In Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix (2007&), director David Yates has given us the best of the Harry Potter movies so far. It is true to the book but chooses its own sequence of events and simplifies some of the subplots to keep the action flowing. Close readers of the books will flinch at what had to be left out, but will be amazed at what they finally get to see on the big screen. Daniel Radcliffe and his fellow teen actors have grown tremendously in their acting ability since the first few movies. Seeing how they have also physically grown and changed in the past six years is part of the magic of the movie. Daniel as Harry is actually quite short compared to Emma (Hermione) and Rupert (Ron). This height discrepancy may visually explain the romantic question unanswered by the literary series: why does Hermione favor Ron over Harry?

My favorite actors in the series, Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) and David Bradley (Argus Filch), continue to please. New cast members Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge) give wonderful performances, but, fortunately for them, are not quite as odd in their physical appearance as the book describes them. Dolores, it should be noted, has the perfect wardrobe. It seemed to have been modeled after that of the late Queen Mum! Her fusty office décor and collection of kitten plates actually improved on what appeared in the book. While reading, I hadn't imagined the chorus of meows that greeted Harry at his detention. Evanna, only 16 and acting in her first movie, nails Luna's otherworldly lack of social graces. According to her bio, Evanna has been a devoted reader of the books since the series began. She even had a cat named Crookshanks! Her familiarity with the material must have contributed to her stellar performance.

Sadly, the cinematic centaurs have never been quite as drop dead gorgeous as the book leads one to believe. I mean, combine a handsome guy with a beautiful horse, and what girl wouldn't be thrilled? Instead, the special effects budget seems to have favored Kreacher (who was perfect), the thestrals (skeletal, reptilian, and bat-like all at the same time), and the Patronus charms. I was quite disappointed in the Patronus charm in the third movie, so it is a relief to see it done properly in this movie. Since I will never get to actually ride a broomstick, I am grateful for the second-hand thrill of watching Harry and his escort riding along the Thames. (I'm still trying not to let it bother me that the formation of the escort was quite different in the film than in the book.)

Harry suffers from "Voldemort possession" towards the end of the movie that quite forcibly reminded me of Frodo as he was possessed by the ring. Since ultimately Harry's most heroic quality will be his ability to resist the temptation to seize power, I quite liked this homage. It is true that it is love--Lily's love for Harry as well as Harry's love for his friends--that repeatedly saves Harry from Voldemort. There is no question that this is one of the central themes of the series. However, having read to the end of the series, it now seems obvious that Harry' most important characteristic, like Frodo's, is his refusal to wield power for his own benefit. We see a glimpse of his strength in this film as Harry resists temptation when Voldemort goads him to cast the killing curse on the unarmed Bellatrix Lestrange who killed his godfather. We also read of it in Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry refused to let Wormtail be killed, though his death would have avenged Harry's betrayed parents. Of course, Frodo did become corrupted by the ring in the end, but it was his ability to resist as long as he did and his refusal to kill or drive away Gollum that made his mission a success. You'll have to either read Deathly Hallows or wait for the movie to see how Harry's own story ends!

Anytime a hero evinces an unselfish, sacrificial love for others we call him a "Christ figure." I'm sure that many doctoral dissertations have been written on this literary device. It must speak to the heart of our struggles to capture our minds the way it does. We intuitively understand that life is more amazing, more fulfilling if we live it for others. As Christians, we are explicitly taught to always "do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than you. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." And we are exhorted to be like Christ "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant...and humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:3-8). This is really, really hard to do. Anytime we are able to imagine or invent a literary hero that illustrates this, we recognize Jesus' greatness. As Christians, we strive to follow the example of our Servant Leader with the supernatural assistance of his Spirit within us, and we celebrate the reverberations of His example whenever we can find them in popular culture.