Very well done

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2005)

I have not had the chance to read the Harry Potter novels, so I am certainly not one to comment on how good of a translation the films are. However, I have enjoyed each of the Potter films and feel they have gotten progressively better.
This latest film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is better than the last in many ways and yet not as good in others. The story and the acting were an improvement to the previous one, and it is apparent that the young leads have all grown in their abilities since the earlier films. They have obviously become comfortable with what they are doing and are now reaching out in their performances to enrich the screen presence of their characters.
The story was the best of the films so far. Previously, the stories had at times fallen victim to the follow-the-plot-crumbs handicap of so many films. This film was much more self-contained and each element connected with the next much clearer. The story was much darker as well, and the film easily earned its harder rating. It is obvious that J K Rowling has crafted each book to grow with the reader, and it has translated effectively to the screen.
The biggest shortcomings in the Goblet of Fire fall on the direction of Mike Newell and the rather unimpressive special effects. Mike Newell certainly is a talented director in being able to draw performances out of the cast, but sometimes his camera work leaves a little to be desired. At times, the vast majority of what was happening in a scene was obscured because of a series of tight shots, and the effectiveness was sometimes lost because of it. As well, some of the special effects looked fairly unimpressive. The CGI shots were clearly CGI shots and thus it was a little hard to be impressed with things that were obviously meant to impress.
Overall, the Goblet of Fire is easily recommendable and certainly stands with the rest of the Harry Potter series as an enjoyable and rousing work.