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Goblet of Fire Media Reviews
"Eternal glory - that is what awaits the student that wins the Triwizard Tournament," says Albus Dumbledore, in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", the new movie version of J.K. Rowling's novel. Yet eternal glory is far from what Harry Potter wants.
In an effort to fit the 734-page novel into one movie, director Mike Newell had to take out a few things, like house-elves and the Dursleys, which might disappoint diehard fans (like me!).
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) arrives at Hogwarts after being shaken up by some strange events and dreams, only to find that his name has been mysteriously placed in the Goblet of Fire, a goblet that selects three students to compete in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament. Foreigners provide an interesting new twist, as students from two other schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, are introduced. Harry must go through a series of grueling tasks to win the tournament, with some teen angst thrown in by mainly his best friends, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), along the way.
New characters, such as the mysterious Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) and Harry's crush, Cho Chang (Katie Leung) provide for interesting twists.
The acting has greatly improved from the first three movies. Fred and George Weasley (James and Oliver Phelps) are hilarious, as is the sarcastic and sometimes cynical Grint. Their humor as well as others' lightened up the movie so that the heartbreaking and tense ending was more of a shock. Radcliffe has improved as well, noticeably in the scenes in which he is supposed to be enduring excruciating pain. It actually looks as if he is in pain.
Yet the child actor that stood out the most was Emma Watson. Her range of expressions and emotions has definitely broadened.
The adult actors, overall, were generally impressive. Many of them, including Snape (Alan Rickman) brought much humor to the film. Rickman is the perfect Snape! However Dumbledore was portrayed poorly by Michael Gambon. As in the third movie, Gambon portrays Dumbledore as a loud, bustling man who is defined not by what he says, but how he says it. This is the completely opposite of the Dumbledore we know from the book. Albus Dumbledore is subtle, quiet and calm. He is defined by the eloquence of what he says, not how he says it.
Despite some skipping around, Newell accomplished his goal of outlining a complicated plot and leading it up to its exciting climax. I felt a chill go down my spine as returning Hogwarts champions Harry and Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), come before a cheering audience that slowly realizes something is terribly wrong. One can tell this is the turning point of the series; the mood is wonderfully captured as tense and frightening.
The special effects are truly reminiscent of Rowling's magical world. Along with the more frightening scenes there are some truly touching moments including Harry's conversation with his dead parents (Adrian Rawlins and Geraldine Somerville).
"Goblet" is rated PG-13 for a good reason. Although some mild innuendo might go over children's heads, there are some very scary moments.
This movie soared beyond all my expectations, and left me anxiously awaiting the next movie, Dumbledore's words looming over my head: "Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Harry. Soon we will all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." *** 1 / 2 of 4 stars
 
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