Potter-Watch (32 of 77) Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Lets remember where we left off with the last film, and I'm not talking about that pathetic freeze frame. Harry had figured out the truth about his godfather, but failed to prove him innocent. He found the man who really betrayed his parents, only for that man to escape. Quite obviously, the ending to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire leaves our hero off much worse. If this film is going to be remembered for anything, it'll be remembered as the one where Voldemort came back, and everything changed. While it may not be as good as its predecessor, Goblet of Fire pushes the series into almost gothic territory, and sets up for the second half of the franchise. This is also the film where Edward Cullen dies. YES!

The fourth episode follows Harry as he is unwittingly entered into the Triwizard Tournament, a competition spanning three dangerous and life threatening tasks. It's a darker world that Harry's living in, with an unexpected resurgence of Death Eater attacks, and the entire school suddenly becoming prejudiced against Harry, including his best friend Ron. Not to mention his godfather is a wanted fugitive, his parents are dead, and he can't get a date for some reason. So his life pretty much sucks enough at this point. This series clearly hasn't been kind to our hero, and it's about to do worse things to him.

There's plenty of action to go around in this installment, with the attack at the Quidditch World Cup, the three tasks of the tournament, and the final confrontation with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It's handled pretty well, with dozens of spectacular visuals here and there. Anytime there's a dragon running free on a reign of terror across Hogwarts, consider me contented. However, I do have a special place in my heart for that maze, and how it almost takes on the unbiased aggression that swallows a great deal of the characters in the next few films. Pacing does drag a bit in the midsection, but it doesn't derail the film completely.

The acting here is improved by the returning cast, but not the new members. The new characters are mostly filled by a bundle of unknowns, and they don't really bring too much to the table. Among the only ones that I truly do like is Brendan Gleeson as Mad Eye Moody, but it's a guilty pleasure as the role busts out a great deal of ham. On top of that, Rita Skeeter doesn't really have much relevance to the story, other than comic relief. As a matter of fact, this whole film is filled with failed attempts at comic relief. It's the danger whenever a director thinks that their film is too dark. They overload it with jokes that mostly don't hit their mark. We get that these kids are experiencing hormones, but could it be a little more realistic? In a film of firsts, this is the first film in which we realize how attractive Emma Watson is. Therefore, Ron suddenly taking notice of that fact isn't all that surprising. It is all that irritating.

Of all the actors in this film, the greatest is definitely Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. That one scene that we see of him continues to extract the same response upon repeat viewings. We've all had images in our head of what he'd look like, but when he finally comes out of the pot, all the dread that has been surrounding the picture reaches a fever pitch. The ultimate evil has been released upon the world, by the same man who's responsible for the death of Harry's parents. Fiennes carries himself rather coldly and cruelly, and he almost comes off as rather polite, as most screen villains should. There's a charm about him that's just another weapon in his arsenal.

I feel sorry for the makers of this film, as they had no idea back then that people would one day be happy to see Robert Pattinson get murdered. Given that, I was dissatisfied with the death of his character. The killing didn't hold as much weight as it should, and it didn't really allow for any reaction, as the story moved on straight away. There is a bit towards the end that allows all the sadness over his death to be let out, and that was pretty great, but I was still disappointed. The cinematography in the series continues to be spectacular, and Patrick Doyle proves to be a fitting successor to John Williams, offering an activating score that goes above expectations. The artistic high point of this film is the art direction, which is truly magnificent and pushes the fantasy elements to best effect. Mike Newell isn't a great director, and he may not be a good director at all. However, the clever dialogue in some scenes, as well as the source material, keep this installment a cut above most. I actually do enjoy it quite a bit more than Prisoner of Azkaban, but that's an opinion that many are sure to contest.

A-