Overall Rating: 75.8
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" takes the standard formula of the previous Harry Potter films and turns it upside down, but in a good way. In "Goblet", Harry and pals learn of a wizardry tournament to be held at Hogwarts that includes the best students of three wizard schools. While Hogwarts initially was represented by new character Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson), Harry's name is somehow entered into the tournament despite him not being of age.
Over the course of the film, we see the tournament champions participate in a series of 3 challenges meant to show their prowess as wizards. Unsurprisingly, every single break that Harry could catch, he does. Whether it's getting a sneak look at the first challenge, miraculously finding an herb that allows him to breathe underwater for an hour, or being right around the corner every time a friend is in need. I know the films are designed for younger viewers, but after 4 films even a pre-teen has to be wondering how Harry always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
As the characters are growing older and now in their mid-teens, the romantic storylines are starting to take place. Again, despite being seemingly the most famous wizard in the world and having girls constantly swoon over him, we get the "Harry is a nerd who can't get a date" storyline while the young students look for partners to attend a ball celebrating the tournament.
"Goblet" also finally reveals Ralph Fiennes as the fully incarnated Lord Voldemort, a much needed character at this point in the series to help darken things a bit. While the previous films all had their versions of villains, the storylines all felt a bit "Scooby-Doo" in their childlike plots.
Director Mike Newell makes his mark during his only "Potter" film, relying less on fancy wizard special effects as the previous films, and more on character interaction. Some swooping shots through landscapes overdo it a little on certain instances, but in all, the film works visually.
"The Goblet of Fire" continues to take the Potter universe into more adult themes, and continues to help move the series in the right direction. The youngsters still have their moments where they appear to be overacting, but the cheese factor from some of the earlier films is being limited.
Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 8
Dialogue: 6
Acting: 6
Direction: 7
Audio/Visual: 7
No comments:
Post a Comment