Disappointing and Unexpected

Rating: 6/10 (10 December 2005)

Some find it fantastic, others not so fantastic. I am not the only person to find this film quite disappointing. Many fans of J.K. Rowling would consider it rushed and not true to the book. The first two films were great. Hogwarts looked the same and so did the uniforms. Suddenly Hogwarts looked different in the third film. The courtyard changed, a bridge appeared, The Whomping Willow changed positions (and size), the Fat Lady changed actresses, Hagrid's hut changed position and the uniforms appeared in a different design. In the first film, Hermione's hair was true to the book - big and bushy. In the second film, it was still long, but no longer bushy and instead in crimps. By the third film, her hair had been cut short and was in messy curls. But by The Goblet of Fire, the films have changed completely. The Quidditch pitch is on a rocky cliff, and Hogwarts is built on the side of a mountain. Some major characters and elements were cut from the film. What happened to Dobby and Hermione's SPEW obsession? What happened to Ludo Bagman? The whole film was rushed to a halt at the graveyard in the third task. The dreadful screenplay hides the good acting, of Emma Watson in particular. If a book such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is to be made into a film, it should be done to its best. If making two films was necessary in order to end up with a good result, it should have been done. People expect so much work to go into the Harry Potter films. Staying true to the book is so important. I hope the fifth film can live up to fans' expectations.