A Very Enjoyable film, but recognize cultural bias

Rating: 8/10 (12 October 2010)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was one of the most popular Hollywood films of the year. While the film is extremely enjoyable, it is important to take into account the cultural issues that the movie creates. HPGPF is a Hollywood film made with British actors, and therefore creates many of the same cultural biases that American film does with foreign nations. For example, we can see prevalent stereotypes of foreign nations that often appear in American made film. The French and Bulgarians are portrayed as beautiful, well build, or attractive, but are also generally taken to be stuck up or arrogant. Our hero, as well as most of the British characters, are portrayed as relatable and genuine. This bias seems to contradict the recent film trend of using more foreign actors, directors, and producers to make film. If there are so many outsiders in the film making world, why do these biases still appear? The answer lies in the simplicity of what we are viewers enjoy. Seeing these stereotypes that we are used to and understand make the movies easier for us to process. When we are American's watch foreign made film, we might be confused by the differences in film making, including, but not limited to, how indirect the messages might be, and how characters may not fall into the simple categories that we are used to.
In order to overcome these biases, we as viewers have to become more aware of our own media bias and what Hollywood wants us to see. If we watch a movie like Goblet of Fire, we have to acknowledge and discuss how characters and plot lines are being simplified to make them easier to process. We then need to expose ourselves to different types of media, be it Hollywood films that we would not normally watch, or foreign films that do not fir the general outline for film in America.
Despite all of the prevalent bias, Goblet of Fire is a highly enjoyable action movie which will leave most fans of the book satisfied.