Here’s some news: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is a huge hit. And so the question: Why?

OK, “Pottermania” is not really news. Every year or so, a Harry Potter movie sells a billion dollars’ worth of tickets worldwide, as another billion in books and merchandise flies off the shelves.

True to form, this latest film, according to boxofficemojo. com, grossed $140 million in its first five days, the sixth-highest take in movie history.

Now let’s return to the question, why so popular? Roger Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, seems perplexed; he gave the film just 2 1/2 stars, lamenting that the Potter flicks have become more “serious” over the years, sighing for when they were “a little more whimsical.” In fact, the Potters have grown darker. The first in the series, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” based on J.K. Rowling’s 1997 novel, was filmed before Sept. 11; of course it was lighter in tone. Since then, big wars have erupted, and the books and movies reflect that eruption, as grief mingles with laughter.

Specifically, “Order of the Phoenix” echoes World War II: As in 1930s Europe, evil forces are gathering in Harry’s world, just as he himself is growing into duty-minded manhood. “If Voldemort is building up an army,” the teenager says, “then I want to fight.” Yet a key character in the film, evocatively named Cornelius Fudge, is too blind to see the looming danger. As Ty Burr, film critic for The Boston Globe, explains: Fudge ends up “looking very much like the Neville Chamberlain of this fictional universe.” Chamberlain, of course, was the British prime minister who thought he could “appease” Hitler and so avoid war. Ever since, Chamberlain has epitomized myopia and weakness – in contrast to his far-seeing and stouthearted successor, Winston Churchill.

So now we can see why “Potter” does so well: It appeals to multiple audiences. Kids can enjoy all the magic and special effects, even as older audiences – including the youngsters who have been growing up in the real world, alongside Harry in his reel world – can appreciate the larger meanings and historical parallels.

Today, in 2007, we are in a war. Several wars, in fact, from Afghanistan to Iraq – to wherever in the world a terrorist might be lurking. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is correct when he says, as part of his presidential stump speech, that we must confront, whether we want to or not, “the transcendent challenge of our time, which is the struggle against radical Islamic extremists.”

But what’s not possible to dispute is that we are in a war now. There are people around the world who are waking up every morning determined to kill us. Some are undoubtedly already here in America. And that’s the reason, of course, so many of us were opposed to McCain’s ill-fated immigration bill; if we are in a death-struggle against unknown enemies, we need to close the borders immediately – not waiting for a “comprehensive” approach pleasing to those who still strangely hanker for unrestricted transit across frontiers.

And with all due respect to former Vice President Al Gore, we might as well just say it bluntly: Muslims with atomic weapons are a greater threat to America than global warming.

When kids see “Harry Potter,” they should be thinking first about defending their country, and their civilization, against evildoers wielding weapons of mass destruction. After that’s taken care of, they can then worry more about carbon dioxide.