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Goblet of Fire Media Reviews
Despite its quintessential Britishness, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series was first brought to the silver screen by an American and then a Mexican. But "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth film in the series, which opens in Japan on Saturday, is the work of veteran British director Mike Newell, whose past hits include "Four Weddings and a Funeral"--and you don't get much more British than that.
"I think the school does feel more British than it's ever felt before," David Heyman, producer of all the Harry Potter films so far, said in an interview.
"Mike went to a school like Hogwarts without the magic, as did I," adds Heyman, who is also British. "The film is much more anarchic than I think we've seen before."
Compared with the two brightly optimistic "Harry Potter" movies directed by Chris Columbus ("Home Alone") and the third in the series--an exceptionally hip film by Mexico's Alfonso Cuar--"Goblet of Fire" has a darker, more sophisticated tone.
"I wanted everything to be real," the 63-year-old Newell said at a news conference in Tokyo. "I wanted the situations in the film emotionally and absolutely real so that the audience would feel a connection with the people, and not just a presentation of fantasy."
Newell's emphasis on realism opened the door to the occasionally violent and frightening content that earned the film a PG-13 rating in the United States. It was the first in the "Harry Potter" franchise to receive the rating, which cautions parents that some sequences may be unsuitable for preteens.
Nonetheless, Newell's approach is not at all at odds with the spirit of the 734-page book by J.K. Rowling on which the film is based. It addresses the adolescence-related issues that are plaguing Harry and his friends--and many of their fans--while drawing narrative strength from the unsettling rise of Lord Voldemort, the embodiment of pure evil.
"I think there's a sense (in the fourth book) that adults are fallible," Heyman explains. "Harry is now 14 and is into his teenage years. For the first time, he is beginning to experience life on his own."
Life is difficult for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) when he returns to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his fourth year. The school is hosting a Triwizard Tournament in which students from two other schools are invited to compete for the Goblet of Fire trophy. Would-be competitors, who must be at least 17 years old and willing to attempt three dangerous tasks, are required to place their names in the Goblet of Fire. Harry, of course, is too young to compete, but to his surprise, the Goblet spits out a piece of paper with his name on it after choosing Cedric (Robert Pattinson), Hogwarts' most popular boy, and one student from each of the other schools.
Even Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), the Hogwarts headmaster, can't undo what's been done on this occasion. So alongside contestants who are older and more experienced than he, Harry finds himself battling a ferocious dragon, saving people from savage mermaids and finding his way through a creepy maze of moving hedges.
This time around, Harry is without the help of his pals, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). Ron is jealous of Harry's stardom and ignores his friend. Meanwhile, Hermione's interest is turning to boys as the school's Yule Ball approaches.
"I was very nervous to live up to this fairytale moment that, for Hermione, is meant to be her Cinderella sort of transformation," says Watson, who also attended the news conference.
In the movie, Watson undergoes a stunning transformation from bushy-haired bookworm to radiant beauty at the ball, leaving Ron speechless.
The ball also throws Harry and Ron into a panic, as they're clueless when it comes to girls.
"Far scarier than battling a dragon is the thought of asking someone to be your ball (date)," Radcliffe says in a video message shown at the news conference, which he couldn't attend because of his work in the fifth film, now in preproduction in Australia.
Harry has a crush on his classmate Cho (Katie Leung) and stammers when he tries--with little success--to invite her to the ball.
With 1994's "Four Weddings" to his name, Newell knows exactly what's needed in such romantic comedy moments.
But the real matter at hand in "Goblet of Fire" is the growing power of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Newell conveys the character's malevolence through the bone-chilling dreams that torment Harry.
The "Harry Potter" books--the sixth recently hit in bookstores--are getting darker. As he gets older, Harry is finding the world to be an ever less pleasant place, not least because Lord Voldemort keeps trying to kill him.
Shooting for the fifth film is scheduled to begin in February. For that movie, another British director--David Yates, who is known for his television work--will be at the helm.
Heyman shrugs off fans' fears that the stars of the series are outgrowing their roles.
"If you look at 'The Wizard of Oz' or 'Grease,' the audience is going to be quite forgiving of people older playing kids," he says. "Dan is 16 years old now, and he'll be playing a 15-year-old (in the next film). That's not terrible. I think that he's right for the part--Rupert, too, and Emma. For me, if we can, I'd like to keep them till the very end."
 
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