HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)

SHORT REVIEW: One hopes that as Potter further delves into the sticky world of puberty, the series will remain family oriented. I hope Harry Potter and The Funny New Hair or Harry Potter and The Far Too Much Time Spent In The Bathroom will not be explored. This fourth link in the Harry Potter chain of films has the now teenage characters facing more fantastic conflicts and more common dilemmas. Harry Potter for life, Daniel Radcliffe, once again manages a sturdy performance as the geeky hero at the heart of the franchise. Radcliffe and Potter both are aging and this story expands to allow for this growth. Not only has the tone of the series grown darker, but fleeting moments of sexuality have been sewn in. As Potter stumbles into the minefield known as puberty, the film’s palette has new shades to paint with. Potter and his two companions Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (played by Emma Watson and Rupert Grint reunite for their fourth year at Hogwarts. Per usual the whole place is in danger. Harry finds himself mysteriously nominated to partake in the ominous Triwizard Tournament, a battle of skill and wit, which becomes a fight of life and death. He and his companions are also troubled by the emotional strain of finding proper dates to the Yule ball. While the spectacle of the tournament offers a cornucopia of eye candy and excitement, the nasty business of teenage life is what makes this film stand apart from its predecessors. We’ve seen Harry battle all sorts of odd creatures and uncover devious plots before. To see him struggle with teenage embarrassment and confusion is new. The handling of the emotional elements is thankfully not reduced. It nearly takes more concentration and strength for Potter to ask Cho Chang out to the dance than it does for him to fight Lord Voldemort. One is given the impression that Potter may prefer fighting Voldemort than dealing with the wild emotional circus that now lives in his mind. The maturing franchise found itself at a crossroads in this film. The previous films relied on the cute qualities of its cast members and the innocence of the characters. As the cast grows older these elements fade and must be replaced with more mature themes. Beyond the cast members moving in and out of their awkward phases, Potter’s attention must be placed on less childish things. This break from the first two films was mishandled in the muddled third outing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban but have come to fruition in this piece. A great deal of credit for the success of this transformation belongs with director Mike Newell and screenwriter Steven Kloves. Newell, the first British director in the series, has trimmed the bulky original story and sharpened the focus of the piece to a fine point. Kloves, who has written all of the released Potter films to date, has created yet another vibrant script that shoehorns a great deal of narrative and emotional information in every scene. Kloves structured yet humored style fits his series perfectly and deserves more credit that he has been allotted thus far. Overall, this is a very good installment, probably the best since the opening film. With grand themes playing themselves out with a smart script and improving actors this is well worth the ticket price. It should be mentioned that one should probably watch the other three films. It is not imperative that one does this since the film can stand on its own. I would suggest doing this to place this film in the proper context. The characters have more depth if you understand where they are coming from. Besides, to see the young actors literally grow older has screen a strange allure. If you’re a fan of the other films, you’ve probably already have seen this one. If you have resisted the series so far, my advice is to give it a try. RELATED REVIEWS: Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets (2002) Categories: film, movie review, Harry Potter, Daniel Radliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint