One very good movie

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2006)

No movie adaptation of a book is ever perfect. It is a fact of life. However there are times when the essence of a book is captured very well and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is one of those movies.
It is Harry Potters fourth year at the magical school of Hogwarts. This year things are a bit different as Hogwarts plays host to two other schools all of which will compete in the legendary Tri Wizard Tournament. Things do not go as planned and soon Harry finds himself competing in a dangerous contest facing dragons, enchanted mazes and much worse.
The Goblet of Fire is a very good addition to the Harry Potter franchise (we can all call it that now). It is great to see the actors mature as the films have and how things at Hogwarts have deepened as well.
The actors all do a great job with one exception, which I will talk about later. The scenes between Harry, Ron and Hermoine are all well done and you can see the chemistry between the kids. Add to this the amazing talents of the original adults and Brendan Gleeson fantastic job as Mad Eye Moody.
The story is well adapted from the book. Again it is not perfect but it isn't supposed to be. Perfect adaptations end up being maxi-series on TV. The writing was genuine however and the interaction between characters should great insight into the book and characters.
The FX are amazing and very well done. The blending between what was real and CGI has been refined well and these FX masters show their talents off well.
My only issue with this film is Michael Gambon, who has been playing Albus Dumbledore beginning with the third Potter film. He took the role after the death of Richard Harris who played Dumbledore in the first two films. In the first two films and in the books Dumbledore is a silent yet strong figure who has the mere presence of authority and respect. Richard Harris portrayed this perfectly in a silent yet refined way. He gave Dumbledore an air that every move action and word was carefully chosen with deep intellect while making the character as whimsical and off beat as in the book. Gambon lacks this skill in the most horrid ways. I am not bashing Gambon in anyway, he is an amazing character actor. Being a character actor however is his greatest flaw. He exaggerates, throws his arms, explodes his voice, looks as if he is on the verge of lost control, all of which Dumbledores character is not and does not. In so many scenes Dumbledore is more of a bumbling old man seeming to need more aid from a nurse than the wise and whimsical guide he is in the first films and books.
I look forward to the next Potter film but hope, with all respect to him, that Gambon will be replaced by a much more refined and controlled character.