equivalent in quality to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2005)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
reviewed by Sam Osborn
rating: 4 out of 4
Mike Newell is decidedly the right man for this job. Christopher Columbus' work on the first two Harry Potters was rightly put by Terry Gilliam as "simply pedestrian". Alfonso Cuaron's work on the previous film, although satisfying, felt too alive and energetic for the literary elegance that must inhabit Harry's world. Newell, however, nails the bolt straight through the bull's-eye with Potter's fourth venture onto celluloid.
The film documents, quite simply enough, the famous Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe's) fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His friends, Ron and Hermione (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) return expectedly, along with a volley of new students from two other wizarding schools brought in for the infamous Tri-Wizard Tournament. The tournament calls for one champion from each school to compete in three tasks of harrowing adventure, fighting to win the all-lauded Tri-Wizard Cup. Things turn awry, however, when the Goblet of Firethe magical device that decides the competitorschooses Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) and Harry Potter to compete for Hogwarts. But rules are rules, and soon Harry's off to the first task. Also troubling Harry is a recurring dream that displays a half-formed Lord Voldemort (Ralph Feinnes) with Wormtail (Timothy Spall) and a mysterious third party discussing dark, evil plans.
In the earlier films, some of the largest complaints were piled against the acting. Some thought, with some justification, that Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all cast because of their physical likeness to the parts, failing to show true acting prowess. By now, however, they've matured. The three have all developed nicely into blossoming, successful young actors with powerful skill. Along with nailing all the lines, the three all exude great physical comedy. One of the finer segments of the film focuses upon the awkward energy of school when a dance--The Yule Ball--is looming in the future. All three of our heroes deal with asking a young lady or being asked by a gentlemen with charming adolescent drama which, in another world less fantastical and endearing would be melodramatic. Here, however, the tiny explosions of conflict break up the Tri-Wizarding action nicely and are performed so well that's it's a delight to simply sit back and enjoy.
Lord of the Rings would be hard put to compete with the adventure The Goblet of Fire offers. The first task of the tournament, in theory, appears simple: retrieve the golden egg from the arena. Hagrid the Gatekeeper, however, soon alerts Harry to the fact that a dragon will also be present in the arena, charged with protecting the precious golden egg from the competitor. What ensues is an incredible feet of CGI magicians' handiwork. The scene takes Harry on a tormenting broom ride, dodging the fiery breath of the fierce dragon and escaping to the shingled roofs of Hogwarts' towers, leaping across them to avoid the fatal claws of his scaly enemy. These fantastic action scenes continue, bringing Harry into the watery depths of a frightening city of mermaids and later, into a towering labyrinth of hedges for the tournament's final task.
We're treated to stunning shows of CGI wizardry as well as picturesque real-life sets. Early on, the group heads to the 422nd Quidditch World Cup (a segment that fans of the book will find rushed due to time restrictions). Their mode of transportation to the event, interestingly enough, is an old, beaten boot called a portkey. The camera takes a first-person view as the group sprints towards the footwear, sliding briskly through the grass, the sun silhouetting those running and darkening the rough outline of the portkey in a shot of kinetic, brimming beauty. There's a myriad collection of shots with similarly high value throughout the film, keeping us interested not only with Harry's startling adventure, but also with the film's opulent visuals.
With each director, the Harry Potter's world has undergone dramatic transformations in its visual presentation. Some noticed in the last film that Hogwarts turned into a kind of rugged, crumbling castle lost in the cold of the wilderness; whereas one year earlier in Columus' film, Hogwarts was a magnificent edifice among a neatly-plotted spot of land. Columbus took magic at a minimum, and Cuaron let it run amok. Newell, however, finds the perfect chord to strike between the two, opting for a kind of fantasy world interwoven with calm reality and a joyous dosage of magic. It feels Harry has finally found his rightful home in Newell's cinematic reality, which, thankfully, seems mostly parallel to the world spun in Rowling's novels.
Some will complain, as they always do, of segments from the novel being snipped from the final cinematic product. But The Goblet of Fire runs at 2 hours and 38 minutes, and unlike the previous films, feels rightly paced. Any more and the film might drag. Any less and it would assuredly feel rushed. My only complaint would be in the casting of Dumbledore, now played by Michael Gambon. His performance is hard and cold compared to warm, light-headed character from the books. A silly criticism, yes, but fans of the books will notice just the same. Other than Dumbledore, however, casting is spot on; especially with the all-important choice for Voldemort. Simply put, Ralph Feinnes is electric.
I feel the Harry Potter series has finally risen to the artistic level of phenomena the books have repeatedly achieved over the last decade. This film, if I may so boldly state, is equivalent in quality to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yeah, it really is that good.