A realistic portrayal of real evil coming back

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2005)

This is the most mature Harry Potter film to date. The acting shows a new level of sophistication, darker themes are explored and the special effects are spectacular. As in the book, the climax effectively shows true evil coming back, making this movie a little too intense for some younger viewers. Some of the transitions from scene to scene seemed a little jarring, but all in all I think they did a pretty good job in condensing such a large book into just over 2.5 hours.
The only problem I had was the scene where Dumbledore starts shaking Harry after the goblet spits out his name as one of the champions. This is totally unlike his character as portrayed in the books. Does anyone remember how angry he was in Order of the Phoenix when Umbridge started shaking Marietta? Why would they have him do something so drastically out of character in this movie? I hope it wasn't just for shock value.