Welcome to the 4th Year . Review on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Movie

Dark and Difficult Times Lie Ahead, Harry …

Brilliant. Perfect. Spellbound. This will sum up the fourth installment of the Harry Potter movie series. As a fan of the book series, I will say that Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire is till now the best adaptation of the book yet. Of course many scenes from the book were cut, but then it was obvious, it had to be done . Even LOTR book fans were a bit disappointed with the movie coz of the adaptation, but still the movie was fantastic. I was a bit disappointed after watching the Prisoner of Azkaban, and first and second were a little childish. But this one is a complete entertainment for everyone - fans and non-fans, children and adults. I am sure the fans wont be disappointed with this 4th movie.

This is a small excerpt about the movie….

In his fourth year at Hogwarts, Harry faces his greatest challenges and dangers yet. When he is selected under mysterious circumstances as a contestant in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry must compete against the best young wizards from schools all over Europe. But as he prepares, signs begin to point to the return of Lord Voldemort. Before long, Harry is playing not just for the Cup, but for his life.

Well, everyone knows about Harry Potter, so I wont write much about the story. With a running time of 2 hrs 20 mins, the movie sticks to the main story. So gone are the many exciting scenes between the trio, no Sirius, no Dursleys, no Dobby, no Winky ( and hence no S.P.E.W also - for the book fans ) . But Yule Ball is there, and so are those girls-boys–adolescent scenes.

Within half an hour into the movie I realized why it has been given a rating of PG-13. Its because the movie is DARK. Darker than the third. I believe that some scenes may be not suitable for children. It starts with a dark tone, and gets lighter in the middle. But , that was how the book also started. Also, the director keeps arousing suspense in between, which was necessary for the story. I must mention that this movie creates the same amount of excitement and tension as you experienced it in the book. There were some real intense scenes which I never imagined that they will be able to create among the audience.

Anyways, enough comparison with the books ( I am sure everyone who has read the book will watch the movie) .

The acting done by the young kids is brilliant. Its getting better with every movie. The climax done by Danielle Radcliffe( Harry Potter , duh !! ) is top-notch and left the movie hall in pin-drop silence . I am sure he will keep improving his performance for his role in the fifth movie HP and The Order of the Phoenix, to be released in 2007. Rupert Grint( Ronald Weasley) was at his hilarious best, and Emma Watson( Hermione Granger) did a very good job too. Her acting was more matured than that of other two. The only disappointment was that there were not many scenes with the trio together, which , if done, could have made the movie more pleasurable. Due to the efficient Casting, we have Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), who did the perfect on-screen role of Voldemort. Brendan Gleeson ( Mad Eye Moody) has also done good acting, his revolving eye was really really good !! .

The credit for the acting goes to the new director too, Mike Newell. I had some doubts when I heard that he was the director of the 4th movie. But this director of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Mona Lisa Smile has brought out the emotions among the young actors in the movie brilliantly. The director and the screenplay writer , Steve Kloves , stuck to the main story line , and have given proper justice to the book. The cinematography is simply fantastic . The animation is also very good, and all three tasks were brought to the screen alive amazingly well, all thanks to the animation. The visual effects were also top-notch, creating the best Voldemort that I could have imagined. Music Director, Patrick Doyle, has given a new touch to the series, though not leaving the original main theme of Harry Potter ,done by John Williams . As I always believe, half of the credit of the movie should go the music, because thats what creates the atmosphere around us. If you have noticed, many big hits like LOTR, Gladiator, Titanic etc. had amazing soundtracks.

For the negative side, I must say that the movie could have been made half an hour longer, encompassing all the scenes including some of the intial part of the book. The Quidditch World Cup could have been made a bit longer too.

So, all in all, a must watch for everyone. A first-class movie from Warner Bros. And the best of the Harry Potter series so far. In terms of Indian audience – total paisa vasool.

I would recommend this movie to everyone, even to those who haven’t read the books, and those who just want to watch a time-pass flick. But, a little knowledge about Harry Potter will make the movie a better experience for you.

Now, my target is to watch this movie in Imax Dome Theatre in Mumbai . Will try my best to achieve it with this busy Engg. schedule behind me !