, I guess!

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