A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Harry Potter (4) and the Goblet of Fire

Date Viewed: 11/2905

Details:

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)

Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley)

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)

Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid)

Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore)

Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall)

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape)

Brendan Gleeson (Alastor Mad Eye Moody)

Gary Oldman (Sirius Black)

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)

Director: Mike Newell

Score: +

The Review: Centerpiece and pivot-point of the as-yet-uncompleted 7-volume Harry Potter biography, Goblet is certainly action-packed: definitely not a plodding academic exercise.

The book was massive (at 734 pages), and a substantial amount of editing and subplot removal was necessary to squeeze this into a watchable few hours. Those familiar with the plot will simply enjoy the visual execution and not spend too much thought on the missing pieces. Those unfamiliar have either been "Lost" on a tropical island or disconnected from the human race -- but without any background, the viewer would enjoy something akin to a standalone "Dungeons & Dragons" adventure, with some niggling puzzles in the unexplained back-story they would just as soon ignore because the action is passing them by. So by this time in episode four, Harry has encountered Lord Voldemort in several incarnations, fought off dementors and saved various of his classmates from equally various like-to-be-horrible ends. So it must be time for relaxation and some simple intramural sport: watching the Tri-Wizard Tournament, with participants from hitherto unmentioned competitive academic venues as French Beauxbatons and Germanic Durmstrang. Well, as they say: wrong!

Goblet is a good addition to the franchise, and shares many of the attractive characteristics of Azkaban (3), including a darker, brooding atmosphere and geography, more focus on extracurricular activities than on the classroom, and continuing character development.

As one can see from the cast list, even just these selected characters, there is a excellent ensemble forming -- both as the actors age and as they gain experience; both as individuals and the group. Rickman is Snape, Coltrane is Hagrid, Maggie Smith is McGonagall -- these faces come to mind as one reads each new adventure in text (a caveat that long kept me from viewing any of the earlier attempts at filming even pieces of The Lord of the Rings).

We saw this in IMAX projection -- not the mind-bending 180-degree lens from special IMAX cameras, but standard projection on a VERY large screen. It's certainly easier to lose yourself in a film with it's happening in all corners of your peripheral vision, although it requires a bit of engagement to pay attention to what seems like square-miles of screen.

(9-Apr-06)

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