It's become almost cliche at this point, but things become cliches for a reason. In this particular instance, the cliche is that each successive entry in the "Harry Potter" series - be it the books by J.K Rowling or motion picture franchise - gets more sophisticated and "adult." This was first seen with last year's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" from director Alfonso Cuaron, which veered away from Chris Columbus' kiddy-friendly version of the first two books and added some sophistication.

"Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire," directed by Mike Newell, the fourth motion picture, doesn't disappoint in this respect, rightfully earning its PG-13 rating and continuing with the more adult tone initiated by Cuaron.

In Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he and friends Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) come to find out that Hogwarts is hosting the magical equivalent of the Olympic Games called the Triwizard Tournament. A single representative from Hogwarts and two other magical schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, will be selected to participate in the tournament.

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends are too young to participate in the tournament, which has a minimum age requirement of 17 due to the dangerous nature of the competition's three events. Tournament hopefuls place their name in the Goblet of Fire, which will then produce the names of the participants. When Harry's name is somehow produced by the Goblet by surprise, it begins to become apparent to Harry, his friends and professors - including Hogwarts' headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith) - that plots within plots are positioning Harry into a precarious position.

"Goblet of Fire" does its best to fit Rowling's 734-page tome into a 2 1/2-hour movie. To that end, it succeeds marvelously. Comparatively little from the book is cut or condensed. However, it does tend to make some parts of the film feel rushed - characters will engage in quick conversations, editing seems sometimes choppy (particularly towards the beginning), and some of the more memorable or interesting plot points and character moments feel rushed. This sense of hurriedness is minimized on second viewings, though.

These negatives, however, are easily counterbalanced by the filmmakers' attention to the details of the "Harry Potter" universe. Fans of the book series will spot Caretaker Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, in several spots in the film, and scenes in Dumbledore's office include the headmaster's pet phoenix, Fawkes.

The main trio of Radcliffe, Watson and Grint continue to improve their acting skills. Watson in particular is a scene stealer, as are the twins who play Ron's brothers, Fred and George, James and Oliver Phelps. Michael Gambon's Dumbledore is perhaps more intense than the headmaster presented in the novels, but not to any detriment, either to the character or the story. Undoubtedly, the performance to really enjoy in this film is Ralph Fiennes' Lord Voldemort. Brief though the appearance may be, memorable it is. Fiennes is somehow able to imbue the most evil Dark Lord with a sense of grace - yes, grace - that at first seems like an odd choice, but on further consideration may make more sense for the character than the "Lord of the Rings"/ Sauron-esque solidness and immovability that may be expected.

The special effects in the film are remarkable, when you have enough time to enjoy them. At times, they make the hurried pace of the film a little frustrating. There are times when the effects are truly breathtaking, such as the arena for the Quidditch World Cup in the movie's opening. But the setting of the scene can't truly be enjoyed because it's over so quickly.

The PG-13 rating is appropriate, even if the content that lends the movie the rating is contained within about a 15-minute window towards the end of the film. The scenes do involve some violent images that aren't appropriate for most kids. But the movie remains faithful to the book in all these aspects, including the violent imagery. And, like the cliche goes, each successive entry in "Harry Potter" is more adult than the last.

Ultimately, "Goblet of Fire" is a slick-looking movie with great performances from both the main cast members and the wide array of secondary character actors. It pulls you into the "Harry Potter" universe quite successfully and leaves you looking forward to the future entries. And, "Goblet" proves that, even six books and four movies into this franchise, there's still plenty of magic left to be discovered in the world of "Harry Potter."