Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Do not do so lightly! If chosen, there's no turning back. As from this moment, The Triwizard Tournament has begun! Year four at Hogwarts for Harry Potter and his chums, and it's a time of change, chance and danger. The prestigious Triwizard Tournament is being hosted and the applecart is turned upside down when Harry, unqualified and underage, is selected by the Goblet of Fire to be one of Hogwarts' competitors. If the thought of competing in such a dangerous tournament wasn't scary enough, Harry also has the worry of finding a date for the Yule Ball to contend with! The Prisoner of Azkaban set the marker for a darker, more grown up Potter picture, a high standard that Goblet of Fire, and new director Mike Newell, arguably had no hope of attaining. But it's not for lack of trying, and in fairness Newell and the team have managed well enough to blend the blackness that comes with the impending arrival of Lord Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes), with the burgeoning ping of teenager hormones. There's an awful lot going on here. With the Triwizard Tournament comes two groups of exchange students to Hogwarts in the form of the glamorous girls of Beauxbatons Academy, and the hunky boys of Durmstrang Institute. The arrival of which sends Ron, Hermione and co into blushy flustered awakenings. The tournament itself (rightly) dominates much of the film, the lead up to it and the three challenges that the competitors have to face, with Harry's dragon face off a bona fide excellent piece of film. Then on to the fall out of the tournament where it gets real dark and the film and series lurch on to another level and set up the next installment a treat. As is customary for a Potter film, there's also a number of new characters and replaced characters in the mix, while major story developments flit in and out of the narrative to the point you really have to pay attention completely. Of the new arrivals it's Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson terrific) who is most telling and enjoyable, but tabloid scribe Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson) is something the film could have survived without. Yes it's a nice pop at the gutter press, but watching it now, would the time spent wasted on Skeeter not have been better served on the sadly under filmed Quidditch World Cup? Especially considering the build up to it is magnificent. Or at the very least some more Malfoy Senior, Sirius or Snape! But the disappointment felt there is offset some by the wonderful Yule Ball, where Newell is in his element gleefully dangling his charges through the joys and sorrows of awkward awakenings. It's a series highlight that's not to be missed. A film of variable pace due to the makers trying to juggle so much, it's ultimately something of an up and down viewing experience. That said, Newell is able to dazzle the pre-teens with his set pieces, because the kiddies sure as hell will not understand the angst and hormonal issues present, while the rest plays out on adult terms. So something for everyone, then. It may not be successful as a whole, and newcomers dipping in for the first time get no guidance at all, but it's still a ripper of a ride for those who are into the films having not read the books. It's set up nicely for part 5, but pity poor David Yates in the directing chair for Order of the Phoenix, though, for that is one hell of a door stopper novel to try and condense down into an entertaining Potter movie! 7/10

_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ is an absolute spectacle. I am a huge sucker for tournaments in films and this hit every single note for me; intensity, stakes, creativity, it is all there. Our main cast is doing some of the best acting of the series, Daniel Radcliffe really raises his performance up a notch and establishes himself as the lead of the franchise. His acting is refined and mature and he does an excellent job portraying his emotions with not only his line delivery but his facial expressions and body language. He really broke through here and it was a joy to see. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were great, but they had a slight decrease in screentime and really were sidelined during this film. The introduction of Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory brings an interesting dynamic to the story, as Harry Potter has somewhat of an older brother figure to contend with. The relationship and chemistry between the two builds and brings some emotionally heavy scenes throughout. There is constant action in this film; from the opening scenes of the Quidditch World Cup to the multiple rounds of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, there is always something happening, and it helps create a very steady pace throughout. Not only is there action, but there is also fantastic character development. All of our characters really start to come into their own through the struggles they all face throughout the film. Harry is the best he's ever been, and the new faces are great on screen. Alastor Moody is mysterious and quirky and is a great mentor to Harry. But the greatest thing about this film is the sinster introduction of Lord Voldemort. His presence was lurking in the background of the entire series, but here he is reborn in a horrifying way. Ralph Feinnes is superb in his only 6 minutes of screen time, but it is enough to leave a lasting impression. The ending is perfect and sets the tone of the franchise going forward. While the cinematography and tone might be better in Prisoner of Azkaban, I cannot deny that this movie is better in almost every other aspect, which is why it gets a slight nod. Score: _89%_ | Verdict: _Excellent_

Possibly the weakest of the series, this one, for me. Our trio start by visiting the Quidditch World Cup which is invaded by the evil "Death Eaters" who reduce everything to ashes in their search for "Harry". Shortly afterwards, the "Tri-Wizard Cup" comes to Hogwarts - a good excuse to introduce some new characters amongst them Frances de la Tour as the enormous "Madame Maxime" and Roger Lloyd-Pack as "Barty Crouch" as each school chooses their champion to take part in the potentially lethal games. "Hogwarts" chooses "Cedric Diggory" (Robert Pattinson) but the goblet also chooses our "Harry" and so four go into the competition. As this description, so far, probably indicates - there is an hell of a lot going on here and not surprisingly the adaptation to the screenplay starts to leave out detail and characterisation. To do the story justice, it ought to have been two films - we spend way too long establishing and when we get to the climax, it all seems a bit too rushed. Mike Newell simply has to squeeze too many, important, interweaving themes into 2½ hours and it doesn't quite work. It is still a great fantasy adventure building well on the now well-established characters and putting more meat on the bones of the "Harry Potter" character.