To Date the Best in the Series

Rating: Null/10 (11 March 2016)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself entered into a dangerous tournament where he's not only underage but also doesn't yet have the powers to really compete. He begins the deadly game and soon finally comes face to face with Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).
I was rather disappointed in the third film in the series but this fourth film manages to be the best of the series to date. I say that because I was frankly quite shocked to see how well-made and wonderfully entertaining this film was even though it clocks in at 157 minutes. The movie is visually quite exciting but it also manages to have a wonderfully entertaining story that grabs your attention and holds it throughout the running time.
What was so entertaining about this entry is that we're really cranking up the energy, the magic and of course the action. It's worth noting that this episode is a lot darker than previous entries, which is probably why this one was rated PG-13. There are some wonderfully creative action scenes on display including the three games that are played. There's a terrific underwater sequence that is full of imaginative charm and then there's the maze sequence, which turns into a terrific meeting with Voldemort.
Another thing that works extremely well are the performances with Radcliffe turning in his best performance to date. This Harry Potter is the same that we saw in previous films as there's a lot more drama and a lot more character development. Even the stuff dealing with girl issues was wonderfully done. Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Miranda Richardson and even Robert Pattinson are all good in their parts. It's Brendan Gleeson although who steals the picture with his crazy eyed Moody character. The actor really brought this role to life and added so much fun to the picture.
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE is a major step up from the previous movie but also takes what made the first two so good and improves on them.