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Overall Rating
 Awesome: 42.77%
Worth A Look: 33.13%
Average: 12.05%
Pretty Bad: 6.63%
Total Crap: 5.42%
13 reviews, 88 user ratings
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| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
by Erik Childress
"Difficult Times Lie Ahead, Harry. And Those Hairs Are Normal."
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I don’t know how much there is to figure out about Harry Potter, but there’s something about the series I still haven’t quite put my finger on. In the past I’ve likened it to little more than a group of Hardy Boys adventures that deserves credit for sparking the imaginations of children everywhere, but little for their storytelling. Coming in as a late bloomer to the movies, I was initially disappointed with the Sorcerer’s Stone but can attribute that to uninspired direction by Chris Columbus. Odd considering he also directed the Chamber of Secrets which remains my favorite. My expectations fell again after the vastly overrated Prisoner of Azkaban, which has its merits but reinforced the Hardy Boy mystery theme that I was now officially tired of. Nevertheless, I continue to look forward to each Potter chapter and as we come to the midpoint of J.K. Rowling’s tales, it may have finally turned the page for the better.Every film seems to be just another year at Hogwarts for Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his best friends, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson). Vacations end and they reunite on the way to school for another dangerous adventure and a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This year begins with a trip to the Quidditch World Cup which is dreadfully interrupted by the Death Eaters, disciples of Harry’s arch-nemesis, the Dark Lord Voldemort who is plotting his return to the living. But this is just a stepping stone on the greater challenges that Harry faces. Namely growing up.
Not even the Tri-Wizard tournament which Hogwarts has the honor of hosting can compare to the struggles of jealousy and puberty which are greater tests of friendship than battling pure evil. Any gaggle of friends will band together when their lives are threatened, but how about finding someone to ask to the big dance or the sense that your friend has betrayed you in search of selfish glory? Despite an age limit to compete in the triathlon of peril that even non-Muggles should seem a little more cautious about, Harry becomes a surprise late entry, chosen by the flaming cup of the title in spite of his ignorance. We believe him, but Ron certainly does not.
Like the tournament itself, this fourth entry is three events in one. When Harry isn’t battling dragons, mer-people or a maze that Stanley Kubrick would consider overkill, it’s the all-important ball occupying his attention draped in little more than a wraparound of Voldemort’s plotting. For a film rich in spells, creatures and otherworldly mayhem it’s the exploits that all of us Muggles can identify with that bring out some of the series’ best scenes and performances. Harry and Ron have already started to feel funny about the visiting Beauxbaton students (“I like it when they walk,” Ron says) but can’t muster up the courage to have a dance partner until the ones they really want to ask are taken.
Emma Watson may be growing into someone whom her schoolmates may need extra books for, but professionally she gets to play scenes of great emotion in the midst of a period where Hermione is more the worrying galpal than the “A” student one step ahead of the boys. It’s unfortunate to see this route taken with the character after becoming the true hero of the Prisoner of Azkaban, but it affords Watson moments that enrich the friendship past soap operatic dilemmas of sadness. She develops simple motions like hugging Harry before his impending challenge into the weight which comes with the true fear that those you love might be slipping away.
Brendan Gleeson is another standout (as past Dark Arts Defense Teachers Kenneth Branagh and David Thewlis have been) fitting the mold of Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody with ticks that first amuse and resonate further once all the pieces of his story are complete. Since the Goblet of Fire relies less on the aspect of mystery and red herrings than ever before, Gleeson’s teacher becomes the focus of speculation. Where do his loyalties lie and why does such an intense competition filled with centuries of honor find it agreeable for its mentors to tip off their players to the many dangers? It’s not exactly steroids, but sorta goes against the whole idea of letting the kids unpaint themselves from the proverbial corner. Although with Voldemort seemingly in every corner, a little help never hurt and neither does casting Ralph Fiennes who must step into a role that is destined to be this generation’s reinvention of Darth Vader. And what a performance it is; frightening and stinging with the ripe menace capable of turning nightmares into night terrors. Hopefully his contract includes three more appearances.Things are certainly changing around Hogwarts; although certainly not the unemployment rate for British actors. Being the midpoint, Goblet of Fire serves as a bridge into the slide of destiny for our heroic trio. Because of that it leisurely goes through the elements of the competition and the hormonal imbalance, leaving Voldemort as more of a wraparound story that doesn’t get much play. What mystery there is in the fourth year can be solved by anyone with the ability to count. As the second longest at 157 mins, one’s attention will still be glued to a narrative moved along briskly by director Mike Newell. Harry Potter still has a ways to grow up before earning up to the legacy left by series such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. The awkwardness of their feelings and bodies are just getting started for Harry, Ron & Hermione, but the awkward red herrings and kiddie-esque tell-tales may be coming to an end and transitioning towards a most satisfying conclusion. I, for one, am looking forward to every spell and step on the way.
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link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=13497&reviewer=198
originally posted: 11/18/05 16:42:25
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USA
18-Nov-2005 (PG-13)
DVD: 07-Mar-2006
UK
N/A
Australia
01-Dec-2005
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