‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

Director: Mike Newell

Stars: 4.5 out of 5

It would be practically impossible to write a more action-packed book than J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.’ The fourth in the seven-book series, ‘Goblet’ tests the infamous title character with dragons, mermaids, teen romance and the wizarding world’s ultimate evil. And while the novel was beyond anyone’s wildest adventures, it posed a huge problem for the film’s adaptors – cutting down 734 brilliant pages into one movie. The solution: a film that’s dark, moody and rightfully earns its PG-13 rating. But be forewarned: You won’t understand ‘Goblet’ without reading the book.

It’s rumored that the movie’s creators originally considered developing the book into two films, a move that probably would have been wise. Fortunately, ‘Goblet,’ with a running time of just over two and a half hours, doesn’t suffer much for it – it’s far and away the best movie of the series thus far. Rowling’s world has truly developed into a living, breathing culture; from the breathtaking first shots of the journey to the Quidditch World Cup to the film’s harrowing final scenes, Harry’s world is flawless. This is partially thanks to the masterful use of CGI, a technology I’m usually appalled by.

As with the past three films, Radcliffe, Watson and Grint play their literary doppelgangers to a T, but with the delicious addition of sexual tension. The lead-up to the Yule Ball is a particularly hilarious collage of angsty wizards and witches, eager to get their groove on but unable to cast the proper spell on each other. Triwizard Cup competitors Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski) and Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) are accurately captured, especially Krum’s boorish, caveman-like personality, but Fleur Delacour (Clmence Posy) was hardly the glowing goddess of her literary counterpart. Other supporting characters don’t really stand out, although Frances de la Tour’s Madame Maxime is worth mentioning, if only for the fact that she looks like an overgrown Judith Miller in wizard’s robes.

Newell, best known for movies like ‘Pushing Tin’ and ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral,’ proves his directorial teeth are sharp enough for Voldemort. Scenes fly by at a breakneck pace, the way a real page-turner should. Omissions from the book aren’t entirely glaring, but the absence of Winky the house elf is going to create some plot problems down the line, as will the minimization of Rita Skeeter. And it probably would have been a good idea for Newell to have at least explained the portkey at the film’s onset.

‘Goblet’ is the scariest of the four films, though enough of a sense of impending dread isn’t conjured up by the time the credits start rolling. Viewers want to be entirely fearful, but we’re still a little bit safe in Potter’s world. This is of course the point at which you have to remember: These are children’s books, and this is still technically a children’s movie. Which, in the grand scheme of things, puts me at about 12 years old, right smack in the middle of Pottermania.

Published on November 16, 2005 at 12:00 pm