Goblet of Fire Fan Reviews

By Gary

Darker and more powerful than previous instalments, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire lives up to its much-hyped billing. The fourth film, directed by Mike Newell, sees us return to the magical world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for another action packed school year fraught with yet more danger and adversity, not least having to find a date for the Yule Ball.

Moving away from Alfonso Cuarón's more artistic rendition of Prisoner of Azkaban this film offers far more in the way of comic relief, which at first glance only acts to sugar coat an underlying dark plot. In fact, it does far more than this. The stark contrast between light and dark moments in the film intensifies an already disturbing ending, that proves to be a turning point for the entire series.

The film - for the most part, at least - focuses on the Triwizard Tournament, which takes place at Hogwarts during Harry's fourth year. Harry, guaranteed never to have a quiet year at Hogwarts, is once again made the centre of attention in this epic, as his name is drawn from the mystical Goblet of Fire and he is thrown into three deeply dangerous tasks, designed to test him to the limits of his character.

The film ably brings Rowling's creation to life, thanks in no small part to some excellent performances by the cast.

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) mature with every performance and give very memorable portrayals of the trio. Radcliffe, in particular, gives his greatest performance yet in what is possibly the most demanding role, considering that he must take centre stage in virtually every scene. The chemistry between the three is astonishing and well-developed, although perhaps that is not entirely unexpected, as this is the fourth film in which they have acted together.

Brendan Gleeson brings the mysterious character Alastor “Mad-eye” Moody to life more realistically and accurately than anyone could have imagined. He presents the quirky ex-Auror with such force that he could easily have been born for the role. Striking a perfect balance between passionate dialogue and more comical moments, Gleeson has presence in every scene he is in.

Prodigious finds Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor Krum), Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory), Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour) and Katie Leung (Cho Chang) all give admirable performances, each bringing something different to the film. With Ianevski comes a very powerful, dignified Krum, who was unfortunately not developed further in the film due to time restraints. Pattinson carries the role of Cedric well, with a useful balance of charm and enthusiasm. Poésy's Fleur, like Krum, is not developed as fully as fans of the series would have liked, but she certainly does the character justice with her sheer elegance and a delightful touch of arrogance. Leung, whose role will surely be far larger in the next instalment, Order of the Phoenix , portrays Cho with a lot of maturity and a sense of gentle confidence.

It would be foolish to go on without mentioning the staggering performance of Ralph Fiennes, who brings Lord Voldemort to life to such immense proportions, that the terror instilled by He Who Must Not Be Named is hugely amplified. Never before has Voldemort's return seemed so real.

With such a huge cast, it would be impossible to mention them all, although equally noteworthy are Michael Gambon's feisty Dumbledore, Robbie Coltrane's friendly, yet bashful Hagrid, Tom Felton's vicious Draco Malfoy and Alan Rickman's ever-intimidating Snape.

Overall, this film outshines the three previous instalments and excellently captures the change in tone that was so noticable in Rowling's work. It is, indeed, a film of magical proportions.

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