Where Book and Film Divorce

Rating: 9/10 (30 November 2005)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was an excellent film, and not just because of the vast amount of eye-candy to be had on-screen. At last the Potter-Empire has found a director that is not obsessed with his own self-image. The film is dark, given its content, but without the over-dramatic, poorly-lit, and cinematic-Xanax affect of PoA. I appreciated Kloves attempt to keep in several key-aspects of the film, even if some parts were lacking--like the entire Quidditch game from the world Cup and the Weasley twins being privy to Harry's Cup winnings. The film also skims over Rita Skeeter's role and does not, at any point, allude to her ability to spy on people in beetle form.
However, Kleeves is sheer genius at alluding to the Golden Trio's trials and mishaps of puberty, without turning into an ABC family special or a Lifetime fiasco. The cinematography is brilliant, retaining the sets' confounding beauty (unlike PoA when a black coverlet was thrown over everything) while accepting the fact that in this fourth movie, Harry is at last coming to the realization that he is locked in bitter combat with a true fiend.
The film is brilliant, and exceptionally accurate, although I feel it's safe to assume that here is where book and film divorce; there most likely will not be a "Lord of the Rings"-style epic for the kids.