Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was the first Harry Potter film that I saw in theaters since the first film. In the past few years it has become a favorite of mine because of its climax. The book uses the triwizard tournament as a great framing device for the story and the film did a very good job of capturing the humor, fun, adventure and intensity of the novel. In fact, I would say "The Goblet of Fire" is the funniest film in the whole series. Unlike the third film, you are taken for a ride in this movie because of higher level of adventure and peril. “The Goblet of Fire” is the first Harry Potter film to receive a PG-13 rating and I find that fitting. There are some terrifying events in the film that needed to be portrayed.

Because of the extreme length of the novel, I am impressed with the film adaptation. It is true that the film story feels a little rushed and condensed but it is not a major flaw for me in this case. The film shows some great moments such as Moody’s first class, the scenes when Harry becomes a triwizard champion, the Yule Ball and of course all three tasks. All the scenes in the movie were much like what I had imagined while reading the novel or were brought to life in such an entertaining way that I could not have imagined them. Even though the dragon fight does not take to the air in the book, I feel that it makes for better film. I love how in the scenes that concern the Ball, Neville is the best dancer. This is where he begins to become less of a clown in my view. The relationship conflicts are quite entertaining during those same scenes. They exist to appeal to the target audience whom are no longer kids themselves. I like how those conflicts don’t quite detract from the magical feeling of Hogwarts. They also serve a purpose to the story and are not just there for the sake of the audience. Other movies have way too many cheesy romantic one-liners while the romance in "Goblet of Fire" is only one part of the story and most of it is humorous. All the future Harry Potter films handle the romantic subplots of the books very well. Everything feels genuine because when we first met these characters, there was no romance. That is not the whole point of the story of Harry Potter; it is only part of it. I love Neville’s line during the second task: “I’ve killed Harry Potter”. It would be quite funny if Neville did accidentally kill Harry seeing as how others have tried intentionally to kill him and failed. I tend to enjoy back-stories & prequels so the pensieve scene was a lot of fun for me. As mentioned, the climax in the graveyard is the best part of the film. The acting, atmosphere, cinematography & music all work together to create a very exciting and emotional scene. The music and Daniel Radcliffe’s acting create an extremely powerful moment as Harry gets up from behind the tomb to face his ultimate foe. It is one of the most memorable instances in the film series. I enjoy the drama in how unlike the book, the crowd is first unaware of what has happened to Harry & Cedric upon their return and the onlookers celebrate their victory. I also enjoy the diminuendo of the film. The narrative pattern of “The Goblet of Fire” is very well adapted for the big screen.

The supporting cast, both returning and new members, add to the film’s appeal as do other elements. Once again, we have some very respected actors being inducted into the Harry Potter universe. I love Brendan Gleeson’s role in “Braveheart” and many other roles of his in movies. To have him play “Mad-Eye” Moody was very pleasing. It is a shame though how we don’t quite get to spend time in later Harry Potter films getting to know Moody. The twist at the very ending of this film causes you to desire more time with this character. Robert Pattinson had just the looks to play Cedric Diggory. It is quite sad though how he later agreed to be in the saga that shall not be named. I first heard Oscar-nominated actress Miranda Richardson as a voice in “Chicken Run” but I like other roles of hers and she plays her part well in “The Goblet of Fire”. As a spoiler alert, the best performance of the entire film goes to another Oscar nominated actor: Ralph Fiennes. After all the waiting, we finally get to see the flesh and blood adult “you-know-who”: Lord Voldemort. We are not disappointed. The first film of Fiennes’ that I saw was “The Prince of Egypt” but my favorite performance of his was in “Schindler’s List” for which he received his first Oscar-nomination (his character in that film earned #15 on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 50 movie villains). Fiennes creates a performance that satisfies our expectations. Lord Voldemort truly is more evil and dominant than any other antagonist in the entire series. Fiennes’ portrayal of his character may even be the best of any character in the entire series. I enjoyed Mike Newell’s approach of this story. He retained some of the changes that Alfonso Cuaron introduced in the last film but gave them a more magical, friendly feeling. This film relates to the third one while at the same time adding a small sense of appeal that was missing in the “Prisoner of Azkaban”. Alfonso seemed to add of touch of weirdness to Hogwarts unfortunately. The special effects became even more professional in “The Goblet of Fire” and one of my favorite effects shot from the whole series is the Sirius expository scene. Sirius’ face as made up of hot coals looks pretty real. I like the use of long hair on Harry and Ron because it mimics the popular style in the real world. It also sets the film apart from the others. The music of Patrick Doyle is a great replacement for John Williams’ work.

This film was nominated at the Academy Awards for its art direction but the nominations of a Harry Potter film at the Oscars seem to always be up against films that are too strong to compete against. "The Goblet of Fire" is my third favorite Harry Potter film and one of my top 20 favorite fantasy films. The story’s depiction is the best quality of the movie. The high level of humor is well contrasted with the film's highly dramatic climax. The ending has you on the edge of your seat and the adventure throughout the film is well executed. The humor and magic of Hogwarts is back again and it is even better than ever. After seeing this film for the first time, I felt better about where the film series was headed.

4.5 Stars out of 5