Special Effects Rule This One...

Rating: 5/10 (1 January 2006)

To clarify, I'm a big fan of Harry Potter and I'm hoping I won't be bashed for this, but in comparison to the movie I vastly prefer the book. I dropped cash like it was no object to watch the advanced screening and walked out feeling strongly disappointed in the film.
Where do I begin? First of all, the film's projected plot had no fluidity. It's like the director flipped through the book, picked out the scenes he liked, and said, "All right, this is what I think we'll do." For example--we have a shot of Karkaroff closing the doors to the Hall, where the Goblet is placed. For those who have read the book it's like, "Oh, sure, get everybody to think he's the culprit." And sure enough, amongst those who haven't read the book there are some who think so. But by the movie's end, when it's clear Mad-Eye the fake did it, the same people ask, "So what's with Karkaroff and the door then? I mean, what was he doing there?" Harry stumbles across Barty Crouch Sr.'s dead body and we're deprived of the essence of "The Madness of Mr. Crouch" chapter. We jump from scene to scene so abruptly that it looks like a random-pick thing. Not only do we miss scenes that we've been looking forward to (who got to see what was so great about the World Cup?), but onto the second point, for those who have not read the books, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was utterly confusing. "How," my cousin who accompanied me asks, "did Barty Crouch Jr. get loose in the first place?" Also, have you noticed that, apart from after the 2nd task, all Fleur Delacour seems capable of doing is screaming in distress? What happened to the arrogant, self-assured, haughty ice-queen we've all got plastered onto our minds? The surly, scowling Krum, for that matter? Write down the things these characters have said throughout the film and I wonder if you'd be impressed with their script. All in the interest of focusing on the major character development of course (Ron is still adorable), but even that had some flaws. For one thing, why is it that Hermione seems so angry throughout the film? Count the instances she's smiling. Seriously. The only character development I appreciated was Neville's.
The only reason the film isn't a 1 on my scale is because of the special effects. I really did like the dragon scene--some would find it was blown out of proportion and demonstrated Harry's skill at fleeing than actually flying and powers of strategy (I didn't see him baiting the dragon at any point, did you?)--but the special effects were excellent. The Yule Ball was something to look at, as were the modes of transportation of the other schools.
I truly feel Alfonso Cuaron should have been persuaded to do the fourth film--so far the third film is by far the best.
In any case, to those who want to understand Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I recommend you borrow or buy the book rather than buy a ticket or DVD.