JUST OKAY - ADULT REVIEW: Movie is disjointed and missing too much from the book to be AWESOME like the first three

Rating: 2/10 (19 November 2005)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire missed the mark in so many ways that I must say I was GREATLY DISAPPOINTED. We paid to see each of the previous Harry Potter movies at the cinema 2-3 times each when they were showing. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to go see this movie more than once. I am sure we will purchase the DVD when it is released, but it will only be to complete the series.
As an adult, I feel that the fourth book is key so to much of what occurs in the fifth and sixth book. The previous movies cut out portions of the previous books but still came across as AWESOME. My daughter (now a high school senior) is devoted to JK Rowling and the HP books 150%. So much that my husband and I have involved ourselves in the HP magic just to stay in touch. We have enjoyed the first three movies just as much as she did - they were all totally AWESOME. Given all of the hype that preceded this movie, I was really expecting it to be just as AWESOME as the first three movies. This movie was definitely DISAPPOINTING. The technical details that make up the movie may be great and wonderful (are they?) but I was expecting a Harry Potter movie, not technical details.
SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING There was so much focus on Voldemort and most of the portions of the movie where Voldemort is involved make up the best parts of the movie. The movie starts off wrong by adding Barty Crouch Jr to the opening Voldemort scene at the Riddle mansion. There are no house elves in the movie at all. Rita Skeeter is introduced in the movie, but the majority of the story line on Rita Skeeter is missing from the movie. Sirius is touched on in the movie, but his relationship that continues with Harry is basically missing from the movie. The three tasks in the tri-wizard tournament are presented but they are deviated from in so many ways that the movie does not accurately represent what actually occurs in the book --> it doesn't even come close. The dragon breaks lose and plays King Kong on the castle with Harry (how creative is that???) And what ever happened to the horntail dragon - it just disappeared! BOTTOM LINE - The movie is barely just okay. It had to be made to get us to the next - but this movie should have been what the fourth book in the series is: MY PERSONNEL FAVORITE - this movie is so far off the book and it is so disjointed that I have no need to see it again.
The only chance of redeeming this movie will be with the DVD release, but consider what extras where provided in the previous DVD releases I don't expect to see much improvement. SO SAD.