Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Rating: 8/10 (12 December 2005)

This was the first Harry Potter film to be rated 12, it is certainly much darker than the previous three films as well, so the adults will be just as captivated as the younger audience members. Basically the fourth year at Hogwarts is going to start, but before this Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson), and the rest of the Weasley family, go to the Quidditch World Cup, but of course Harry is not safe there as dark forces are nearby. When the three friends return to school, they find out that it has been chosen to hold and host the The Triwizard Tournament, a big event tournament where three magic schools compete against each other, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. All contestants who take part must be over seventeen years old, and it is usually three names that are spewed out, chosen from all the names in the Goblet of Fire, but Harry is shocked to have been chosen as a fourth champion. Professor Albus Dumbledore (Sir Michael Gambon) says he has no choice but to take part regardless of his age, facing the three difficult challenges to play, Ron thinks he wants the attention the tournament brings so refuses to talk to him. The first tasks sees the players facing a chosen fire breathing dragon in a rocky arena, and they must retrieve an egg it is protecting, this egg will also contain a clue for the next challenge. In amongst the tasks, meeting new Defence of the Dark Arts teacher Professor Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody (Brendan Gleeson) and Ron knowing his jealousy was wrong and apologising to Harry, the three friends and the other three champions, including Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) and Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski), attend the annual Triwizard Yule Ball held on Christmas Eve. The second task sees the players have to swim is the Black Lake to save "something precious" submerged under the water, Harry gets some Gillyweed to breathe and grow fins underwater, he comes second in this game. The final task sees the players have to travel through a giant hedge maze, many of the walls collapsing around them, and the person who gets to the middle has to retrieve and win the Triwizard Cup. However when Harry gets there, he encounters not just the cup, but he faces with old enemies Peter Pettigrew aka Wormtail (Timothy Spall) and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), but also a baby creature grows into an adult Lord Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes), and kills Cedric Diggory. In the end, Harry escapes Voldermort and near death, and he is really upset to have his friend Diggory dead, and have to announce to everyone that the Dark Lord is back, so there will be dark times ahead. Also starring Katie Leung as Cho Chang, Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape, Dame Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagall, The Vicar of Dibley's Roger Lloyd-Pack as Bartemius 'Barty' Crouch, Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter, David Tennant as Bartemius 'Barty' Crouch Jr., Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley, Shirley Henderson as Moaning Myrtle, Robert Hardy as Corenlius Fudge, David Bradley as Argus Filch, Warwick Davis as Professor Filius Flitwick, Jarvis Cocker as Band Lead Singer, Adrian Rawlins as James Potter, Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter, Eric Sykes as Frank Bryce, James Phelps as Fred Weasley, Oliver Phelps as George Weasley, Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley and The X Factor's Paije Richardson as DA member / extra. The acting as before is good and reliable, the story is near enough straight forward, and of course the biggest star, the special effects and action, is fantastic, I said once that this was the darkest film of the lot, I still sort of stick by that, but it is an enjoyable fantasy adventure. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Art Direction, and it won the BAFTA for Best Production Design, and it was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Special Visual Effects and Best Make Up/Hair. Harry Potter was number 45 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, but he was also number 35 on The 100 Worst Britons (the only fictional person, why?). Very good!