"It's disappointing when Goblet of Fire eventually ends on the unresolved note it does. Ultimately, Newell's breathtaking film feels like a sensationally odd intermediate step between one phase of Harry's life and another. Still, it's a hell of a step."
Remember your high school prom: the politics, the spats, the crash course in dance?
Goblet of Fire, the fourth installment in the Harry Potter books, introduces adolescent problems (Does she like me? Who’s my prom date?) to our young wizards, but its larger, more epic scope serves as a paradigm for the seven book series, a turn toward the macabre facets of magic. The death of a certain character — what author J.K. Rowling promised would only be the first of many — occurs, ushering the reemergence of Voldemort and the shelving of several traditional elements in lieu of grander things.
In its literary form, Goblet showed significant growing pains — a noticeable lack of character development and some uneven writing — a side effect from the pressure applied to release a follow-up so quickly. Though in many respects it remains this Potterhead's favorite — kudos should be given to the sheer detail in the Triwizard Tournament — overall, it stands as one of the weaker books.
Mike Newell's film ranks as neither the strongest nor the weakest of the bunch, lacking the cinematic charisma of Alfonso Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban, but rising above Chris Columbus' overly literal, childish adaptations, ostensibly settling squarely in between. Much of the blame falls on the source material: a LOT happens in Goblet and it's hard to distill all the comings and goings, magical entrapments and revelatory moments into a palatable two hour film. Newell's solution, other than trimming the superfluous edges, was to accommodate much of the book's 754 pages in a 154 minute cut.
Goblet strays from some of the staples of Potterdom — no Quidditch matches, no reference to the Dursleys — centering on a tri-school wizarding tournament, a once in a lifetime opportunity for one student from each school of magic to compete in several challenges to have his or her name immortalized in history. When the Goblet chooses the underage Harry as a contender, he finds himself sandwiched between the quest to unravel the explanation behind his predicament and the real need to prepare for the harrowing challenges ahead.
The "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus" school of theory finds permanent residence at Hogwarts this year as adolescence finally rears its surprisingly pimple-free head: boys discover girls (Harry pines for Cho Chang), girls discover boys (Hermione crushes on the stentorian Viktor Krum) and the line is drawn between male and female. It's a teen battle of the sexes, charmingly executed and realistically portrayed by its maturing cast of "misfits."
In their fourth film, Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint show they haven't just grown, literally and figuratively, into their characters, they inhabit them. So, the few character-driven scenes in the novel translate well to the screen: the days leading up to the ball, the ball itself. It's nice to know that even at Hogwarts — particularly at Hogwarts — kids are still kids, and Newell captures the tumultuousness of adolescence throughout. Miranda Richardson, all twitches and titters, flits about the film's edges as reporter at large Rita Skeeter; a rather staid Ralph Fiennes teases with his brief cameo as Voldy himself.
Newell presents Goblet with mind-boggling eye candy. The opener for the Quidditch Cup Championships is breathtaking, as are the sweeping Triwizard Tournament challenges. When the wizarding schools introduce themselves at the beginning of the school year — the Beauxbatons' interpretive dance-like moves, the Durmstrang’s tribal acrobatics — it's as flashy and imaginative as you'd hoped.
It's disappointing when Goblet eventually ends on the unresolved note it does: There's no resolution, only a tragic death. The stage is set for Rowling's more polished, more eventful "Order of the Phoenix" and even more "adult" "Half-Blood Prince." Ultimately, Newell's breathtaking film feels like a sensationally odd intermediate step between one phase of Harry's life and another.
Still, it's a hell of a step.
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"The Goblet of Fire is a more mature story and its young stars prove they have the acting skills to grow with their characters." ByJulian Roman
"With the sinister tone, superb action, and tighter plotting, The Goblet Of Fire is currently the best film in the series to date." ByCarl Lazarevic
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