In the fourth installment of the Warner Brothers franchise, director Mike Newell (Mona Lisa Smile, Donnie Brasco) brings Harry and company closer to adulthood. I mean that both in a story sense and the film itself, being the first of the series to be rated PG-13 instead of PG. While some parents may cry out in anger, (Though, I doubt it... most of the parents that would be upset by the PG-13 rating are the same ones that don't let their kid's watch the movies in the first place due to the 'magical' subject matter, deemed Satanic by some and inappropriate for children by others), I feel the PG-13 rating only gives the filmmakers more room to expand on the ever-growing characters. In a film like this, making the characters believable is the most important goal to meet.
I should probably state right here, right now, that I have not read the books. As the hype behind the original book grew into an annoyingly putrid frenzy, I shrugged it off as another marketing phenomena that was targeted at children, in the vein of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Pokemon, this one just involving wizards, witches, and magic. Kid stuff, not interested. Upon seeing the first trailor I decided that I may have been wrong, which I was, in my assumptions, and that this series may in fact kick ass. The first film was more fun than I had anticipated, and the second one was even better. Because I am surrounded by a world of Potter fans who read the books and discuss them to no end, I have had to carefully moniter conversations to avoid spoiling the films. It is, to say the least, growing difficult. Eventually I plan to read the books, but not until the film series is complete. Why? Because, I know if I read them now it will take away from my experience watching the films. I love the movies, and I'm too far into them now to want to spoil it by going back and seeing what the filmmakers left out. The books are always better, so why bother when you already enjoy the movies. Make sense? Too bad, I'm moving on.
The third film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which I've yet to mention, is by far my favorite for several reasons. One, at the time of it's release, it was the darkest and most adult of the films. Two, I have been a fan of director Alfonso Cuaron for many years. Three, it's the most solidly structured of all the films, which I still believe to be true. Goblet, which is second-best in my opinion, builds on the world that the third film made so good (because it changed some key things from the first two films) and expands it even further.
The Goblet of Fire, for those reading this without any Potter knowledge, follows Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) from a dark starting point down a darker path toward the darkest ending of the series (so far). Upon reaching Hogwarts, (that's the school for all you really dense people) Harry, Ron, and Hermione find that their school will host the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in which a representative from each of the three schools of magic compete in a series of contests, ranging in difficulty from dangerous to fatal, for the prize of fame and glory. Supernatural events ensure Harry's participation, and once you are chosen to compete there is no backing out. Throughout the film Harry is trying to solve the mysteries of the challenges in the tournament, and unravell the meaning behind his most recent nightmares, that may not be nightmares at all.
He is surrounded by Potter staples Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), Snape (Alan Rickman, who is under-used in this film, regrettably) and the rest of the Hogwarts staff, his friends Ron (Rupert Grint), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Nevell (Matthew Lewis, who has a larger part in this film, which gathers mixed feelings from fans of the book), and then new characters Alastor Moody (Brendan Gleeson, who steals the show), Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson), and, while not a new character but certainly worth mentioning, Lord Voldemort himself (Ralph Fiennes, who's f***king awesome!). Cameo's from Gary Oldman's Lucius Black and Jason Isaac's Lucius Malfoy also abound and help tie this one in with the other films.
The look of this one, both dark and featuring a cold blue saturation, looks like the third film, if not a little darker. So while the look of the third one was a drastic chage from the first two, at least the latest two match somewhat in style. The school's layout and the surrounding countryside (the woods, the lake, the steep rocky hills) all look pretty much the same as they did in the third film, as well. Worth noting are the incredible visual effects. The computer enhanced panoramic vews of the landscapes and the school itself are breathtaking, and when combined with some of the new creatures and scenes, they make for compelling visuals and awe-inspired sites. The effects of each film have raised the bar a bit more, and this one is no exception.
What I think impressed me the most out of this film, even surpassing Prisoner in many respects, is the actors themselves and the characters and the relationships between them. Daniel Radcliffe really shows off his acting talent this time around, for the first time I think in the series proving himself an equal to the legends that surround him. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson also get more to work with emotionally as their characters go through the change to adulthood. The characters are fourteen years old, and they are having their first real battles with love, their first real tests of friendship, and though they've faced unimaginable evils in the past, they are now faced with their hardest challenges yet, becoming the men and women they will soon be. I was very impressed with how the film handled these scenes.
My only complaint is one that most likely couldn't be helped. There are scenes that deal with the struggles between the three Hogwarts friends, and how they cope with these newfound adult feelings. I wanted more than the film offered. There are several issues that are left... not really unresolved because I know it's all leading up to future events in the next films, but they are not really expanded upon. Hermione is in tears one moment due to the actions (or inactions) of another character, and then the next time they're seen together it's just like old times. What made her forget and forgive so easily? The reason these things couldn't be helped is to keep the pacing. You can't cut away when the climax of the story is building and tensions are mounting to expand more on the trivial troubles of confused adolescants, because the buildup would be interrupted and the climax would fall apart. But still... I wanted more.
Overall, the film is a knockout. This series is poised to be arguably the greatest series in film history. Four films, all hits, all good, with three more on the way. That'll be seven good movies, if they keep it up, and that's a bigger chunk of film history than Lord fo the Rings with it's mere three films, and Star Wars with six, but of those six it is still questionable which are actually good films. Harry Potter, while maybe not the hardcore fantasy of Lord of the Rings (which, it's really hard to beat the master anyhow, and almost anything related to fantasy is somewhat based on the LOTR), and maybe the Potter universe doesn't have all of the depth and detail of Lucas's Star Wars, but they are solid films that are entertaining, insightful, emotional, dramatic, full of symbolic references, archetypical meanings, fantastical mythological creatures and talented, legendary actors. These films are, for lack of a better word, brilliant! (Not to mention, when was the last time you can think of a fourth film in a series that didn't suck or wasn't completely out of it's depth when compared to it's predecessors? Newer film series such as Spider-Man and X-Men haven't made it to three yet, so there are still some things that remain to be seen with them, and Star Wars really doesn't count... because it's technically out of order, so the fourth film would be The Phantom Menace which is by far the worst of the series. It's tough, I can't think of a single good fourth movie... if I've overlooked something obvious PLEASE let me know).
It should be noted that the music score to Goblet was not created by master composer John Williams, and so I've heard complaints that it didn't stand out. Personally, I love John Williams, but his score's stand out a little too much sometimes, and he uses the 'themes' so much it borders on overkill. It works for the "serial" style Lucas films Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but in a way, a film's music score shouldn't detract you from the film itself, it should compliment it in a way that doesn't take you out of the movie. That's what it's there for. So, while I liked John Williams stuff, I'm not going to say this was any less a film score, because it served it's purpose and it complimented the much darker story perfectly. The score this time around was by Patrick Doyle, whose most notable score's are for Kenneth Branaugh's Hamlet, Henry V, Dead Again, Much Ado About Nothing, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as well as Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility and Newell's Donnie Brasco. Doyle may not be a household name like Williams, but is an accomplished composer who has been nominated for two Academy Awards, for Sense and Sensibility and Robert Altman's Gosford Park, and for the AFI's Composer Of the Year Award in 2002 for Gosford Park.
I'll leave you with this one statement: I enjoyed this film enough to want to see it again in theaters.
With ticket prices steadily rising and the DVD release usually coming only months later, to say you'd have no regrets spending another $8-10 (making the total $16-20) on a film is really saying something. Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire ranks as one of the best and most entertaining films of the year, right up there with Batman Begins, War Of the Worlds, and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and will surely be remembered as more than just "the fourth Harry Potter movie."
T. Garth Simmons
11/05
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