The Order of the Phoenix ranks as one of the best Harry Potter movies. I think that’s fair, as it elevated the series to a more darker and tragic tone. With Voldemort infecting Harry’s mind, having to live with witnessing Cedric Diggory’s death, and losing Sirius Black by the end, this fifth movie reminded us that Harry Potter wasn’t just for kids. Not to mention we got to see Voldemort and Dumbledore have a super cool battle of wands and magic, which you can probably declare a draw. The whole movie was Harry Potter constantly being dragged to his lowest point, but him being Harry Potter, he found a way to get past his pain and prepare himself for the next conflict. As the title of the movie implies, the return of Voldemort pressured Dumbledore into reforming the Order of the Phoenix. We got to learn a brief history of this group during the training scenes in Hogwarts. And as we all remember, the adults were running their own Order in secrecy under the leadership of Sirius Black. He was joined by his longtime friend, Remus Lupin, famous Auror, Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and the Weasley family. It’s a bit sad that we just didn’t get to see them do much, because they spent so much time working behind the scenes. Kind of ironic given the title, isn’t it?
Well, I think the Harry Potter franchise should try a new direction. The third Fantastic Beasts movie is on its way next year and so far, it looks good. Unfortunately, the last two films weren’t a big hit with Harry Potter fans, at least compared to the Harry Potter films themselves. I hope The Secrets of Dumbledore does better than the Crimes of Grindelwald, but let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that it turns out to be underwhelming. Where does the Harry Potter film franchise go from there? My answer would be the Order of the Phoenix before the time of Harry Potter. To be more specific, I’m referring to the point in Harry Potter history when he wasn’t around. This would be the time of the First Wizarding War, a time when Voldemort first declared war on the Ministry of Magic and any wizards friendly to muggles. This was a time when the Order was formed to combat Voldemort and his followers, the elusive Death Eaters. After Grindelwald was defeated and imprisoned in Azkaban, there were seemingly no threats to Hogwarts and the Wizarding World. Only a few knew from Hogwarts knew that one of their own would soon become the most evil wizard in history. In order to combat him and his fanatic followers, they needed a group of their own.
This is the perfect set up for a trilogy about the formation and actions of the Order of the Phoenix. During the Harry Potter movie, we got to see a small photo of the original Order and its members. Again, this included some adult characters we’ve seen in the movies, such as Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Aberforth Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Alice and Frank Longbottom, Peter Pettigrew, and James and Lily Potter. Some of these characters we’ve seen in the movies as fully flushed out characters before, while others we’ve seen in flashbacks or in the magic moving pictures. These are the characters we need to see fully developed in a trilogy about the Order of the Phoenix, while the more familiar characters can be developed in their younger years. Right now, I think many Harry Potter fans would appreciate seeing the classic characters from the original movies again rather than the new ones. It’s probably because most of the new characters aren’t nearly as interesting. But I must say, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore was the perfect casting decision. Seeing him as a young Dumbledore makes me want to see younger versions of the adult characters we grew to love. But who should a movie about the Order of the Phoenix focus on the most?
For starters, I would like to see the parents of Harry Potter together more as a couple and build their relationship. It doesn’t have to be from the very beginning, but during their time with the Order, their love grew stronger. And keep in mind, this was before they decided to have a child, which led to the whole Peter Pettigrew fiasco. Speaking of that, it would be interesting to see what led to Peter betraying the Order and joining Voldemort. He was once a good friend to these characters, so there had to be a reason he decided to turn on them. But let’s not stop there. If we’re exploring the younger versions of the adults, we can’t leave out Severus Snape. How cool would it be to see his time as a double agent for Dumbledore? Better yet, we’d be able to see his more human side be flushed out more since his love for Lilly Potter is what made him turn against Voldemort. There are just many characters a movie about the Order of the Phoenix can develop, even on the other side.
For instance, we know that Neville Longbottom’s parents were tortured to the brink of insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange. This is one of the most notorious villains in the franchise and it would be cool to see her beginnings. Obviously, she has a few screws loose, but I’d like to know the roots of her loyalty to Voldemort. But the Death Eaters are more than just Bellatrix Lestrange. Other members include Antonin Dolohov, Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf, Igor Karkaroff from the Goblet of Fire, and Lucius Malfoy. These are other characters that would be cool to see in their younger days, especially since we know their fates. All good characters have strong beginnings and I know we’d appreciate seeing them again. If it is in a different form, then so what? The whole point is seeing how the Order of the Phoenix combated Voldemort and his followers during the first Wizarding War. There are also other characters who weren’t mentioned in the movies that can finally make an appearance. Some examples include Gideon and Fabian Prewett, the two older brothers of Molly Weasley. These are two wizards so powerful, it took five Death Eaters to kill them. Other characters include Edgar Bones, the uncle of minor character Susan Bones and who was wiped out by Death Eaters, along with his family.
In fact, we know how the first Order faired, but it ended with Voldemort nearly being killed. Sounds like a good way to lead directly into The Sorcerer’s Stone. I think this should happen once the Fantastic Beasts trilogy is done. These are some of the best characters from the old movies and I for one want to see where they began.
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