MAIN Art & Culture Pop Culture Harry Potter

Harry Potter And the Goblet of Fire...
Dark Arts, Danger and Dancing

The evil Voldemort is once again plotting revenge on the boy wizard in the movie version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. From the slithering snake leading you to the opening credits in Harry's worst nightmare to the scenes of the army of Deatheaters sprinkled through the story, it is clear that he who should not be named is gathering strength for a resurrection.

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), with his mates Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are teens and in their 4th year of their magical studies at Hogwarts. As the friends mature, scholarly studies play less of a role than sports, romance and fighting the Dark Lord. The action and special effects are as stunning as the previous Harry Potter films, but it is the focus on the real life issues the teens face as they become young adults that sets this movie apart.

Hormones, changing relationships among the friends and their classmates, questions of integrity and peer pressure are all part of being a teenager. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire lets you see the young wizards as teens who have to face the same questions as any high school student. They may have magical spells and wands, but it doesn't help them get dates for the Yule Ball or make Ron feel better about having formal clothes that are out of style. Even the famous Harry Potter has to deal with rejection from Ravenclaw Seeker Cho Chang, the girl he asks to the ball.

Snape (Alan Rickman), is as diabolical as ever. He is still as strict with Harry and his friends and not above applying a whack or two with a textbook as they whisper together in class. Alastor "Mad Eye" Moony (Brendan Gleeson) is the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. The Hogwarts students are understandably terrified of him and there is no doubt that his eye is not the only thing "mad' about him. His teaching methods and discipline are not standard Hogwarts. Miranda Richardson's Rita Skeeter, the reporter assigned to write about the TriWizard Tournament, is someone you will love to hate. Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Prof. McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) are all back providing Harry with advice and support.

If you read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, you'll find that some of the details -- especially in the romance department -- are left out of the movie. Keep in mind that the book was very long. At 157-minute running time not including the credits, all of the important details are included. The actual playing of the Quidditch World Cup game and Hermione's SPEW campaign are eliminated, but the movie doesn't suffer. The portrayals of JK Rowling's characters in the movie are true to the book. The action leading up to the Quidditch World Cup and all of the TriWizard Challenges are breathtaking. The graveyard confrontation between Voldemort and Harry near the end of the movie is fast paced and a bit gruesome.

The Goblet of Fire focuses on the TriWizard Tournament. Three wizard's schools from around the world meet every three years to challenge each other to claim the honor of having the best wizard. The French wizard academy Beauxbatons' champion is the beautiful and brainy Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy). The entrance of the girl's school group is well done from the flying couch to the acrobatics as they enter the hall at Hogwarts.

The other school entering the competition is Durmstrang a boy's school represented by Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski). His name may rhyme with dumb, but this champion makes up for his lack of creativity with his strength and the guidance of the Durmstrang Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff.

The Hogwarts' champion is Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), a capable and well liked older student. Through the intervention of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Harry Potter winds up getting added to the competitors at the last minute.

The scenes featuring the champions in the challenges are suspenseful and here is where the magical realm is displayed at its finest. The scenery and the magical creatures are beautiful, disturbing and extremely dangerous. The final challenge brings Harry face to face with Voldemort and his death-eaters in a duel that is one of the most exciting of any action movie sequence.

This is the darkest Harry Potter movie so far. While most of the action sequences are fine for the whole family they are a bit frightening. By the final scenes of the Goblet of Fire in the screening we attended, a few younger children were whispering to their parents that it was getting "too scary." This movie is rated PG-13 and parents should think about trying to avoid having younger children see it. It should be a thrill for most tweens and teens. Our group ranged from 8th grade through grandparents and everyone agreed that it was, without question, the best Harry Potter movie so far.

If you are interested in seeing clips and other technical details you'll find it at Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Movie.

Try the TriWizard Challenges to see how you'd score as a Hogwarts champion.
More on Mad Eye Moony includes a simple game and pictures of the wild eyed DADA teacher.

Other video clips and reviews of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

Film review: Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire - BBC - UK

'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' review - Movie News - Time Out Film