The worst of the 4

Rating: 3/10 (1 December 2005)

I must say that I was sorely disappointed with this film. As an interpretation of the book, I think it was a good idea to cut out any details that were superfluous to Harry's specific story. However, the script and, more to the point, the direction, is simply a random collection of unconnected events. As a result, this film is a choppy, disconnected and clumsy collection of snippets from the book. There is almost no continuity in this film. Important scenes have no buildup and seem to happen at random. The pace is constant, never allowing the movie to breathe, and, as a result, the underlying themes that are so important to the story never surface.
At its heart, this is a story about coming of age and, more importantly, the loss of innocence. But because the thematic and character development is almost nonexistent, we never feel these ideas. I recently remarked to a friend of mine that watching this movie was like being in a room with a group of imposters. The characters we've come to know and enjoy so well have been replaced by cardboard cutouts. Even Hogwarts, itself a vibrant, magical character, has been stripped down and replaced by a gray, colorless and magicless place. Its intimate splendor has been constricted; even the Great Hall seems so much smaller.
The mark of a great movie is one that can draw the viewer in and tell a story with few words and little screen time. Think of the great movies you've seen. In the first 10 minutes, you begin to know what the characters are all about and get a feel for the story. In this movie, you never know the characters and for that I fault the director, Mike Newell. Exposition of the story is done mostly through dialogue. The characters have to tell us what's happening; Newell never shows us. Much like he did in Donnie Brasco, Newell never has a feel for the material and the result is a film that just ambles, with no beginning and no end, just a bunch of stuff in the middle.
In many ways, this movie reminds me of the most recent Star Wars films, in which very good actors (Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Liam Neesson) have been neutered by poor direction. In Goblet of Fire, the characters constantly seem out of place, their emotions seemingly plucked at random. Emma Watson, in particular, is guilty of overacting as she never seems to find the right chord. This is a shame, because The Prisoner of Azkaban showed her to be an up and coming actor, as Alfonso Cuaron was able to extract a much stronger performance from her. And while much of the criticism of Michael Gambon's performance as Dumbledore is warranted, a stronger director could have guided him towards a more faithful portrayal.
Ultimately what dooms this film is a complete lack of nuance. There are no slow, soft moments to contrast with the action and nothing to place any of the characters in context. It is a movie done with crude, broad strokes. I remember thinking that it felt like the director used a hacksaw when he should have been painting with a small brush. The result is a soulless, off-base movie that feels nothing like the story we've come to love. Let's hope a better director is chosen for the fifth film before this wonderful franchise is ruined.