A New darker world but at a cost

Rating: 8/10 (20 March 2009)

Harry Potter (Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his forth year where he is mysteriously entered into the legendary Triwizard Tournament.
The forth instalment into the series and fans expectations were higher than ever after Prisoner of Azkaban broke minds with a darker promotion than the previous two and with established new director Mike Newell the franchise took on an even bigger hit with a more dismal but equally more entertaining look into the magical world ofmagic.
Opening with a strange montage we see a stranger enter a house where traitor Wormtail and a mystery man are conversing with some unknown man in a chair. Blinding green light later and we are in Ron Weasley's bedroom. This opening is dark and mysterious and whereas not appreciative of the opening chapter (a mere two or three minutes covering around 20 pages) will engage any Potter fan.
If, like me, you enjoyed J.K Rowling's forth instalment the most, then you will have looked for adrenaline soaked action sequences, a heap of mystery and some interesting new sequences then you are rewarded. But does this do justice to the book? Not really.
Goblet of Fire was easily the longest book at the time of release. Filled with multitudes of mystery, main and sub plots, it engaged me into a world I thought did not exist. Dragons, underwater adventures, the return of a certain villain creating a big soap like story and the growing up guys like girls factor spells one entertaining film. What Newell's picture offers is all these elements but in a finely cut manner. Sharp and sophisticated it is great family entertainment with dark mystery and stunning visuals, but are extremely cut down. For example scenes which take four chapters to decode take ten minutes on screen (The Graveyard scene) and cutting so much out of the book makes you feel unappreciated for your patience. This is the case with most Potter films but this one most of all.
However despite the too quick scenes what makes Goblet of Fire special is what J.K Rowling created. The Dragon, the love and the hate are all still there and are handled in a stunning way, particularly the dragon sequence.
The actors all deliver with Ralph Fiennes in special sophistication form. Set designs are impressive though the fact Hogwarts changes so frequently throughout each film will undoubtedly annoy die hard fans.
Goblet of Fire therefore is a good action packed sequel that still casts spells over fans but though enjoyably long, still misses so many important facts.