Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Goblet of Fire has been my favorite book in the Harry Potter series so far. The most in-depth and plot filled of the series at the time, I thought that this would make the best movie of the four. As it turns out, the movie is more of the middle sequence of a trilogy, such as Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers. Goblet of Fire is the darkest movie yet but lacks an emotional connection to the gravity of the situation.
The director chose to focus on one story arc; the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Throughout the tournament, we get glimpses into how Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s lives have changed since they first arrived at Hogwarts. What made the book so rich was the growth of the characters as they hit their teenage years and suddenly had to grow up to face a new darkness, while at the same time deal with the crushes and conflicts of dating and dances. This choice in some ways hampered the true heart of the story, the return of Lord Voldemort. While the intent was to build up suspense to the key moment when "He who must not be named" returns, instead the actual return is more of an afterthought and means nothing to people who are not in the know. There are groups of fans that only know the characters from the movies and the feedback from them is that it was hard to follow the plot. The couple behind me was confused and kept asking each other who the new characters were.
The first twenty minutes were a special effects extravaganza and I was a bit worried that the effects would overshadow the entire movie. Luckily, this didn’t happen but this is the most visual movie to date. I did become engrossed in the story and as I happen to like the dark middle parts of a trilogy, I walked away from Goblet of Fire with the desire to see it again. The three leads each have their separate stories and for the first time, we see that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are not a single unit but three individuals who will eventually go off in different directions. The friendship and conflict between the three characters keeps the story together and is a tribute to the continual growth of the acting skills of the three.
The director chose to focus on one story arc; the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Throughout the tournament, we get glimpses into how Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s lives have changed since they first arrived at Hogwarts. What made the book so rich was the growth of the characters as they hit their teenage years and suddenly had to grow up to face a new darkness, while at the same time deal with the crushes and conflicts of dating and dances. This choice in some ways hampered the true heart of the story, the return of Lord Voldemort. While the intent was to build up suspense to the key moment when "He who must not be named" returns, instead the actual return is more of an afterthought and means nothing to people who are not in the know. There are groups of fans that only know the characters from the movies and the feedback from them is that it was hard to follow the plot. The couple behind me was confused and kept asking each other who the new characters were.
The first twenty minutes were a special effects extravaganza and I was a bit worried that the effects would overshadow the entire movie. Luckily, this didn’t happen but this is the most visual movie to date. I did become engrossed in the story and as I happen to like the dark middle parts of a trilogy, I walked away from Goblet of Fire with the desire to see it again. The three leads each have their separate stories and for the first time, we see that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are not a single unit but three individuals who will eventually go off in different directions. The friendship and conflict between the three characters keeps the story together and is a tribute to the continual growth of the acting skills of the three.
Thanks for the review as I am too, a Harry Potter fan and appreciate the intracies of the book and the changes in the main characters.
ReplyDeleteJust saw the movie this afternoon. I liked it - went by very fast which is a sign of a good movie. However, I felt that there many unresolved sub-plots. Also, there was too little time spent getting to know the visiting students. I guess the movie would have to be four hours long to fill in all these gaps.
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