Harry's Goblet Runneth Over
Fourth Film May Be Best Yet

Harry Potter is growing up. The young, boy wizard who seemed like a cute, but brooding, child only a few years ago is quickly turning into a troubled young man with more than teenage angst on his mind. Daniel Radcliffe's portrayal of Harry Potter is filled with so much darkness that there is no mirth in the story. The early "wonder" of the magical series is gone, replaced by a coming evil that approaches like a terrible storm.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe, right) and his friends return to Hogwarts and meet a host of new challenges in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. (Warner Bros., 2005)

Directed by: Mike Newell
Written by: Steven Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, and Alan Rickman

Rated PG-13 (for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images)
Running time: 157 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 9 out of 10.

Goblet of Fire may be the best of the series so far. It approaches a new level of maturity, even as it deals with darker subjects such as treachery, betrayal, and death. Harry, too, is growing up. Not only is he becoming obsessed with the approach of the evil Lord Voldemort, he is also facing problems with his friends and finding himself befuddled by the opposite sex.

In addition to his normal studies, Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts has been complicated by the Triwizard Tournament. In this special event, three school champions compete to win a special cup. Unlike a Muggle school, however, this trophy will not be won by track and field events or debate. The champions are put through three grueling tasks that are very dangerous. For this reason, only those who are over 17 years of age are eligible to enter.

From the Durmstrang Institute comes Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski), a Quidditch champion in his own right. From the Beauxbatons Academy, Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) -- a bewitching girl who is part Veela (and therefore very alluring to men). Finally, Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) is chosen to represent Hogwarts. Or so it seems. After the three champions are selected, the goblet releases a fourth name: Harry Potter. Harry, of course, is too young to compete but the rules of the game demand that the names chosen by the Goblet of Fire must face the challenges. As a result, Harry is thrust into the spotlight (again).

The Triwizard Tournament also brings with it another tradition: the Yule Ball, a formal affair where students from the three schools socialize in a celebration of Christmas. So, it befalls Harry and his best friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) to embark on the right of passage of asking girls to the dance. The results are mixed, and Harry finds himself rejected when he asks out Cho Chang (Katie Leung). When Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) accepts an invitation from Viktor, it sets off a jealous rage from Ron who until now has shown little interest in her. Ron, quite amusingly, asks out the desirable Fleur Delacour -- with disastrous results.

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor seems interested in helping Harry succeed at his trials. "Mad-Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson) brings a frightening urgency to this year. He takes it upon himself to teach the children about the three "unforgiveable" curses and takes a particular interest in Harry. His arrival at the school signals how desperate things have become in light of the coming return of Lord Voldemort.

Goblet of Fire begins with a new twist for the films, leaving out all mention of Harry's annual summer torture by his guardians, the Dursleys. The story begins at the Weasley's home, where Harry and Ron are joined by Hermione before they begin their fourth year at Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley (Mark Williams) surprises the kids by taking them to the Quidditch World Cup, sort of the World Cup of soccer in the magic world. The event ends in tragedy, however, when the followers of Lord Voldemort (so-called "Death Eaters") create chaos and anarchy while leaving death and destruction in their wake. The sigil of the Death Eaters, a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, appears in the sky over the area and signals Voldemort's ascension.

It is the return of Voldemort that is the true crux of the story, and the reason it ends up with a more restrictive PG-13 rating than the other films in the past. The return of Voldemort to his human form has been a long time coming, and the recipe for this disaster is particularly gruesome. Through a bit of magical manipulation, Voldemort's emissary captures Harry and subjects him to a bit of torture. Harry's arm is sliced open and his blood is included in the potion that resurrects Voldemort. Looking a bit more serpentine than human, the risen dark lord produces the most frightening moments of the film. Voldemort also duels with Harry in a rousing climax that is spectacular but leaves the audience wanting more.

The special effects in Goblet of Fire are without peer. The trials in the Triwizard Tournament. are excellent, and only come up short in length. I wish there could have been more dragons, more mer-people, more Death Eaters, and more Voldemort. The visuals were given a boost -- perhaps an unneeded one -- because we were lucky enough to visit one of the IMAX theaters showing the film. The IMAX image quality was breathtakingly sharp.