Harry Potter Episode IV: Return of the Dark Times

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2005)

In issue 107 of Total Film, in an article about 2005's summer blockbusters' commercial success, it was said that if Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had been released during the summer, we would have witnessed the ultimate box-office war: Potter vs. Star Wars (Revenge of the Sith was the most successful movie among those listed in the magazine). That article's author was right: it would have been a huge battle, since both HP4 and ROTS are the best episodes of their respective franchises (actually, ROTS shares the title with The Empire Strikes Back) and both deal with more mature situations and characters, as evil is about to make its triumphant return. And in the case of both movies, the PG-13 rating was justified, the darkness factor being doubled compared to previous installments (in the case of Goblet of Fire, we've also got a few puberty-related gags and dialogues which aren't exactly suitable for everyone). But enough with the Star Wars comparisons, let's talk about the teen wizard's individual merits.
The most important thing is perhaps the new director, Mike Newell, who, knowing that it would be impossible to adapt the entire book, chooses to ditch most of the early section (chapters 2-5 are entirely missing) so that he can focus on the core of the movie: the Triwizard Tournament, a competition between wizardry schools in which Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is selected as the Hogwarts champion. This raises suspicions because a) he is too young to compete, and b) he did not put his name in the titular goblet, a magical object which selects the contestants. Add the fact that Voldemort's mark has started showing up again, and it is pretty clear this might be the teen wizard's most unusual year thus far.
Because of the action/thriller-style plot, Newell does not just skip the introductory chapters, he also leaves most of the funny bits out, with the exception of the Yule Ball and the previously mentioned teenage-gags, proving he hasn't lost the sense of humor audiences learned to know in Four Weddings and a Funeral (minus the frequent swearing, of course). However, fans needn't worry: unlike Alfonso CuarÃ²n, who directed the third Potter opus, Newell hasn't cut subplots that will affect the sense of the main story, making Goblet of Fire the most enjoyable installment in the franchise. (I didn't actually realize several subplots has been left out until I came back home after the viewing).
The other important element, as always with the HP saga, is the cast: the original actors are still convincing and use all their screen time extremely well(particularly Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman, their roles being downsized to cameos), and the new entries are good too: Miranda Richardson is brilliant in her comic turn as gossip-journalist Rita Skeeter (as opposed to her villain in Sleepy Hollow), David Tennant is remarkably effective as Death-Eater Barty Crouch Jr.(I'm curious to see what he'll be like as the new Doctor Who next year), and a special mention is required for Brendan Gleeson, who plays new teacher "Mad-Eye" Moody, part funny, part creepy, all weird...
But of course, there is one character in particular everybody's been waiting for since the saga began, one whose presence shouldn't be anything less than hard to forget: Lord Voldemort. And memorable he is, played with smug unpleasantness by Ralph Fiennes. Having previously sunk his teeth in disturbing roles in Schindler's List and Red Dragon, he knows exactly how to make the best of his limited yet precious minutes, endowed with the same unsettling charisma that defined Christopher Lee's Saruman and Ian McDiarmid's Emperor Palpatine (shoot, another Star Wars comparison!), with whom he forms what seems to be the trinity of great 21st century screen villains.
A perfect entry in one of the biggest franchises ever, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ensures the magic is kept alive, and it leaves David Yates, the director of the fifth movie, with a big challenge: make a film that can live up to this one.
9,5/10