The Goblet of Fire burns brightly as the best of the series to date

Rating: 10/10 (18 November 2005)

This long awaited entry in the Harry Potter saga is the first really fully realized film which stands on its own merits of terrific story telling,the fine acting of an ensemble of some of the best veteran actors on screen today and the continuing transformation of Harry, Ron and Hermione into young adults is charmingly portrayed and never cloying. The CGI effects serve the film beautifully but never take over. The direction and pace of this film is perfectly done.To my mind Mike Newell solves a problem that Peter Jackson never quite solved with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which were always headlong, breathless races against time. 'Goblet'never feels rushed and 150 minutes is the perfect length for this film. The climax is very satisfying because it is not a big bang; by allowing the three co-stars a human moment of recognition of their own changes to be the last word in the film rather than a pyrotechnical climax, Newelllets us see who these people are becoming and sets the stage perfectly for the next entry, The Half-blood Prince. This is a must see for fans and non-fans alike, I give it a 10!