At last! Harry battles his archenemy...hormones!

Rating: 9/10 (17 August 2019)

This is easily my favourite HP film. It has EVERYTHING: action/adventure, horror, romance, comedy, combining the light-hearted feel of the first two films with the overly dark/gothic feel of the third (without going over-the-top). The opening shot, where we follow snake-cam, with rather 'loose' interpretation of the now very familiar Harry Potter theme, establishes that this movie is going to be something different to what's come before. I appreciated the fact that while the prior films had somewhat slow starts, this one skipped over the horrible Dursleys (seriously, WHY do they keep sending Harry back to his abusive relatives? It's totally messed up), who're always my least favourite parts of the films, and got straight into the action.
Daniel Radcliffe feels like he's at last comfortable in the role Harry, who's much more angst-filled in this film (though also more sarcastic/amusing, which is welcome). Rupert Grint finally gets to do more as Ron than just simply acting scared/pulling funny faces, and the rift between him and Harry is interesting (I'll always remember Ron's telling Harry to "Pi$$ off"). Emma Watson, like Radcliffe, seems more at ease in her role, and Hermione goes through a wide range of emotions in this film. I appreciate her friendship with Harry, and her arguing with Ron (whilst obviously they secretly care for each other) allows for some real emotionally-charged/interesting moments. All three work like a well-oiled machine at this point with their interaction/dynamic.
While this might be an unpopular opinion, I actually really like Michael Gambon as Richard Harris' replacement playing Dumbledore (I know book readers had issues with him yelling at Harry, but I actually thought it showed some complexity, revealing another side to the character). Alan Rickman's Snape and Maggie Smith's McGonagall don't get much screentime, but do the most with what they're given (I thought the latter's scene, teaching Ron how to waltz, was quite amusing). The most interesting addition to the adult cast is Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody, who's odd/quirky, but I'd almost say he's the most complex of the constantly revolving door of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers thus far...except he's not all that he seems. Miranda Richardson is suitably irritating as Rita Skeeter, Gary Oldman stops by for a quick Sirius fireplace chat with Harry, and Ralph Fiennes gives a memorable debut performance as Voldemort in all his digitally-removed-nose glory.
Regarding the new additions to the younger castmembers, pre-Twilight Robert Pattinson manages to make Cedric Diggory likable and his friendship with Harry *mean* something in the short amount of time we get to know him in, which proves crucial later on (as it shows that, to quote Hermione, "Everything's going to change now"). His relationship with his father is also very effective. As for the other Triwizard Tournament champions, Stanislav Ianevski as Viktor Krum (who Ron has a man-crush on...that is until Krum beats Ron to the punch by asking Hermione to the Yule Ball) and Clémence Poésy as Fleur Delacour (who Ron also has a crush on, and manages to earn a kiss from at one point) are actually both the nationalities of the characters they're playing, which is appreciated (instead of having actors/actresses of other nationalities doing dodgy fake accents for the roles), and are good in their parts, though after the memorable entrances of their respective schools (Durmstrang and Beauxbatons), they don't get much to do/say.
As for the non-Triwizard champions, Katie Leung also has very little to do in the movie as Cho Chang (other than smile and be on the receiving end of Harry's most awkward invitation to the Yule Ball ever. She has a lovely Scottish accent, though), as does Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy (he gets one memorable scene with Mad-Eye Moody). Neville Longbottom continues to get his own moments to shine, at least (though I wonder how Harry and Ron felt about Ron's sister, Ginny, being Neville's date to the Yule Ball. Even *Hagrid* gets some lovin' in this movie!).
As well as all the wonderful characters, something else this movie excels at is its storytelling. Things keep going at an exhilarating pace that seldom slows down. The three Triwizard tasks are all unique, but exciting (the task featuring dragons is probably more memorable for *us* the audience than the spectators, since most of the dragon action takes place AWAY from where they're sitting). The second task's underwater scenes are appropriately spooky, while the final task (involving a giant hedge maze) is the 'darkest' section of the film, creating a real sense of terror/horror. However, there are enough laughs to balance out the darker moments. The score adds a lot to the film, but never takes you out of it (and doesn't play the HP theme ad nauseam like the previous films, thankfully). In my opinion, this film is the most thrilling, enjoyable, roller-coaster (or, more accurately, broomstick) ride in the series. Also, it'll probably always be remembered as the one where nobody got a haircut.