Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (2005)

"Dark and difficult times lie ahead..."

After Alfonso Cuaron's powerhouse Prisoner of Azkaban, the Potter series heads into darker, more mature territory. Goblet of Fire was, at its release, the longest book in the series, by a mile. Our heroes were becoming full-fledged teenagers, and the Dark Lord's plan begins to turn in earnest.

Summary:

Harry & Co. head back to Hogwarts for their fourth year. Only this year promises something different: Hogwarts will play host to the infamous Triwizard Tournament. When Harry's name is pulled from the titular Goblet of Fire, and his participation in the dangerous tournament sealed, he will need to gather every resource at his disposal in order to make it out alive.

Pros:

Looking Better All the Time: It is the year 2005, and CG effects are getting better, exponentially, with each film. The opening sequence at the Quidditch World Cup is gorgeous: magical tents dotting a field outside of a giant Quidditch field, stuffed to the brim with a crowd of raucous wizards. And by the time the Death Eaters stride on screen, in their Wizard Klansmen robes, zipping spells and chaos in their wake, we are left with a wondrous, but brief, scene of what the Potter series does best: magical world building. There are problems with this film, but no one can argue that it doesn't look stunning.

Cracks in the Armor: Gambon, in the last film, brought an edge to Dumbledore. This time around, the facade begins to crack a bit, and we start to see a more human Dumbledore. Gambon got a lot of shit (from Harry Potter Edge Lords) for his portrayal this time around, especially when he flies off the handle at Harry's inclusion in the Triwizard Tournament. I thought he was perfectly justified in being angry: this was never part of his plan, and he's Dumbledore, goddammit, he invented the long con. Consider also that Harry can legit be killed in this tournament, and it's no wonder why Dumbledore lets the mask slip a bit. I liked that we got to see that Dumbledore, for all his sagacity and wisdom, is still human.

Some Legitimately Chilling Moments: It's been a few days since our viewing, and I still can't get Amos Diggory's wails out of my mind. Jeff Rawle makes the most of a small part, and leveled me with the heart-rending loss of a son. The final sequence marks a profound turning point for the series: the stakes are now ofifcially life and death, and the movie allows that scene to come crashing down on everyone, the characters and the audience, alike. The scene where Wormtail unceremoniously kills Cedric, at the behest of Voldemort ("Kill the spare.") is absolutely chilling in its simplicity and brutality. No monologue, no play: just a killing curse, and Cedric's body flopping to the ground, lifeless.

A Proper Dark Lord: For the first time in the series, we get a fully formed, not-weird-CG-monster version of Voldemort, and what a doozie. The production team rightly tapped powerhouse actor Ralph Fiennes to don Voldemort's flowing robes, and he bursts onto the screen with sinister glee. The last fifteen to twenty minutes of the movie are arguably its best, and it is due, in large part, to Fiennes' complete commitment to the role. We have our anti-Dumbledore, and we are off to the races.

Cons:

A Series of Scenes, Loosely Connected: This was, in my opinion, the most loosely connected of the films. There is a lot of story to tell here, and first time (and only time) Potter director Mike Newell struggles to keep a through line tying everything together. What we get is a series of events that happen. There is a lot of important things happening, sure, but the overall STORY of this film suffers in comparison to the films that came before it.

ANGST!: This film introduces our heroes to the stinging shit-show of teenage emotions. And it is kind of a bummer. Harry and Ron are legit shitheads this time around, and I understand that they are teenage boys, but, damn. They even have those awful emo hairdos.

Priori Incantatem: There are a bevy of things this movie simply has no damned time to explain, but this is one of the strangest things to have kept in the movie in the manner that they did. Harry, rightly, wonders why he sees the souls of his parents during his duel with Voldemort. Dumbledore whispers, "priori incantatem..." and then never explains what the hell that means. If they weren't going to tell us, they should have left the idea on the cutting room floor. To mention it, and then shrug their shoulders at its mystery is a bit of a cop out. And, by the by, priori incantatem is when a wand essentially vomits forth the last few spells it cast. It is something that happens when wands that share cores (brother wands) come into contact with each other. The fact that the last spells Voldemort's wand cast were all killing curses explains why we get a brief glimpse of the Potters and Cedric. The film is stuffed to the brim with ideas and happenings, and has little time spared for explanation. And the damn thing is 157 minutes long!

Forgettable Music: This is the first Potter movie to not feature a John Williams score. Williams would never end up coming back to the fold, either. Patrick Doyle does his best, but the music just sort of fades into the background, and, compared to the soaring heights of previous films, that is a damn shame.

In Conclusion:

This is, for me, the weakest of the film adaptations. It feels messy and disconnected in ways that none of the previous films did. It is still fun, don't get me wrong. It still has wonderful performances, great action and  excellent world building, it just doesn't feel like it holds up. But then, our friend, watching for the first time, considers this his favorite. So maybe I'm full of shit. Maybe.

Should You Watch It?

For Ralph Fiennes, yeah.

Miscellany:

- The studio originally wanted this film cut into two films to be released months apart (a tactic that they would use for Deathly Hallows (and set a Hollywood precedent with)), but director Mike Newell decided against it. Bad choice.

- Michael Gambon wore street clothes under his robes and kept his cigarette pack tucked into his socks. Ridiculous.
- The Beauxbaton girls are dancing during one of the tournament events: they are doing the macarena.
- Ralph Fiennes turned down the role of Voldemort a few times. His sister ended up convincing him to accept the role.