Goblet of Fire Fan Reviews

By Matthew

This is the fourth film in the globally popular Harry Potter series from the book that is regarded by many as the best of the series. By watching this movie I realised how Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have grown in appearance but also as actors, as they all fit brilliantly as the trio I imagined from the books.

The Effects

The special effects in this film are amazing. The filmmakers did a really good job of making the audience believe that there really is a fire-breathing dragon chasing their 14-year old hero. Other great effects were used when the gang travelled by portkey and when Moody demonstrated the unforgivable curses on a spider.

The Acting

The trio have really upped the ante this time around. Radcliffe's crying is now more believable and Watson was amazing in a scene where she got worked up after the Yule ball. Grint's portrayal of Ron is the work of a true natural. There were some bad acting moments however: Michael Gambon is just no Sir Richard Harris when it comes to acting as Albus Dumbledoore. Gambon has admitted before that he just plays himself in a different costume, and it generally works. But it is strange how the Dumbledoore in this movie is loud and even frightening rather than the quiet-voiced, unthreatening character of the books. At one point in the film he pushes Harry, which is so out of character in my opinion.

The Length

This film should have been at least 3 hours like the first 2 movies, but even though it is a much longer book, it is shorter at 2 hours and 15 minutes. Although this is packed with solid, fast-paced entertainment, I get the feeling that if it was longer they could have included Dobby and Winky, some footage of the Quidditch World Cup match itself, Spew and some more happy moments with the trio rather than a load of ‘squabbles' between them all the time. They could have shown the other trial in the pensieve, with Bellatrix Lestrange.

The Movie Overall

Overall, this movie is the most action packed, the scariest and the most exciting and the most funny. The actors are at an extremely good level and it is much more mature movie. Unfortunately the length of the movie causes problems: The filmmakers clearly made this movie for people that have read the books, as I knew when watching the film that if I hadn't read the books I would not have had a clue as to what was going on as explanations seem to go amiss. For example, Neville's parents' names are mentioned quickly and not very clearly in the trial, so the audience probably wouldn't realise that is why Neville was suffering in Moodys lesson. Also, an explanation wasn't given as to why priori incantatem occurred and Crouch's death wasn't explained at all, he was just found dead. Scenes that I enjoyed most were the graveyard events, the Riddle house at the beginning, the Yule ball, and the tasks. This movie is in my opinion tied with Prisoner of Azkaban for first place, but it could have been so much better if the length had been increased to accommodate more of the plot and back story, and also if explanations in it were more in depth or actually there.

Overall Rating – 4/5

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