Read review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

As the dark clouds settled over Leicester Square and the rain poured down, it might have occurred to the glamorous film stars – huddled under umbrellas and shivering in their designer outfits – that a bit of magic would have come in handy at this moment.

And as Daniel Radcliffe entered the square, and the screaming of hundreds of adolescent fans reached fever pitch, it seemed for a moment that the touch of his world-famous character had indeed rubbed off.

For a brief second the rain slowed and, to the hopeful observer, the clouds appeared to clear.

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

First review of fifth instalment: fails to cause stir of earlier films and feels like a chore

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But, alas, it was an illusion. Radcliffe must be a mere Muggle after all, for the skies opened again and it was clear that no magic trick was going to save the European premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from becoming a washout.

Not that it mattered to the adoring fans who had waited hours for the chance to catch a glimpse of their idol. Unfortunately for his numerous admirers, 17-year-old Radcliffe had his eye on someone else. “There’s one particularly beautiful redhead over there. I’m looking forward to getting to know her,” he smiled.

Asked to elaborate on his fondness for redheads, one of Britain’s biggest adolescent stars groaned. “Oh God, there’s the soundbite,” he said. “I just like girls in general, to be perfectly honest with you.”

Rupert Grint, who plays Harry’s best friend Ron Weasley in the film, appeared bemused by the attention, a grin spreading across his face when his wave was rewarded with screams.

“It’s a bit scary,” he admitted. “But it’s good fun.”

The stars of the film were joined by the author of the Harry Potter books, J. K. Rowling, who said during the rare public appearance that she shared the view of many critics that Phoenix is the darkest of the Potter films so far.

Speaking just ahead of the publication of her seventh book in the series on July 21, Rowling indicated it would indeed be her last.

“Finishing it was very, very emotional. It was a combination of relief and sadness really,” she said. “It’s been a hell of a month. I’ll want to know what the people in my house think of it.”

Radcliffe and Grint appeared to be relishing their characters’ evolution into mature young adults in their latest big-screen adventure, which offered the opportunity to explore the wizard’s darker side.

Radcliffe, who has already shown he is keen to be taken seriously in his profession with a stint starring opposite Richard Griffiths in the West End revival of Peter Shaffer’s play Equus, said that he found the darker material “much more interesting”.

Grint said that he was “quite enjoying” his character becoming more adventurous, as Ron Weasley “doesn’t usually get involved in that sort of stuff”.

But it is not all about battling dark lords and saving Hogwarts for the world’s most famous adolescent. In particular, “that kiss” – Harry’s first kiss, shared with Cho Chang, played by Katie Leung – seems to have made an impression on Radcliffe.

“It was wonderful,” he said. “It was just lovely, I loved it.”

Leung admitted that she had been particularly nervous about one of cinema’s most anticipated screen kisses. But she conceded that Radcliffe, who has played Harry since he was 10, was a good kisser and a gentleman.

Emma Watson, who plays Harry’s sidekick Hermione Granger, was not as keen as her co-stars to talk about romantic liaisons. Asked whether she was single, she refused to comment.

Nearly 1.6 million orders have already been placed for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows– taking it to the top of the Amazon bestseller list before it has been published – amid speculation that one of the main characters will be killed off. Rowling has made a public request that anyone with advance information about the book should keep it to themselves.

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