Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire Review
by [email protected] (webmaster AT themovieaddict DOT com)November 21st, 2005
Originally posted on http://www.themovieaddict.com
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
4/5 stars
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith Directed by Mike Newell
"Desperate times lie ahead, Harry."
BY THE MOVIE ADDICT
It is quite amusing to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in a US theater after having seen Chamber of Secrets in a British cinema. The audience reaction is vastly different - Americans laugh at words like "git" and other slang that didn't seem to evoke any reaction in Britain. Similarly, some English humor flew right over the Americans' heads. What does this have to do with the film? Nothing, really. I just couldn't think of a clever way to open my review.
So, anyway, here we go: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns once again to the "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" under the care of Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and Minerva (Maggie Smith). His friends Ron Weasly (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson) are back, too.
This time around there's a strange wizardry competition, and the rules are rather simple - if you're over the age of seventeen, you drop your name (on a piece of paper) into a "Goblet of Fire" - it then chooses three contestants to compete in death-defying events by spitting three random papers back out.
Harry's name somehow ends up in the Goblet and he is chosen to participate in the "games." Reluctant, his first battle is with a dragon in an arena, and it only gets worse from there onwards.
Soon it is made clear that there is a dark conspiracy centering on Harry's involvement in the competition and it may be linked to the dreaded Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents.
This entry in the Potter series is not as visually dark as The Chamber of Secrets but it is much darker on an emotional level. Death, curses, brutal violence, evil spells, scary characters, and intense trauma - it's got it all. That it is rated PG-13 is a testament to the fact that as Potter becomes more mature, so too do his conflicts.
Mike Newell (the first British director to handle the Potter series) is careful with the structure of the film and the personal struggles of the characters give the movie a layered and diverse narrative effect. Is this the best Harry Potter movie? I think so. Is it a great film? No. But let's put it this way - I could barely stay awake during Chamber of Secrets, and there were only two or three moments in Goblet of Fire when I felt the urge to close my eyes.
I think the film works better than its predecessors because it focuses on their personal conflicts rather than simple mental and physical puzzles. Ron's relationship with Harry is pushed to the limit and a love triangle emerges with Hermoine, Ron and Harry.
The acting has improved, too. Radcliffe is more convincing than he has ever been in the role and Watson and Grint both supply able contrasts not only to each other, but also to Harry.
I have to admit that I was not very impressed by the first three Potter films, so for me to give Goblet of Fire a positive rating probably speaks quite a bit for its quality. It's a bit too long and self-important, but as a whole this is the most adult and entertaining Potter film - which is definitely a good thing. It will be interesting to see where the series heads in the future.
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