Best Potter Film Yet!!!

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2005)

This is it. At this point in the Harry Potter book series, the books get longer...and darker. Between 'Prisoner of Azkaban' and 'Goblet of Fire' you see the former having almost no mention whatsoever of the evil Lord Voldemort, whereas the latter closes with his dramatic return. While I prefer the third BOOK to the fourth BOOK, as far as the movies go, Daniel Radcliffe and Co. have, with the film version of Goblet of Fire, topped the Azkaban movie, which I never would have expected.
Admittedly, it took a second or third viewing of 'Azkaban' before I could appreciate Alfonso Cuaron's masterful job. Before I saw 'Goblet,' I thought that Cuaron had set himself up better with that than Mike Newell had with Goblet - the main reason for this being that Cuaron turned a 400-odd page book into a two and a half-hour movie, while Newell had reportedly taken the 752 page 'Goblet' and put it into the same two and a half hour time frame. (This was a project that Newell reportedly, at one time, wanted to make into TWO movies.)
But dammit, Newell pulled it off, and gloriously so. Obviously, some things had to be left out of the movie, (For example, Harry's vicious Dursleys are left out, as is the back story of the House-Elves) but what you need is there. You get not only the three tasks and the Yule Ball in this two and half hours, but you also get the trademark signs of adolescence in the quarrel between Harry and Ron that is quite prominent in the book.
Most of the Potter regulars are back, and in fine form. Michael Gambon did not come off as well this time around as headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore gives off a calm, cool disposition in the books - and here he seemed really on edge, and agitated. (Still, given the state of things in the movie, who wouldn't?) Newcomers Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter) and Brendan Gleeson (Professor Moody) are perfect additions to the series. But the best addition to this franchise was, without a doubt, Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. Despite having relatively little screen time in the film, his maliciously evil portrayal of the Dark Lord when he WAS on screen shows me that he will be invaluable as the franchise continues.
The scenery and CG sequences were, as usual for this series, top notch. The three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament look, simply, outstanding. One thing I particularly liked is that Newell seemed to breath more life and color into this movie than was to be found in the Azkaban movie, despite the fact that the fourth book is considerably darker and more mature than the third.
My only criticism is the lack of time Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) gets on screen. In the books, Harry and Sirius meet up several times, not just once where the two don't even interact in person. With an actor like Gary Oldman playing the role, it is almost a crime to not take the five or ten extra minutes to get him in the film more.
However, it may as well be a simple misdemeanor charge, because the rest of the film more than makes up for it. I walked out stunned. This is not only the best movie in the Potter franchise, but it IS the best movie of the year. 10/10