Darker, but definitely not better

Rating: 8/10 (7 August 2015)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire gets many things right, which we have come to expect from Potter films. Unfortunately, it gets many things wrong, and is the first Harry Potter film, in my opinion, that is not a masterpiece. It sounds bad, but it isn't. Not every filmmaker can achieve the highest heights in film. That said, this one is still pretty damn good.
The problems I have with this movie is that it feels really sappy at times, like when Harry says "I love magic" or when Cedric, his dad and Ron's dad land perfectly after using the portkey, just the look on their faces; other moments were Fred and George trying to be funny, and others. It's just cringe-worthy moments like that that make me a bit mad cause the movie could have been better. The dialogue feels a bit rushed at times, the pacing isn't as fast and intriguing as in the first Harry Potter movies, mainly because of the spacing in between the Tri Wizard tests. Some things that are explained in the book aren't explained at all here, like the Priori Incantatem.
Other than all of that, this is a very entertaining film, the effects are great and it is still, surprisingly much darker than the first three. It is a very important chapter in the Harry Potter world, I would say the most important one of the first four films, which makes it a shame for me to say that it's not nearly as good as the first three.