The darkest, deepest and most emotionally involving film of the series so far.

Rating: 7/10 (22 November 2005)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is not only the most technologically advanced of the Potter films thus far, but also the most entertaining. Director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Donnie Brasco) is careful with the structure of his film, and keeps the pace moving steadily along. He balances CGI animation (such as a breathtaking underwater sequence) with tender emotional moments involving broken friendships and broken hearts. I did not like the first three Harry Potter films, yet I found this one to be a rather pleasant surprise.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns once again to Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, under the care of Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and Minerva (Maggie Smith), teachers and advisers. His friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson) are soon in his company and all appears to be well and fine for him.
However, dark times lie ahead for Harry Potter. His name is mysteriously entered into the Triwizard Tournament  a test of strength and perseverance open only to those seventeen years of age and older. Harry is selected to compete despite being a minor by three years, much to the confusion and fury of fellow classmates and school faculty.
Reluctant, his first battle is with a dragon in an arena, and it only gets worse from there onwards. Soon it is made clear that there is a dark conspiracy centering on Harry's involvement in the competition and it may be linked to the dreaded Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents years prior and caused the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.
What I was most startled by with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was its emotional complexity. Despite a few flaws (particularly in length, clocking in at 157 minutes), Newell concentrates on what the earlier films lacked  depth. Sure, they might have been fairly whimsical and unique, but the characters were given little to do. Here, a good amount of the time is actually spent focusing on the characters rather than the action  friendship tensions between Ron and Harry, for example, as well as Harry's confrontation with his parents' murderer, Lord Voldemort (taking form in the hideous guise of a disfigured Ralph Fiennes).
The scary moments are effective. I still think Chamber of Secrets was the darkest from a technical standpoint (there are brighter colors used here and less blue filters) but when it's dark, it's DARK. The maze sequence towards the end of the picture would be enough to give the kiddies nightmares for weeks - this segment alone probably contributed heavily to the movie's PG-13 rating. (The first film of the series to be rated higher than PG.) Is this the best Harry Potter movie? Simply put, yes. It is the most entertaining, the darkest and the most emotionally intriguing film of the series. If they continue at this pace of improvement, the next entry  The Order of the Phoenix  could be a very good film.