Funny, yet still slightly disappointing....

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2006)

I anxiously awaited the release of GoF (as it is more commonly known to the Book Fans), biting my nails hoping against all hope that it wouldn't turn out to be ANYTHING like the fiasco called Prisoner of Azkaban. Imagine my pleasant surprise when the movie started and the first reaction I get to have is laughter. Sure, the Dursley's weren't in this one, which was mildly disappointing. I was REALLY hoping to see Mr. Weasley blast the fireplace apart, or to see the bully Dudley rolling around on the floor with a four foot long tongue. For the most part I laughed, but there were a few moments when I wanted to go through the screen and literally strangle certain characters; like Dumbledore when he nearly knocked Harry to the floor after the names came out of the Goblet. Or when they kept mispronouncing "Accio!" (Sidenote folks): it's not pronounced Ack-E-O, it's Ah-C-O. Yes, I know, they cannot do everything by-the-book. But at least pronounce the words correctly. And please, please, I beg of the directors and producers....AND Jo Rowling too...tell Gambon to ease up some. Dumbledore is NOT a violent man and that is exactly how he is playing him. One part that had me in absolute stitches was in the scene where Harry (Dan Radcliffe) is in the Prefect's Bath trying to figure out his clue for the second task and out pops one of my favorite recurring characters, Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson). The way she cuddled up to Harry while he was in that Olympic sized bathtub had me gasping for breath! BRAVO Shirley! The part of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Finnes) was slightly more...what's the word I'm looking for....energetic then I expected. But he played the part so well, in my opinion, that it was a non-issue. There were many "small" things that were left out of the movie, that some of our more passionate book fans were angry about, but as for myself, being an avid fan of the books, I have to say this one is a definite must-see for the people who are fans of the movies alone.