Review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) by Cameron J — 10 Apr 2014

Watch out, kids, because this installment is actually rated PG-13, so you know that things are about to get real, something that I'm kind of hoping Harry Potter's hair in this film isn't. No, it's not that bad, but the point is that Harry is really getting into the teen years, and let me tell you, that big head of long hair and a small head doesn't exactly make it easy to take his particular teen problems all that interesting. Well, I don't even know if this supposedly more serious installment in the "Harry Potter" saga makes Lord Voldemort all that intimidating, because that killing spell, "Avada Kedavra", that he blurts out sounds too much like the trite "abra cadabra" sorcerery for him to not silly. Well, in this film, you do actually get to see him in his realized form, and at that point, he's so creepy that I'd be intimidated by him performing "Witch Doctor", although that might simply be because Cartoons' cover is scary enough already. No, this film takes itself too seriously for that, so much so that it's starting to take its being British pretty seriously, to the point of going completely crazy and having the audacity to get... [u]a British director[/u]. I mean, at this point, this series only had two directors, so you wouldn't figure that it would be all that big of a deal, but one of those directors was Mexican, and once you're reaching for that group, you must have exhausted searches for the right hands, something that this series definitely found with Mike Newman... for only one film. Oh well, at least they followed him up with David Yates, who, I'm not going to lie, is a much better filmmaker than Newman, for although this film is awesome, Harry's hair and the names of certain killing spells aren't the only things shaking your investment here.

"The Prisoner of Azkaban" saw the formula that this series established starting to water down with its uniqueness, and with this film, familiarity is even more glaring, not so much in the context of a "Harry Potter" installment, - seeing as how this is a distinguished, if a touch formulaic point in the saga - but in a general context which sees this drama hitting many of the usual beat and path one might expect a blockbuster of this nature to hit. Still, no matter how familiar, the film stands to associate you more with its narrative, being a little more well-rounded as an ensemble piece, yet still with some underexploration of certain prominent plotting aspects and characters, which at least seem disconcerting because of forced rushing that slam-bangs certain happenings, - particularly others' interpretation on the games and other matters - and thins out some of the layers of this epic. Seeing as how the final product, through all of its underdevelopment and awkward hurried moments, runs well over a hefty runtime of two-and-a-half hours, it might go without saying that this drama tries to make up for attributes that are too tight for their own good, and too much so, shaking focal coherency with filler, - particularly with the near-inconsequential "Yule Ball" segment - and getting excessive with material to the point of meandering. There's only so much action to this pseudo-blockbuster, and inspiration certainly makes the film dramatically engrossing when it's a little less than pure, unadulterated fun, but the limited goings-on produce about as much a sense of aimlessness as they do a sense of dramatic thoughtfulness, and that might very well be because the subtlety upon which dramatic value thrives has a tendency to go shaken by subtlety issues. At this point, alone, the series was making near-remarkable progress in putting more edge and maturity to its storytelling, and the final product's being inspired to the point of bona fide dramatic excellence firmly reflects that, but for only so long, as the film can't completely wash away the cheese, not just in filler that sometimes gets to be too, not so much kiddy, but teeny for comfort, but to dramatics that, while never cloying, get kind of heavy-handed in a reflection of overambition. Many have debated the degree to which this film compensates for its messy moments of too much ambition, if not a hint of laziness, with inspiration, and for me, I must admit that the heart placed into the crafting of this effort keeps the final product pumping a long, long way on the whole, but stiffened a bit by familiarity, uneven pacing and subtlety issues which greatly threaten to hold the final product just shy of its final state of quality. Of course, I don't reckon you're in too bad of a place if you fall just short of excellent, and yet, the point is that the final product does, in fact, transcend its shortcomings enough to be the first in this solid saga to achieve excellence, and with no small help from aesthetic value.

Ostensibly looking to explore its British musical roots a little more, this film sees the series abandoning the great John Williams for Scottish composer Patrick Doyle, whose score gets a little too close to Williams' musical themes for the comfort of originality, but still offers plenty of weight that is tonally fitting, with a solid hint of aesthetic value that Roger Pratt expands upon with cinematography that is not only ruggedly handsome in its grit, but sweeping in scale. This scope certainly compliments the grandly well-staged action sequences, in addition to lively visuals that art directors Alan Gilmore, Andrew Ackland-Snow, Neil Lamont, Gary Tomkins, Alexandra Walker, Mark Bartholomew and Alastair Bullock build absolutely lavishly, with the help of intricate set designs by Stuart Craig, lovely costume designs by Jany Temime, and stellar visual effects, many of which aren't simply there for the sheer visceral spectacle that the preceding blockbusters seemed to primarily focus upon as technical triumphs. The effects are just as prominent as the art direction in the building of a distinguished world and the breathing of some life into deeper aspects of this whimsical narrative, yet they aren't quite as directly complimentary to the substance of this drama as the performances, all of which are memorable, with standouts in the supporting cast including the very underused, but effectively antagonistic Ralph Fiennes as the realized form of Lord Voldemort, and the delightfully charismatic and chillingly convincing Brandon Gleeson as an experienced sorcerer whose sanity and moral stances are questionable, while Daniel Radcliffe continues to do about as much as anyone or anything in making an intriguing lead character, with subtle charm and a few endearing dramatic layers. Boasting just as much, if not more stylistic proficiency than any of its predecessors, this film stands out as a blockbuster, alone, with acting that, while not exactly outstanding, helps greatly in placing some substance to go with style, and yet, it's debatable if this film improves upon the aesthetic, technical and acting value from, at the very least, "The Prisoner of Azkaban", which wouldn't have been so engrossing if it wasn't so technically sharp and well-acted. In terms of story concept, there was still something a little minimalist about "The Prisoner of Azkaban" that kept excellence at bay, thus, it's the narrative that really causes this film to stand out, not just ahead of its predecessors, but as excellent, because even though this story isn't exactly all that original, it is rich with layers of thorough color as an offbeat piece of teen fluff, in addition to liveliness as a portrayal of a competitive game, and, of course, tension as a near-gritty dramatic study on morality and encroaching dangers. Something of an epic, this film's particularly layered story concept carries a lot of potential, and although the execution has its faults in pacing, subtlety and altogether meeting ambition with inspiration, it does such potential a lot of justice more often than not, with Steve Kloves turning in a script whose wit and relatively greater exploration of supporting characters provides a color that director Mike Newell brings to life with very entertainingly brisk pacing, and whose more realized moments of dramatic weight are drawn upon by thoughtfulness to Newell's direction that make the tense aspects biting and the more sentimental aspects genuinely moving. Smoothly flowing from intensity, to considerable resonance, both of which reinforce a sense of consequentiality that in turn defines how far this series had come along in its maturity as an epic saga, the final act particularly excels in this film, but it is not much more than a height in compellingness that stands consistently throughout the final product, backed by a realization that is difficult to fully describe, and establishes enough style and substance to make a final product so entertaining, layered, and dramatically intriguing that it truly stands out.

In conclusion, formulaic and often underdeveloped storytelling reflects a certain laziness, while certain excesses in storytelling and subtlety issues reflect too great of an ambition to achieve excellence, ultimately secured by colorful scoring, handsome cinematography, thrilling action, immersive art direction and effects, charismatic acting and inspired writing and direction so effective in marrying thorough color with engrossing depth that "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" ultimately stands out as a triumph in blockbuster filmmaking whose entertainment value and dramatic range craft a truly excellent turn for the classic fantasy saga.

3.5/5 - Excellent.