Unsurprisingly Worth Your Time

Rating: 10/10 (17 November 2005)

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is without a doubt the most exciting book of the entire series, and Mike Newell's film adaptation certainly does it justice. Maybe it's because I'm biased (after all, it's my favorite book), but not to sickly exaggerate, it seemed to do so much more than parallel the book in adventure and detail, that it was hard to blink or find the motivation to reach for the popcorn. Being a mere two-and-a-half hours, there were obviously some parts that were cut, such as much of the Quidditch World Cup, S.P.E.W. (including Dobby and Winky), Hagrid's and Madame Maxime's story and Rita Skeeter being an Animagus, but it would've unnecessarily slowed the dramatic pace the rest of the movie was going. The acting, in general, was marvelous, especially the main trio, Moody, and the Weasleys. The marginal exceptions were Dumbledore, and ... dare I say it, Lord Voldemort, although that might be a bit harsh on Michael Gambon and Ralph Fiennes. Yet the normality of Voldemort and the dullness of Dumbledore still slightly dampened the superbly written ending; but all in all, this film is definitely worth waiting hours in line for. Already anticipating the DVD!