Best so far

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2005)

So now Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) enters his fourth year at Hogwarts, and as usual someone has it in for him. Upon returning to school (after an all-too-brief brief sojourn to the Quidditch World Cup Final) Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) announces the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and for reasons far too complicated to be explained here (or properly in the film) Harry winds up as the fourth competitor in this three-way tournament, thanks to the eponymous Goblet. There then follows three tasks to determine the champion. However, the story will not end there, and Voldemort, who has had merely teasing mentions and appearances up until now in the series, is finally revealed.
Let's start with the positives first of all, and there are plenty of them. Overall, by far the best thus far in the franchise, for both fans of the books and those who just watch the films. Certainly the most exciting, and visually spectacular, dwarfing the previous three films. The book has five action set pieces, and four of them were done superbly - the Quidditch World Cup final at the start was effectively cut from the film, but I'll get to that later. The three tasks and the final showdown with Voldemort are all terrifically done (maybe a little CG-heavy, but what fantasy epic would be complete nowadays without that?) Director Mike Newell, the third director entrusted with steering the franchise, also deserves commendation for his handling of the more everyday aspects of the story  most notably his young stars' emergence into adolescence. It is a joy to see the obvious improvement in the performances of Radcliffe, Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione). Rupert Grint in particular seems untroubled by the portrayal of a teenage angst-ridden 14-year-old, and his performance  mainly grunting and swearing  appears very little stretch for him. Emma Watson too is finally blossoming into a fine actress after rather wooden earlier performances and definitely holds her own well here. There is also a rather good turn by newcomer Katie Leung as Cho Chang, an Asian girl with, bizarrely but sweetly, a Scottish accent. Although little more than a cameo, her later importance is established. Her awkward scenes with Harry make for some cringingly accurate scenes to remind us (or forewarn the younger viewers) of our own awkwardness when it came to boys and girls in school. Also wonderfully teased is the ongoing Ron-Hermione sparks.
One of the film's, and series, most important aspects is as the characters grow, so do the films, and Goblet of Fire is no different. The fourth film is a much darker affair, even compared to Prisoner of Azkaban, and has thus garnered a 12A rating  a potential death sentence. However, the 12A is essential given the material, and much darkness is both required and delivered. In particular the climactic graveyard scene with Voldemort, while deliciously dark for older viewers, may prove upsetting for younger children.
Newcomers to the franchise include Brendan Gleeson, David Tennant and Ralph Fiennes. Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody is clearly having a ball, and rather over-indulges himself as the mad professor and new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Tennant only appears briefly, but seems keen to avoid typecasting as Doctor Who before it begins, and thus enjoys playing a slightly unhinged new villain  with hopefully more to come. The undoubted star however is Ralph Fiennes, who is quite simply perfect as the great baddie himself  Voldemort. A genius piece of casting. Also watch for a great cameo from Eric Sykes as an elderly gardener who falls foul of Voldemort at the film's opening.
Criticisms will no doubt come thick and fast from fans. Obviously at 700+ pages a lot would be cut. But even allowing for this, a great deal of exposition seems missing, and the first half set-up in particular seems to be whistled through at breakneck pace, as if to get to the main story quickly and waste as little time as possible on background. As a result, the potentially spectacular Quidditch final is reduced to a mere triviality, and other plot lines and scenes fall by the wayside. Mrs Weasley is cut altogether from the film, as are the dastardly Dursleys, and the scene of the Weasley family exploding out of the Dursley fireplace and into their living room would have provided welcome comic relief from the darkness which top and tail the film. Gone too is Hermione's elvish welfare campaign and much of Miranda Richardson's part as Rita Skeeter the tabloid hack (a none-too-subtle dig by JK Rowling). Furthermore, Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith are reduced to little more than cameos, and poor Gary Oldman has to make do with an appearance of his face in a fireplace. How he appears in the fireplace in the first place is one of many things not explained too clearly for non-readers of the books. Obviously it will be left to the easy cop-out of 'well it's magic isn't it? Jason Isaacs also pops up for a cameo as Lucius Malfoy to remind us he'll be important later, and his rather English brand of villainy is simply superb  understated but undeniably effective, even with less than half-a-dozen lines.
Overall though the positives far outweigh the negatives, and though fans of the book will definitely quibble over the missing material, the end product is mostly faithful to the story, perhaps even more so than the previous films. Greatly enjoyable, and a good sign for the future of the franchise, which has begun to grow up well. Harry Potter the franchise appears to be in safe hands for the time being, which is unfortunately more than can be said for the eponymous hero himself.