MILD SPOILERS AHEAD...

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...

I saw it Friday night with some old B&N friends; Joanne, Denise, and Lisa. Denise had pre-purchased the tickets, so the wait wasn't terribly long. The theater was, however (and as you might imagine), packed. The girl working concessions saw my Order of the Phoenix hat and we got into a conversation about the books and the new movie. (We're everywhere, you know - the Potter faithful. Rowling's Army. Look out world, we're taking over!)

The young lady was very excited about the new film, having seen it the previous night at the midnight premiere. "Best of the four!" she said. Being that this is my favorite book in the series, I was glad to hear it. A lot of people seemed to enjoy the Prisoner of Azkaban book more than any other, but almost uniformly, that movie is deemed the most disappointing by the same people (and me).

Well, I'm happy to say that, in my humble opinion, the concession girl was right. This was one scary, funny, very dark, emotional, sexy (yes, sexy), intensely acted, and visually grand piece of work. I especially loved Brendan Gleason, a classic character actor, as the new (and very paranoid) Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. He's covered in scars from his many battles with dark wizards and their ilk, limps around on a peg leg, and wears an over large, magical glass eye. It pivots around, robotically, and can not only zoom in and out like a camera, but can, apparently, see through the back of Moody's head at whatever is going on behind him.

Also new to Hogwarts are students visiting from the French school of magic, Beauxbatons, all of whom are lovely French girls in matching school girl uniforms. And from an eastern European academy called Durmstrang, all of whom are boys who look like strapping Russian wrestlers.

They're here for the Triwizard Tournament. This is a grand competition in which champions from each of the three schools (chosen magically by the Goblet of Fire, into which hopeful contestants place their names) compete in events that feature fire breathing dragons, trident-wielding merpeople, and a giant maze.

So what happens?
Hagrid gets a girlfriend. There's a big Yule Ball in which Hermione (transforming for the event like the proverbial duckling into a swan) attends with somebody other than either Ron or Harry. And it's someone who is a threat to both of them!
Of course Harry battles the dragons (and they're big ones), the merpeople, and ultimately Lord Voldemort, himself. The dark one has triumphantly regained his physical form, and now he's poised to destroy Harry, Hogwarts, and all that we hold dear! Their confrontation is extremely spooky. Ralph Fienes (as Voldemort, with a flat, slitted snake's nose) emerges from an infant-like state into a grown man, and all thanks to a drop of Harry's precious blood! The great actor does all kinds of creepy things with his hands and his body as he grows pleasurably accustomed to being alive at last. I was a little reminded of Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now (believe it or not), only this time I wasn't confused and annoyed. Just creeped out!

I should also mention that Ron gets sick and tired of the great Harry Potter always being the hero, and their friendship suffers; Moaning Myrtle comes up through a drain pipe and makes a pass at Harry when he's trying to take a bath (very funny); Harry meets a girl he really likes, and she isn't English; and everyone has someone to dance with at the big ball except Ron (who can't and/or won't).

At the end, there's the magnificent maze, in which contestants from the three schools get lost trying to locate the tournament cup. But there's more awaiting them than dead ends and wrong turns. One guess as to who emerges victoriously, although not as happily as you might imagine. Not happily at all, in fact.


With effects akin to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, the Potter series has stepped up its craft to a grander, more impressive scale. The young actors (and even the new Beuaxbatons and Durmstrang kids) have become a cohesive ensemble, each one knowing their role and playing it for what it's worth. And, naturally, the adult actors are some of the finest England (and, therefore, the world) has to offer. The new director has departed, to a great extent, from the franchise formula, which is what any extended series needs, to breath life into it and keep it from growing repetitive.

My Opinion: It's dark, it's fun, hormones run amuck, and it's the best Harry Potter yet. Loads of wicked fun!