The best of the series!!!

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2005)

From beginning to end, I felt that the production team did an excellent job. It was all almost exactly as I imagined it when I read the book. From the beginning when Voldemort murders Frank, I felt immersed in the story all over again, as I did when I first read the book.
The actors feel more natural in their acting, and we finally get to see Fred and George's crazy personalities. I also loved that they included the part when Fred asks Angelina to go to the ball with him in a very comical way. And the part where they put their names in the Goblet and are thrown away by the Age line.
Neville is beginning to take more importance in the movies, which is significant in the fifth book. I loved the way they put him as being really enthusiastic about the Ball, dancing alone around the room. Also, because Dobby is missing from the movie, it is Neville who tells Harry about the Gillyweed for the second task. I loved when he says: "I killed Harry Potter!" The Yule Ball is amazing, and the Weird Sisters are cool!!! I loved the shot when everybody's dancing except for Harry, Ron and their dates. It was very funny.
The underwater scenes are brilliant!!!! The bodies of the people they took from the champions look ghastly, as JK Rowling descibes them in the book. And Krums transfiguration from a shark to his self is perfect. I kinda expected the bubbles used by Cedric and Fleur to be around the whole head, not just the mouth and nose part, but it was great anyway.
The graveyard scene was one of the best scary scenes I've seen on a movie. Voldemort's rebirth was incredible, just as I imagined it, although the eyes should have been red. Cedric's death is very sad. When the wands connect and Cedric, Frank and Lily and James come out of the beams is a really touching scene, especially when Cedric asks Harry to take his body back to his father. When Harry returns to school with Cedric's body, everyone cheers but then realize that Cedric is dead and scream and Harry does not want to let go of the body, just as in the book. It's a great sequence.
The only glitch I found was that the part when Dumbledore and Fudge have a Parting of the Ways, because Fudge is reluctant to believe that Voldemort is back. This is very important in the plot of the fifth book/movie, given that Dumbledore is discredited by the Ministry and is seen as a lier and a disturber of the peace. But I think the next movie can take it from there and include it in the opening scenes.
Also Hermione's SPEW campaign and her plans to get Rita Skeeter was missing, as well as Dobby. But these are minor themes to the plot of that particular book. Although the Rita Skeeter part will have significance in the fifth movie.
In general, I think this is the best film of the series. It has everything: suspense, romance, action, and, of course, magic.