Film five in the series continues a trend set in the last film...the darker the better. "Phoenix" is very dark and very heavy on dialog. The action is exciting but doesn't occur very often. This is strictly a transitional film that continues a bridge toward the inevitable conclusion with film seven.
The visuals are very good and the acting continues to improve for our three central leads, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. The remaining friends and foes are played convincingly by what appears to be, every British actor living today. Imelda Staunton is a standout as Delores Umbridge.
What falters here is the direction. Besides a lack of action, the film suffers from a lack of levity as well. A few jokes at Ron Wesley's expense don't really count as comic relief. The sub-plots of the book suffer here as well. Minor plot points come and go without much explanation making this a film just for the hard core fan base. Casual fans who may not be familiar with the book will soon be lost.
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