Harry Potter, made to order

(NOTE: Right up front, I must admit that this is a complete reversal of my negative review of Harry Potter 4. I've decided that, as with the Star Trek movie series, the odd-numbered Potter films are the most well-done. I can't wait for # 7.)

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is prone to sweat-inducing nightmares. That's supremely ironic, since the movie has the soft, satisfying sheen of a big, beautiful dream.

When it comes to the movie adaptations of J. K. Rowling's sprawling fantasy, the weakest entries emphasize special effects over character and emotion. Phoenix isn't kidding around. Like the best of classic Disney movies, it deals with big, primal issues -- conquest of fear, family separation, death, and most of all, empowerment of a child in the face of selfish, brutal adults.

The nasty adult in this entry -- even worse, in her own way, than ultra-evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) -- is a petite but formidable bean-counter named Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton).

Umbridge begins her tenure at Harry's beloved Hogwarts school as the latest Dark Arts professor. But, as with all notable bureaucrats, Umbridge has a hidden agenda. She has been sent to Hogwarts by the Ministry of Magic to quell fears that Voldemort has returned. Little by little, she micro-manages her way through Hogwarts, until she is running the school and keeping the students from learning any manner of defense against Voldemort.

Harry soon goes "underground" to teach instruct his peers in the wizarding skills that Hogwarts is supposed to be teaching. (Intentional or not, the commentary on our current, beleaguered school system is right on target.)

Everything about this movie is glorious. The entire cast is pitch-perfect. Michael Goldenberg's script, crisp direction by David Yates, Nicholas Hooper's lovely score, and especially Slawomir Idziak's burnished photography, are all tops.

The surest sign of the movie's success is the way it includes off-hand moments that other big-budget flicks might have ignored. Just one example is the neat moment where Harry one-ups the constantly bullying Prof. Snape (Alan Rickman) and shows Snape he's just as vulnerable as Harry is.

Roger Ebert recently remarked that we've gotten to the point where elaborate special effects should be just a "topping" instead of the entire meal. This fifth Harry Potter movie is the whole enchilada.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is rated PG-13 for several scenes of intense imagery and violence.