Product: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Rating: 2.0
Glad I didn't bother to see it in the theater or buy the DVD...
Yes, yes, there were too many subplots in the book and not enough time for the movie to relate them. Yes, yes, the film needed certain other scenes either stretched out or created to set the mood. But the acting - or what might pass at a high school pageant as acting - left me laughing in embarrassment. Michael Gambon seemed particularly over the top (even worse than Prisoner). What's happened to Dumbledore's calm and cool and all-knowing demeanor? Did he not get his cup of coffee that morning? This performance certainly gives one a much deeper appreciation for the late, great Richard Harris. And it felt like the Emma Watson and Rupert Grint's characters were reading from a teleprompter. Special effects only go so far. At some point in time a decent screenplay and credible actors become necessary to create magic. And what's distressing is that the first two films had all three - eye catching effects, great acting and a storyline that paralled closely to all the books' pertinent plot lines, not just the good versus evil angle. I say bag Mike Newall as director and go back to Chris Columbus.