Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

An entertaining, capable entry in the franchise, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, begins the reveal of author JK Rowling’s weaknesses and the reluctance of the franchise’s managers to move the stories out of the kiddie realm.

The main plot centers around the special occasion of the tri-wizard tournament in which students over 17 from each of three wizard academies volunteer to compete in three trials, each potentially deadly. The titular goblet of fire spits out three names via some magical precept thus choosing the contestants. In this case it spits out a fourth through the machinations of Lord Valdemort and his henchmen, and, of course, the fourth name is Harry’s.

Fully inhabiting their characters, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger are all maturing into decent young actors, and there in lies the problem. While Rowling’s books may address the burgeoning issues of puberty and how it changes friendships between the sexes, the franchise’s managers seem unwilling to tackle the subject in any meaningful way. The film does contain the obligatory embarrassment and agony surrounding wanting to ask someone to the school dance and being unable to get the words to form either on time or at all, but there’s just something off about the mix of cliche, frivolity, and pathos with the subject is addressed.

Noted for being the first Potter to receive a PG-13 rating in the U.S., this film amps up the violence in a way that makes the events merely violent and not really threatening. The major flaw with this film, though, is that it feels rushed and disjointed, hurtling toward the foregone conclusion that Harry will come out on top, some way, some how. And here is where Rowling’s laziness as an author springs to the fore: if you’ve seen any of the other movies the game of “spot the villain at Hogwarts” should be a pretty short one.

It’s a long film, but not a bad way to spend a couple of hours on an afternoon, especially if you don’t have to pay full price. Over all, I’d say a 3 out of 5.

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