This time, the magic only comes from the computer

Rating: 5/10 (24 December 2005)

Let me begin by saying I haven't read any of the books, nor do I plan to, so I'm judging the film for what it is by itself. Basically, after having seen it twice, I remain unconvinced. It lacks the stylistic and narrative coherence of PoA, which remains easily the best of the 4 present HP movies. The first half of GoF in fact was a major disappointment: it seemed HP had fallen to the level of the next thirteen-in-a-dozen CGI action movie, and I expected Bruce Willis to turn op any moment. Sure, the special effects are more than a few notches up from the now endearingly clumsy efforts in part 1, but as we all know by now special effects alone don't make a movie. Fortunately, the second half is rather better. Beautiful imagery all through, and believable and touching emotions accompanying the much anticipated "Death". I wish, though, that Radcliffe and Watson would act with a little more spontaneity; maybe HP should stop clenching his jaws all the time? There is a lot of humor in GoF too, which in a way is nice, though incongruous at times. It's also a symptom of this movie trying to be too many things at once. The rock-band at the Xmas ball was one tongue in cheek joke too many, IMHO, and detracted from the believability of Hogwarts. Believability, on the whole, was my main problem with the film, and I suspect that may well be J.K. Rowling's fault rather than anyone else's. Of course the HP stories require "suspension of disbelief" - but that does not imply that all sense of logic and consistency can just be thrown overboard. Just a few of my niggles:

HP is a wizard, isn't he? So why, at crucial moments, doesn't he use magic?

*spoiler*: The whole point of the plot was to get HP over to the graveyard where Voldemort could get to him. For this aim Barty Crouch Jr. (alias Moody) has changed the Triwizard Cup into a "portkey". Why didn't he simply change any object HP would touch into a portkey? - he could have done without the entire tournament, it would have been so much quicker and easier!

*spoiler*: Why, if Voldemort needs HP's living blood to revive himself, does he force him through a potentially deadly tournament?

Prof. MacGonagall is deeply shocked when Moody turns Malfoy into a ferret to teach him a lesson - "We do not use transformation as a punishment"; yet she apparently sees no problem in sending several students into a potentially deadly contest.

How come HP doesn't recognize Wormtail, whom he met in the previous episode as Peter Pettigrew?

Et cetera, et cetera. I'm also bothered by the "deus ex machina" device that Rowling constantly applies to get HP out of his predicaments - in this case, the sudden and unexplained appearance of his parents. It makes for very unsatisfying plots. The believability of Voldemort isn't helped either by making him into one of those verbose villains who are compelled to give a speech and explain, explain, explain, before coming to the point (after the hilarious gag made of this in The Incredibles, no movie-maker can afford this any longer). Why would an evil man like Voldemort bother?? (Nor could I believe in Crouch Jr as a villain, but that's due to the fact that I only knew David Tennant as the incredibly silly hypocrite Mr. Gibson in "He knew he was right"...)
All in all: good entertainment for viewers who like visual thrills and are focused or sleepy enough not to look too far beyond them.