Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)


Director: Mike Newell
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
Runtime: 157 minutes

Synopsis: When his name is mysteriously thrown in the Goblet of Fire, Harry must take part in the Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous wizarding competition between rival schools.

Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Special Effects: 8/10
Costumes/Makeup: 9/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: (SPOILERS AHEAD!) "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is one of my favorite Harry Potter books. I read it more than once and enjoyed it every single time. The movie, on the other hand, and despite the fact that I really like it, is probably one of my least favorite. Mike Newell (from "Four Weddings and a Funeral" fame) took over the director's chair, and my biggest issue with his vision for the franchise is the fact that, instead of following Alfonso Cuaron's visual style and tone, he opted to use Chris Columbus' approach instead, making this entry a bit goofy at times. I also found the film to be weirdly edited and can't help but feel that there are some scenes missing from the final cut. I would've loved, for example, to see a scene where it is explained why Harry couldn't simply summon the Golden Egg instead of his broom during the first task. It's just something that bothers me each time I watch it and that could've been easily resolved.
In this movie, our beloved "Golden Trio" deal with first loves, rejections, and friendship disputes. In other words, they stopped being children and are starting to experience their teenage years. This was handled pretty well in my opinion, except maybe for Hermione. I always thought that she went from being this awesome face-punching badass in "Prisoner of Azkaban" to a sort of annoying, easily irritated girl in "Golden of Fire". A step back in the development of my favorite member of the trio. The same can be said about Ron, but I don't mind his character considering that what most people found annoying in his attitude can be explained by the fact that it's just normal teen behavior.
While the tasks and the introduction of the Death Eaters at the Quidditch final were a lot of fun to watch, my favorite part of the film is by far the graveyard ending. It felt like it came from a completely different movie, and has what I consider to be one of the best villain introductions in cinema history. As you know, after killing Cedric, Lord Voldemort is resurrected by Wormtail and as soon as Ralph Fiennes' character appeared, I knew that he was going to be one of the best parts of the franchise. The first duel between the two enemies takes place immediately afterwards and it is glorious. Harry, with the help of the spirits of Cedric and his parents, manages to escape back to Hogwarts with his friend's body, which led to one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the whole series: Amos holding his son's inanimate body and letting out soul-crushing cries.
In the end, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" may be a step back from the book it was based on, but is still a fun and solid watch topped with one of the best endings in the franchise. The main goal of the film was to introduce to the audience Lord Voldemort. An objective that couldn't have been done better, and that only left us wanting more..

Final Grade: 7/10

Comments