We're Only Halfway and It's Beyond Incredible

Rating: 10/10 (28 November 2005)

Four years ago, if someone would have mentioned Harry Potter I would have said, not that childish crap from Britain again. I admit that I didn't even get into the series until seeing Prisoner of Azkaban last summer.
Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets were children's films. Prisoner of Azkaban changed everything for the better and the latest installment, Goblet of Fire raises the bar to unexpected heights.
For those who have read the book, it's 734 pages. That's 1 and 2 combined plus a little of Azkaban. I knew that this could not and would not follow word for word. Plot lines would need to be cut. The content that dragged the film along eliminated.
One can look at this 157 minute film and say that was long. I sat through all three Lord of the Rings films and Titanic and every other epic and think GOF is terms of running time is just a hop, skip and a jump.
Editing was crucial and for the most part they tweaked what needed to be tweaked and got to the most important points. Basicially this film revolves around Harry Potter and the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the three, technically four tasks (if you include the Yule Ball like the book does).
We really don't get to see the competition (Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum) do much, but the story isn't about them. It's about Harry and his trials and tribulations. So the tasks do seem short in that sense.
We also do not get to see many of the classes. Just a DADA class. It's like Hogwarts took a year off and committed to this tournament. We get very little of the regulars in Malfoy, Hagrid and Snape. Even the new characters, though well performed get too little screen time with the exception of Ex-Auror Alastor Moody.
Another complaint I have is that the clothes are too Americanized and too modern. This is supposed to be set in 1994-1995 and yet the students are wearing trends from 2005 without question.
But looking that aside, the film is incredible. The CGI, especially the Hungarian Horntail in the first task is unbelievable. You can actually believe that there is a dragon and not something rendered off an editing studio.
This film opens so many windows, many already known through OOTP and HBP, but also for the series as well. Dan, Rupert and Emma are better with age. I may have doubted the casting four years ago, but not now. They are completely focused and it really shows in the last and this film.
I'm just glad that the franchise got over the hump of the first two movies and after GOF, June 1, 2007 cannot come soon enough for Order of the Phoenix. 10/10