not the best of the 'Potter' movies, but it's got some captivating sights and even extraordinary scenes

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 2007)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire pushes the franchise into the PG-13 level, and for good reason: Lord Voldermort, played to a chillingly Gothic T by Ralph Fiennes, is much more present not just as an ominous, unnamed presence, but as a vindictive, murderous threat from the grave. He's the Nosferatu of the "Potter" series, but with a further sense of dread that is the unwavering sense of pure evil in such a world of wizards and magic. But Goblet of Fire isn't just about the evil, or just put-on evil by way of a curse or other dark forces at work, though it's in this that the film works usually at its strongest and most surreal points. There's a whole section dedicated to a new form of competition: get the dragon's egg in the Triwizard tournament. Some of this is compelling, mostly involving the actual under-water part of the tournament, where the suspense level isn't very high but it's highly watchable for its interesting look. How does one see "magic" happen underwater?
If there perhaps is any significant problem, or perhaps just big gripe, to have with Goblet of Fire it's that as an emotional experience of the conventional kind it works much better on a first viewing, in the theater, where the big crescendo happens (murder is a key factor here, of a character I won't mention), and one gets caught up in the first truly significant tragedy in the series, if not the film. But on a repeat viewing, somehow, this is lessened in impact, and if anything there's certain flaws in some of the performances (a father's wailing cries, to not spoil too much for those who haven't seen the movie or read the book, are pretty poorly delivered), and even what seemed like really riveting scenes of competition- and some of the quasi-teen drama developments involving Harry's friends- seem a little more contrived or just not as interesting as before. But on the other hand, director Mike Newell finds ways to make his entry in the franchise watchable in many tight areas. Brendan Gleeson was a great choice for Professor "Mad-Eye" Moody, who has a look about him where, as with Rickman's Snape, you can't totally be sure what his intentions or alliances side. And there's some moments of levity thrown in in good levels of measure.
But, if for nothing else, the aspect of the strange, violent and, as far as a series like this can go at this point as the mid-way movie, incredibly dark presence of Voldemort, with Fiennes's physical prowess going past the fact that he's under lots of make-up (or CGI) and pitting to the most effective villains in contemporary big-budget big-studio movie-making. To put it another way, if the last half hour or so pops up again on TV, I'll be sure to watch it all the way to the end. 7.5/10