For those who can't see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the sixth film in the highly successful franchise by JK Rowling, until this weekend. There are other ways of letting your inner love and adoration for the boy wizard and company out. There are five excellent films out on DVD. Today, we'll be looking at the fourth segment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
As a refresher for those who have not seen the film, or are looking for a quick tutorial on the films before skipping ahead to the theatres. This is Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is about to begin his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with his best friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). Before lessons can begin and mayhem can ensue, there is a trip to see the international Quidditch (a magical game on broomsticks) finals, where a different kind of mayhem can ensue. After the game, the campsite for visitors is attacked by Death Eaters (the henchmen for Lord Voldemort, Harry's mortal enemy and his parent's murderer). This puts the trio on high alert once they make their way to school and find out that Hogwarts will be hosting a Tri-Wizard tournament against two other foreign wizarding schools. Each school will have a champion selected and compete in a series of highly dangerous tasks, but the student chosen must be at least seventeen. Students who wished to represent their school had to put their name in the "Goblet of Fire," and fourteen year-old Harry is unable to try for the honor. So imagine the school's surprise that after Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) is selected to represent Hogwarts and a second student's name comes out for Hogwarts too. Yes, somebody has tampered with the results, and Harry's name has been brought forward. From here the two boys must work together for the bragging rights of the school, but are separated by their own desires and fears of what the contests entail.
While the character of Cedric was technically and very briefly introduced in the previous novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Goblet of Fire marks the cinematic debut of the the character. Pattinson is fairly charming in the role, but does not really get much to do. This will upset the legions of fans he has developed from playing Twilight's Edward Cullen, who may only be renting this film to see their teen idol in his only other major role currently on DVD. Yet, in the world of Potter, Cedric does have a very important place in the lore and his performance during the final contest does not disappoint. Another major recognizable casting choice for science fiction fans is soon to be former Doctor Who star David Tennant as the Death Eater, Barty Crouch Jr. His performance is quite dark, and for the most part covered literally under a lot of dirt. So those who only know him as the Doctor might be a bit surprised by this evil and quirky role. It's a rather thankless character, but Tennant manages to draw your attention; this helps quite a bit towards understanding a major aspect of the ending.
Other new characters are the other two competitors in the Tri-wizard tournament, Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) and Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski). Both are fairly entertaining in their roles. Poesy is the least represented in the film, but her character's development will hopefully be better witnessed in the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Ianevski is part of a number of humorous gimmicks because Krum is constantly followed around by a gaggle of starstruck girls. Krum is supposed to be a really famous athlete, which is why it is particularly funny when the sports-challenged Hermione becomes the object of his affection (much to Ron's chagrin). Their little screentime together is sweet, and one of the first signs that any of the main trio could play a romantic storyline (which is helpful considering how love comes to the forefront in the final two books of the saga).
Some of the new adult characters include Fleur and Viktor's respective professors, Madame Maxime (Frances de la Tour) and Igor Karikoff (Predrag Bjelac), that have accompanied them for the tournament. Maxime gets a bit more screentime, as her character develops a romantic relationship with Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), and de la Tour does not disappoint. She is acerbic and charming, and plays off well with Coltrane. Bjelac does not get much to do, but does have some rather intense scenes with Professor Snape (the always reliable and sneering Alan Rickman). Also, flitting through the halls is Miranda Richardson as reporter Rita Skeeter, who is trying to find a scandal surrounding Harry or fabricate one, if necessary. Brendan Gleeson jumps on board as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He's a former Auror (dark wizard catcher), who has gone a bit insane from years of battle and loss of limb. Gleeson is entertaining and intense in the role, and brings a lot of intrigue to the smallest of moments.
Finally, there is the first real appearance of the adult Lord Voldemort played by Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes has a far too brief scene at the end of the film, but it is certainly worth the wait. His Voldemort is cool, calculating, and an excellent showman, all the great aspects of the perfect movie villain. There is a genuine menace to the character, that has otherwise been absent from the series thus far. This is crystal clear from the moment a CGI-enhanced Fiennes appears on screen, and his immediate actions. He is an invaluable addition to the series and will inspire a greater sense of anticipation for the final film's epic battles.
Director Mike Newell brings his own mark to the series, but does take cues from previous helmers Chris Columbus and Alfonso Cuaron. The more wild eccentric accents of the previous installment are gone, for better or worse. Yet, he does keep the dark lighting, and adds a bit of a suspense thriller quality to some of the camerawork. This really worked for this film because there are a number of mysteries that develop throughout the story. He also brought a quiet eloquence to the school dance (that takes place in the middle of the action) without losing the humor of the preparations for the event. This inspires a nice balance of nostalgia for those remembering their own high school heartbreaks and the anxieties of finding a date. The scenes could have brought the film to a standstill because of how long the sequence eats into the runtime, but it actually stands as a fairly memorable aspect of the series. In particular, there are a number of shots involving Watson's Hermione finally coming out of her shell that really displays how far the character and actress have come.
So, as mentioned, Watson was really able to showcase her talents and how far she has come. This is not to say that Radcliffe or Grint do not get chances to show their growth. Grint's considerable comedic timing just keeps being honed to a new level. His various fueds with Harry and Hermione are so serious, but ridiculous that you can not help but laugh at his earnest delivery. Then there is Radcliffe, who has progressively improved throughout the series to show the full range of emotions that Harry deals with in short order. This film, he seems to really loosen up, and enjoy the more comedic aspects of the script in a bumbling manner (i.e. the entire dance). There is one awkward beat in his performance and the film, during a scene where Harry speaks with the school's resident ghost, Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson), who had previously appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. While the scene is almost translated word for word from the source novel, the scene seems forced and slows down the mounting tension. This could be attributed to the fact that forty-something Henderson (playing a dead teenager) is heavily flirting with a shirtless (and underage at the time) Radcliffe, and making leud comments about Harry's body. It seems out of place for the tone being set, and neither actor gives the scene much direction. Thankfully this is not reflective of the entire film.
It comes as a near relief that Radcliffe does rise to the occasion during the confrontation with the formidable Fiennes. It is clearly expressed that for all the laughs and glory Harry enjoys as "The Boy Who Lived;" there is the constant threat and strain of knowing that someday he will have to face potential death to destroy Voldemort. This was a crucial turning point for the series and the actor, to show that the lighthearted adventures of the earlier installments must now give way to a battle where there will genuine gains and losses.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a film that could be enjoyable to watch on it's own. The only complaint some may have is that, if you haven't seen all of the prior films, then you will be severely lost. There is very little setup of the magic world, or why Harry is so famous and why it is so dangerous that his name was added to the Goblet. Still, there are a number of memorable scenes and characters that add a charm, thrill, and nuance for repeat viewings of this film, which was not the case for the first two movies. Parents should be warned to pay attention to the PG-13 rating, for the previously PG rated series because of extreme violence that takes place. While there have been scary moments in prior Potter films, it is nothing compared to the destruction that the introduction of Voldemort brings. Next featured will be the fifth movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Grade: B+
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