Product: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Rating: 4.0
For HP Fans Only
Overall, this is a very good film, if you're familiar with the books and prior movies.The acting, effects, costumes and settings are wonderful, but this film doesn't quite make it as a movie. Some parts seem more like dramatized scenes from the book than part of a coherent narrative. I understand that it was necessary to leave out some subplots and narrative threads to bring this book to the screen -- the Harry Potter story at this point is so complicated, with so many complex characters and intertwining subplots, that it cannot be reduced to a few hours of film. However, I missed many of the things that were cut out -- the house elf subplot, for example. Winky's absence leaves viewers with no clue to how Crouch, Jr. managed to escape from Azkaban, or why Harry was suspected of casting the Dark Mark, for example.I don't think anyone who hasn't read at least the first four books of the series and seen the prior movies could make sense of this one. For those of us who know the books and prior films, however, this film is enjoyable to watch. The interactions between the characters seems utterly believable, even when delicate dating issues are involved. And who wouldn't want to see Draco turned into a ferret?