Harry Potter

and the Goblet of Fire

Mike Newell 2005

It's yet another difficult year at Hogwarts for young Harry Potter. Someone has entered him into the rather dangerous Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort is gaining strength and followers and then poor Harry has to learn to dance as well. And I thought GCSE’s were a bit of a bugger.

First off, I would like to say that I really liked this film but there was just something lacking. The book was a massive tome and it is understandable that some things had to be left out to make a watchable movie. Nevertheless, even with all the non-essential plot left out, the film feels incredibly rushed. I also had an insane urge to learn hairdressing so I could make the point that being a teenage boy isn't synonymous with having a bad haircut.

Michael Gambon is still overdoing it with all the begosh and begorrah in his accent. And he also seemed a little too harsh in this film, losing most of Dumbledore’s quiet strength, rushing about the place and generally looking like a scared old man. Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy sounds even more like the love child of Dr Frank-N-Furter and Kenneth Williams with each film, squeezing out his lines in a nasally whine. Ralph Fiennes is better than you can possibly imagine as Voldemort, breathing life into a genuinely scary character.

The film is essentially a few bloody brilliant set pieces and some stuff in between; the Triwizard tasks are all well done and actually quite scary. The tone is a lot darker than the previous films and of course a lot more grown-up. In fact I do believe I heard a swear word…youth of today tut tut.

All in all, it’s a highly enjoyable family film; a little too tightly packed at times but definitely a must-see.