What were they thinking?!

Rating: 3/10 (20 November 2005)

Had I not read the Goblet of Fire before seeing the movie I am sure I MIGHT have enjoyed it a lot more, unfortunately, I did read it and it made watching the film almost painful.
As I watched the movie the main thing going through my head was "What where they thinking?!". I realize, and respect, that it is a daunting task to take a 734 page book and make it into a 150 minute movie but, I have to say, they failed miserably. They took an amazing book and turned it into a jumble of scenes and characters that just did not fit. Nothing was ever explained properly. Important scenes were left out, i.e. Barty Crouch Jr explaining how and why he did what he did, and the "argument" between Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge in the hospital wing. These are integral plot points that set the stage for The Order of the Phoenix and they were barely even touched upon, why? Important characters were left out as well, what happened to Mrs. Weasley and Percy? Why was Sirius in the film for all of 5 minutes? I even found myself longing to see Dobby and Winky. Were these characters and scenes left out to make room for stupid jokes and the addition of situations that never even occurred in the book? Take the scene with Professor McGonagall teaching the students how to dance, it was totally unnecessary!
There were so many characters and plot points in this movie that were mentioned once or twice, never fully explained, and not mentioned again. For example, there was no point in having Rita Skeeter in the movie if they were not going to fully explore the tension between here and the kids.
I think what frustrated me most about the movie was not that everything from the book could not be put in the film, it was that they changed so much of the book without reason. The movie was completely inaccurate. I can only assume that they were trying to make it more "interesting" for movie-goers but I believe that a true Harry Potter fan wants to see accuracy, he/she appreciates the story the way it is and wants to see it portrayed that way on screen.
I want to take a minute to comment on the acting. I thought the kids, as always, were great. Although Mad Eye Moody did not look as he should, Brendan Gleeson did an excellent job in the role. The biggest complaint I have about the acting is Michael Gambon, he is not a convincing Dumbledore. Dumbledore should exude a quiet wisdom, even when he is angry he still remains calm, it's his eyes that demonstrate his emotions not his voice. Michael Gambon completely overacts, he is too loud and boisterous, he is simply not believable.
All in all, I was very disappointed with this movie, it was definitely not worth the $9 I paid to see it. It could have been great but instead it was a random jumble of junk and I think, to a person who did not read the book, it was most likely confusing. My advice to anyone who is thinking of seeing the movie would be to just stick with the books, they are infinitely more enjoyable.