Mixed feelings on this one.

Rating: 6/10 (21 November 2005)

There were moments of brilliance in this movie. The major event scenes (triwizard challenges, yule ball, quidditch world cup, and graveyard scene/return to Hogwarts with Cedric) were fabulous, and I can't say enough good things about them. The rest of the movie was an inane, rushed and muddled attempt to connect these scenes together.
Gambon's portrayal of Dumbledore was, to my mind, completely off-base in this movie. Dumbledore is a calm, wise, reasoning type of chap. He doesn't grab students by the shoulder, shake them, and shout at them in anger. The Dumbledore in Goblet of Fire is in no way the Dumbledore I've encountered in the 6 books. Although I was mildly disappointed by Gambon's performance in Prisoner of Azkaban, I was very upset about it in this one.
Granted, Goblet of Fire is in no way a kid's movie. I, silly me, assumed that the PG-13 rating would be for violence, and the death of Cedric. The sexual elements present in this movie were completely inappropriate for children. A stained glass picture of a naked mermaid (although granted her hair moved tantalizingly over her more private areas). And while Moaning Myrtle flirted with Harry in book 4, in this movie I thought she was going to jump on top of him. These elements were completely unnecessary in a movie that the makers KNEW was going to be seen by children, despite the PG13 rating. I'm no prude, but the sight of all the 10 and under kids in the theatre who's eyes were being rapidly covered by parents was tough to take. If these elements had been in the book, we'd have been prepared. But the movie makers took an inch from the book and ran a mile with it.
Having said that, let me re-iterate that the big scenes were great. The Yule Ball was great fun. The three kids were brilliant. They've grown tremendously as actors. The tournament scenes, especially the second challenge, were imaginative and well done. But, as I said earlier, I felt like they made the big scenes, then spliced in the rest of the movie around them. It was not well paced, and I deeply felt the lack of stable adult guidance for the kids in this movie. It simply didn't exist.