Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the best of the Harry Potter films thus far. It is an amazing feat of writing, directing, and editing to take a beloved book that checks in at around 740 pages and melt it into a two and a half hour film while remaining true to the characters and the story. Mike Newell, best known for directing Four Wedding and a Funeral, has succeeded admirably not only in delivering the film, but in coaxing mature performances from its teen actors and making it a much darker and meatier story. The first warning though, the film does earn its PG-13 rating. Even for those who may feel insulated by having read the book and knowing what is coming, the film’s imagery actually makes the scary moments of the film even more intense. For instance, early on in the riot at the Quidditch World Cup; this is not merely a gang marching through a field destroying the occasional tent and messing with some Muggles. This is a full fledged LA riot with massive destruction and probably numerous injuries as panic overwhelms a massive population. The end of the film of course builds to a disturbing climax that is expected from the book but the incarnation of Lord Voldemort presented with creepy fluidity by Ralph Fiennes is intense even for those who know what is coming.

Harry Potter and his friends are entering their fourth year at Hogwarts and venturing for the first time into the muddy waters of teen hormones and dating. Goblet of Fire is the point in the Harry Potter saga where Harry and his friends begin to grow up and are tested beyond their abilities by activities both within their school and in the world at large. Of course the overarching challenge in the fourth tale is the Triwizard Tournament, an ancient and difficult tournament that draws three wizarding schools together to cheer on their champions as they battle their way through three tasks before an amused crowd. As Hermione puts it ‘it’s cruel’ but it is obviously a rite of passage for those 17 years of age. Of course the problem here is that Harry is not of age, he is only 14 and he is thrust into the tournament by an unknown force who may have greater plans than humiliating him in a tournament he is not ready to face.

The film is fast paced and exciting though at times the editing is jumpy. Perhaps that can be attributed to the amount of material that is covered. It is also probably the funniest of the four films thus far in addition to being the scariest. The Goblet of Fire deals not only with the Tournament but also with being 14 and the associated hormones and social changes that accompany that age. Ron is moody, Hermione has a boyfriend, and Harry has a crush on a girl. All of them are navigating uncharted waters alone and their friends are not always so dependable since they are struggling with their own issues. Add to that some beasts who want to kill you and an annoyingly unscrupulous reporter named Rita Skeeter and Harry Potter and his friends are up to an interesting year.

As with the other Harry Potter stories to this point the entire testing of Harry is setup and manipulated by forces outside of Harry’s control. Like the protections for the Sorcerer’s Stone Harry learns just the right amount of information at just the right times to be able to avoid harm. Like in the Chamber of Secrets Harry is given the tools he needs to succeed. But it is the ending that turns this story on its head. In Prisoner of Azkaban the good guy is set free though the bad guy is not defeated, but things work out well if not correctly. In Goblet of Fire things cannot be said to work out well. Thus Goblet of Fire is the turning point of the Harry Potter franchise. The time when all of the problems that were in the past reemerge along with Voldemort and those who would fight against him must stand and be counted. Beyond this are The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince and whatever the final book of the series might be in which Harry and his friends must wage war on Lord Voldemort and his minions.

Now of course there are some things that must be sacrificed for this immensely rich book to make it into a film not a miniseries. Don’t expect to see such characters as Mrs. Weasley or her eldest sons Bill, Charlie, or Percy. Also gone from the story are Ludo Bagman the minister for games and sports, Winky and Dobby the house elves, and blast-ended skrewts. Also, with so much going on the kids hardly have time for classes. Except for a class with Professor Moody, a dance lesson with Professor McGonagall, and what imaginably is study hall with Professor Snape, the kids don’t seem to go to class at all moving from one task to another punctuated only by meals in the great hall or wanders on the grounds. Of course this is all necessary but it does lead to some extra contortions now and will probably require some plot exposition in the next few films. In fact the very first scene involves a character who wasn’t there in the book which might disconcert some. However, these things flow well once the initial shock of something being different is over and the story actually flows well without any major plot holes. Dobby will probably show up at Hogwarts in the next film and some passing reference will be made as to how Bill and Fleur met sometime before they get to the last film. This liberality even fixes some holes in the books as it does away with the nasty minor question of how Harry manages to have the Maurauder’s Map in time for the fifth book. I won’t say anything more about it, but those of you who have read the books a few times know that something there seems off.

Mike Newell maintains some of the actions that Cuaron used successfully in the third film in breaking from the books. Harry and his friends appear much more often in plain clothes than in their uniforms. There are even special uniforms for the Triwizard champions. In the first task they wear running suits and it is almost believable that were one to look closely enough there is probably a Nike swish there somewhere. It may not be what is written in the books, but it certainly makes Harry’s world feel a bit more similar to ours.

Newell said that he went to boarding school and wanted to inject a level of anarchy felt within the wall of a boarding school. I didn’t get the feeling of that so much though there were a lot more people slouching around sitting on tables in this one that there were in the last. If Newel is interested in anarchy within the walls of Hogwarts he should have directed book 5. What he does give is a feeling that Hogwarts is inhabited, not just as a school but as a home for these students for 9 months out of the year.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is an intense, fast-paced adventure with the boy wizard. Harry and his friends are maturing as are the young actors playing the roles. Though this film may be too intense for younger children it is certainly a must see for any of those who enjoy the Harry Potter saga. Mike Newell does a wonderful job bringing the story to the screen both with fresh eyes and with a machete for pruning away the unnecessary elements of the books. Though the books are an immeasurably more enjoyable endeavor and bring significant depth to the Harry Potter world; the film serves to put a face onto the characters, most notably the finally emergent Voldemort. The actors step up to the task of bringing this beloved story to the screen and the result is a film that is action packed and a pleasure to watch.

Related posts:

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe