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Only a few months after coming off of the high of receiving the newest Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Potter fans found something new to look forward to: the film incarnation of the series’ fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It’s felt like a long wait for the newest movie—it’s been a year and a half since Prisoner of Azkaban hit theaters. Thankfully, the new film was well worth the wait.
The fourth movie finds Harry facing some of his toughest challenges yet. After attending the Quidditch World Cup with his friends Ron and Hermione, Harry returns to Hogwarts in time to hear an exciting announcement from Professor Dumbledore: This year, three wizarding schools (including Hogwarts) will participate in an event called the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and Hogwarts will be hosting both the two other schools (Durmstrang and Beauxbaton) and the tournament itself. After the champions (Victor Krum from Durmstrang, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbaton, and Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts) are selected from the Goblet of Fire, the goblet mysteriously spits out a fourth name: Harry Potter. Even though he is well underage (Dumbledore insisted that all candidates be at least 17 years old), the goblet’s choices are final and Harry is forced to participate.
In addition to the stress of competing against older students in three very dangerous tasks, Harry also has to contend with the fact that Lord Voldemort is gaining strength. And if that weren’t enough, he also has to deal with the everyday problems of adolescence—Harry has his first love interest in this movie (a Hogwarts girl named Cho Chang).
Given the fact that I was underwhelmed by the first Harry Potter movies (even the third one, while better than the others, didn’t really do it for me), I was extremely pleased with the new film. I credit the new director, Mike Newell, with capturing the spirit and dark undertones of my favorite book in the series. The movie was well-paced and didn’t feel too long (no easy feat, considering the original source material clocked in at a whopping 734 pages). The computer animation continues to get better with each movie—the Quidditch World Cup scene, especially, is a feast for the eyes.
Because the book was so long, certain parts had to be left out of the movie. However, unlike Prisoner of Azkaban, the cuts were pretty well-chosen this time around, and the missing pieces didn’t take away from this particular story or the overarching tale of the series. The most noticeable omission was Hermione’s crusade for the rights of house elves (S.P.E.W.), and I have to say that I didn’t really miss it.
Several new characters make their first appearances in this film, including Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, the other tournament champions, annoying journalist Rita Skeeter, and our first real glimpse of Lord Voldemort, portrayed chillingly by Ralph Fiennes.
Speaking of You-Know-Who, parents should heed this warning: the Harry Potter stories, while originally written for children, have had a tendency to grow up alongside the characters. Harry is fourteen years old in Goblet of Fire, and the movie, fittingly, is the first in the series to garner a PG-13 rating. This film is dark. It’s creepy. It’s tragic—for the first time in the world of Harry Potter, we see a character die. And the scene that follows is incredibly intense and frightening for small children (and some adults!).
Although it does have its flaws, Goblet of Fire is still the best Harry Potter movie yet. I’d recommend reading the book first, but the movie is definitely worth checking out.
Ed. Note: For the N&W review of the book, click here.
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