The Adventures of Harry Potter during his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself mysteriously chosen as a fourth competitor in the very dangerous TriWizard Tournament, even though he is too young and there should be only three. He must survive three challenges, and determine who submitted his name and how this relates to his dreams of the evil Lord Voldemort. He must also deal with the extreme jealousy of his friend Ron (Rupert Grint) and the blossoming of Hermione (Emma Watson), who is dating the favorite for the trophy. Helping him is the new defense against the dark arts teacher, Alastor ‘MadEye’ Moody (Brendan Gleeson).
Harry Potter has matured, and I mean the franchise. This fourth visit to the land of youthful magic students is every bit as flashy and effects-laden as its predecessors (more so actually), but not just for show. Every CGI wonder is important not only for tone, but for the story. Gone are the friendly ghosts and, for the most part, the talking portraits, which were fun, but existed only for setting. In their place there is a submersible galleon, a remarkable pegasi-drawn flying carriage, and a fearsome dragon; none of which sidestep the narrative. It makes them even more impressive.
You don’t have to read the credits to know that the series is on director number three. His impact is noticeable in every part of the production. Mike Newell, the first Brit to direct this very British series, has a more Spartan view of the eldritch world than his forerunners. It is equally beautiful, but less busy. The great halls of the wizards’ school look impressive rather than quaint. The backdrops in the earlier films could have doubled for OZ, should anyone plan a remake, but the sets for Goblet of Fire would be more fitting in a medieval epic.
More of an adventure film than its predecessors, Goblet of Fire is the most exciting of the lot. Harry has some real challenges on his hands and it is easy to get caught up with him. While it is obvious that nothing all that terrible can happen (books 5 & 6 have already been published, so its a good bet he’s not going to die), there is a solid attempt to make the situations feel dangerous. Harry gets to be an action-hero, with some serious combat, a great deal of jumping, flying, and magic-zapping, and a fair number of tense moments.
The young actors are having little difficulty growing into their roles. Daniel Radcliffe is a believable teen (though he looks more like the sixteen-year-old he is than the fourteen-year-old he plays). This film asks a lot from him, and he is more than up to the task, showing a greater range than I expected. Watson appears to be as good, though she has less to do. She’s also becoming a beauty, which is going to be hard to ignore in the next film (due in 2007), when she’ll be seventeen pretending to be fifteen.
With a 700 page novel as the source material, quite a lot of cutting was needed, even for a two and a half hour film. The results are mixed. The film is lean and fast-moving. However, strands from the book that should have been jettisoned make an appearance. Several characters show up simply because they did in the novel, but don’t have enough screen time to do anything. The romances hardly exist, which makes me wonder why we’re even introduced to Cho Chang (Katie Leung) as a not-really love interest for Harry. Either she should have been given more prominence, or yanked to make room for other elements.
There isn’t a single classroom scene (though we do get a study hall), or any vacations, making it hard to tell how much time is passing. Many of the characters we’ve come to expect to play a part in the proceedings—Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton)—appear only in cameos. This is understandable, except time is wasted on a ridiculous subplot in which Ron, and many students, turns on Harry, believing him to be a liar. It goes nowhere as everyone changes their mind, and since the viewer already knows Harry is telling the truth, it’s just an irritating time filler. This is supposed to be “character development,” but as such, it isn’t very good. The time would have been better spent with the growing mystery, or the romances.
Like in the other Potter movies, the story doesn’t hold up if examined too closely. The evil wizards have an insanely convoluted plan to get a hold of Harry, when they could have done it in an easy and straightforward manor. “Hello Harry, could you come over here a minute? Good. Now, hold onto this portal object and…” But that’s the trouble with evil, it just isn’t very bright.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a fine addition to the Harry Potter film franchise. Any flaws come from a too-tight grip by author J.K. Rowling and producers, who are unwilling to let the films vary more from their source.
As for the PG-13 rating, ignore it. I would have loved this as a six-year-old and wouldn’t have lost a moments sleep.
The other films in the series are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.