Second to PoA in All Respects

Rating: 1/10 (19 November 2005)

I went into GoF with relatively high expectations after the commendable turnaround work of PoA. After 2+ hours, I left the movie theater feeling rather... empty (and questioning whether I really had just watched a movie at all). Although, I realize the challenges that the screenwriter and director must have faced in adapting such a lengthy book, the effort was glaringly unfocused. The main theme of the 4th book was the Triwizard Tournament, yet the movie gives almost no emphasis on the overarching event besides the spectacle itself. Character development was sacrificed for special effects, and much of the core interaction seemed contrived. My main criticism is that unlike the seamless flow of PoA, GoF essentially carried itself from scene to scene with cringe-worthy transitions if any. And while the acting of the Gryffindor Trio has improved somewhat, the overall effect still left much to be desired. If forced to make a comparison, I would say that GoF is still better than SS and CoS but a definite regression from PoA. Ultimately, it felt as if the movie wanted to do everything at once and ended up doing almost nothing quite well enough.