Harry Potter impresses and delights

Rating: Null/10 (19 November 2005)

I watched the midnight showing, after a hard day of school and work, and STILL, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire managed to keep me awake and alert, even up until 2:30 in the morning. It was exciting, entertaining and enthralling in almost all its moments.
The movie began at a very quick pace, so quick that if I hadn't read the book, I doubt I'd be able to follow what was happening. However, what really struck me was the visual imagery of the movie. It was absolutely gorgeous and the extent that it had been taken to was VERY impressive. The Quidditch Cup, for example, was so much more than I expected and all the scenes were so vivid.
I expected a scary movie, since it had a PG-13 rating. However, there was plenty of humor to go around. I loved so many of the hilarious scenes, and (trust me) there were a lot of them. In fact, I found myself thinking that the "comedy" portions may have outweighed the "action" and "romance" portions of the movie combined.
Cut scenes. There were many, but most were definitely not necessary. I believe a good decision was made. I think there could have been more about certain topics that were touched upon (Hagrid/Giant Story, Rita Skeeter, Barty Crouch, Hermione/Krum) but it didn't seem like there were big gaps that had been cut out.
Acting. Very impressive, the actors have definitely grown and matured into talented, young adults. I found myself admiring how they had turned into such good-looking, controlled actors. Daniel Radcliffe, in particular, performed fantastically; I now am certain that he can carry the weight of being Harry Potter, and do it well. Fleur, Krum, Cedric, Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Ron and Hermione also had very memorable roles. The "kids" really shone in this movie, and appeared in the majority of it.
The only disappointment was the actual scariness of the movie itself. I expected very dark scenes from a PG-13 Harry Potter, but I'd say the most intense scene was probably when they were in the maze. The graveyard scene was less intense and haunting than I had hoped, and casting a fairly well-known actor as Voldemort may not have been the best choice. He did wonderfully, except that I sometimes only saw Fiennes, the actor, because he was so recognizable. It made his character less intimidating and scary than he could have been.
Scenes to remember: When Harry returns to Hogwarts with Cedric, and Amos Diggory comes down to the field. I loved Hermione's scenes; she played them really well especially those with Harry and that one Yule Ball scene with Ron. The Yule Ball scenes were very beautiful, and I'm glad Hermione got that shining walk-down-the-stairs moment.
Overall, regardless of the flaws pointed out, I think the movie was as strong as ever in the HP Series and look forward to the next ones. I DEFINITELY recommend that you see if, if you haven't already. If you have, see it again. I know I will.