Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Harry Potter finds that he has been signed up for the extremely dangerous Tri-Wizard Tournament during his fourth year at Hogwarts. It doesn't take long before he learns that this is going to be the least of his worries. One of the first things I love about this movie is that there are direct consequences in this film carried over from The Prisoner of Azkaban. The new cast members in this film include David Tennant as Barty Crouch, Jr., Brendan Gleeson as Mad-Eye Moody (arguably the most perfect casting fit since Alan Rickman as Severus Snape), and Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. There is sort of this mystery in the film as to who put Harry's name into the titular goblet of fire. We are given some suspects. What I love is that the reveal is actually one of the last people you would ever expect it to be. Like any good mystery, I like that when you go back and re-watch the film, the clues are actually all there. Each of the Harry Potter films seems to build on the series lore a little more. For starters, in this film, we actually learn more about Voldemort's followers (death eaters). Before this film, we only really knew that Voldemort had followers. This is the film where we learn what his followers are called. This movie also explores just how dangerous Voldemort can be (that he can spread fear through his death eaters even before his glorious return at the end of the film. This film has some of the series' best action and adventure elements. Notable moments include Harry's moment with the dragon, as well as his first true battle with Voldemort in the graveyard. There's a good chunk of the film where Harry and Ron are at each other's throats. This is actually important because it actually ends up being somewhat important with events that come later on in the franchise. This film is directed by Mike Newell, and from a directing standpoint, this can feel somewhat out of place, though not to the extent of the third movie (as Alfonso Cuaron truly seems to have his own unique style). The thing is this is the only other movie helmed by a director who only tackled one film in the franchise. Part of it could also be that, to a greater extent than Prisoner of Azkaban, this is sort of a transitional movie in the franchise. It moves the series out of the lighthearted kids-fare of the first couple of movies, and into the franchise's darker, slightly more mature era. I do wish we could have seen at least a little bit of the Quidditch World Cup, but I can also understand why it was ultimately cut.

9 / 10