Overall Rating
 Awesome: 41.86%
Worth A Look: 33.14%
Average: 11.63%
Pretty Bad: 6.98%
Total Crap: 6.4%
13 reviews, 94 user ratings
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| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
by William Goss
"Mild About Harry"
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Let’s get one thing straight: it’s hard to screw up a Harry Potter movie, with such devotion and detail spilling over from J.K. Rowling’s admired novels right into their film counterparts. Then again, making a great one isn’t so easy either, and somewhere in the middle lies 'Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire,' the fourth chapter in the fantasy saga and one that inevitably feels lesser in the shadow of its precursors. Worry not: 'Goblet' doesn’t snuff that magic spark, but the glow is starting to grow dimmer.Beginning their fourth year at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) arrive at school, soon followed by the appearance of a flying carriage and a submerged ship, each bringing representatives from fellow magical establishments Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Hogwarts is to host the Triwizard Tournament, in which a student from each school will participate after their names emerge from the titular fiery cup. However, Harry Potter is also deemed a contender, despite his ineligibility by both age and ability, and under an atmosphere of suspicion, he is forced to compete in the risky event.
While not a complete disappointment, Goblet of Fire is easily the weakest adaptation yet in the Harry Potter saga. Though Chris Columbus brought a genuine sense of awe and wonder to the first two films and Alfonso Cuarón gave the third entry greater purpose and excitement, the series is being helmed by a British director for the first time, Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mona Lisa Smile). This may very well account for Goblet’s lack of distinct personality and rushed result.
From J.K. Rowling’s 734-page volume, her prologue, consisting of about the first 150 or so pages, is covered too easily within the first reel. They leave the Weasley’s abode with little mention of the family itself, and once they arrive at the Quidditch World Cup, the match is set-up and then discarded, skipping instead to the post-game festivities, which are soon interrupted by followers of You-Know-Who. With so much and yet so little happening within mere minutes, Harry and company are already off to school once more, where they encounter even more trims. Gone are the Dursleys and the hallway-haunting ghosts (with the exception of Moaning Myrtle), and caretaker Argus Filch is reduced to mere comic relief. However, not all omissions are equally painful. Hermione’s entire campaign for the rights of house-elves is thankfully excised, and the brief appearances of tabloid journalist Rita Skeeter (portrayed rather flatly by Miranda Richardson) could have been removed to no loss.
At one point, the suggestion was to split the film into two volumes, one to be released at Thanksgiving, and the other at Christmas. As overwhelming as that would have been, the final cut ends up trimming too much and still drags regardless, with the all-exposition first act a necessary evil to get the story off the ground. After that, the episodic nature of the trio of Tournament tasks and the events that occur between feel like an awful lot of wheel spinning more than plot progress. As the film goes on, the time for, and between, each challenge is reduced. Each Tournament task is well executed visually, even if not nearly as compelling as desired. Each segment is then flanked by hollow opportunities for hormones-a-go-go (particularly the Yule Ball), a chance for Ron to sulk, and even more plot shaving. If one is unfamiliar with the book, the story could easily confuse relative newcomers. Bigger and bigger hints are dropped as to who the real culprit is, but what may seem too obvious to fans may puzzle others.
Those looking to see this film unaware of the conclusion would do best to skip the next paragraph, in which I discuss the climax.
The biggest redeeming factor of this film is the true end of the Triwizard Tournament, in which Harry Potter witnesses the rebirth of his nemesis, Voldemort, played with an eerie menace by Ralph Fiennes. The sequence, including the death of a certain character, carries all the proper weight that it should, and helps certify the saga’s path into PG-13 territory. The usually-gigglesome Sunday afternoon crowd was completely and utterly silent during every frame with Voldemort in it, a testament to the villain's twisted charisma. This palpably dark turn marks the shift of the remaining story arc, and it is executed well enough to compensate for the weakness evident in the preceding scenes.
As expected, everyone returns to the roles in a mature and consistent fashion, even if many of the supporting characters are shifted to the background, and Brendan Gleeson makes a wonderful contribution as “Mad-Eye” Moody, the latest Defense Against The Dark Arts professor. However, the absence of John Williams is apparent with the sparse score, and director Newell fails to really bring his own unique touch on this entry, approaching the story with less enthusiasm and ambition, instead demonstrating a greater impression of obligation than the other directors ever did. While not a complete letdown, the weaknesses of Goblet are too numerous to rank it as highly as its predecessors.As the conclusion promises, darker times lie ahead for Harry and the rest of the Hogwarts gang. Hopefully, a different director, even a previous one (Cuarón, I’m looking at you), may arrive to rekindle the flame for adventures to come.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=13497&reviewer=409
originally posted: 11/18/05 18:05:24
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USA
18-Nov-2005 (PG-13)
DVD: 19-Oct-2010
UK
N/A
Australia
01-Dec-2005
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