By By Andrew Benjamin
The time is upon us. No, not the holiday season.. It’s the fourth film in the highly anticipated Harry Potter series. For those who are interested, the first was simple children’s fare, the second was better, and the third was the best. The fourth is quite enjoyable in many respects, but feels too long to be thoroughly entertaining.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is in his fourth year at Hogwarts. It is also time for the TriWizard Tournament, in which a select trio of young wizards and witches perform deadly feats to be the winner for their magic school. Even though Harry Potter is too young to enter the tournament, his name somehow ends up in the Goblet of Fire, and he is chosen to be a competitor. There is more to this mystery, and he will soon learn that a lot is at stake.
The Harry Potter films are definitely different from most run of the mill fantasies. For one thing, in most fantasy films, the acting is atrocious. With the Harry Potter series, the acting, especially by the three main protagonists, gets better and better. It seems as they get older, the three actors greatly exhibit their teenage angst with the characters. The returning cast is great of course. Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) and Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), all play their roles with entertaining fervor. Even though they all played much better parts in the past, they seem to be enjoying their roles, and overall are great to watch. Brendan Gleeson is the most impressive, as Professor “Mad Eye” Moody, who specializes in teaching the dark arts. His performance is so full of energy and passion that it is just absolute fun watching him perform as this nutty character. Ralph Fiennes, despite his short role as Lord Voldemort, is quite terrifying. His voice eerily fits this villainous character. He’s bound to scare the children.
This film is a great example of visual cinema at its best. The beautiful gothic sets evoke a dark, mystical feeling that helps add to this fairy tale story. The cinematography by Roger Pratt captures a very ominous and creepy settings gives the viewer the feeling that they are a part of this world of mystery and magic. The special effects are also well done. They seem are when necessary and come off well.
Unfortunately, this movie’s strong parts are hampered by an editing job that seems to have gone unnoticed. The movie feels too long. Had it been cut down by a mere twenty to thirty minutes, it may have turned out a lot better. Some scenes just go on for longer than they should. There is no need for Harry Potter’s dream to be repeated as much as it is. There are also scenes that seemed unnecessary to the story.
One example is when McGonagall is teaching the boys of Hogwarts how to dance. She chooses Ron as her partner, much to his embarrassment. This is an unnecessary scene that could’ve been put on the cutting room floor to help keep the story moving along. Another such scene is when Professor Moody turns Draco Malfoy into a ferret after he attempts to perform a spell on Harry Potter while Harry’s back is turned. It is a funny scene, but in the end, does it further the story at all? Barely. The most it shows is how powerful Professor Moody is, but we all already know that by the middle of the movie. The film is two hours and thirty minutes long, yet feels like four hours and fifty minutes.
This movie is very enjoyable, despite its shortcomings. It’s got action and thrills that will please parents as well as children. While the story is not as intriguing as the third, it’s still enjoyable.
Final Grade: B
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire is casting its spell on theaters and record stores around the world. (Image courtesy mugglenet.com)
