Review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) by Anna C — 19 Apr 2014

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was always my favourite Harry Potter film of the series due to the concept of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, so re-viewing it would not be any challenge for me.

And that proved to be the case, even though I found many flaws in the film.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a great film and it has a simple story which based its complications more on the characters and the mythological territory that it explores, but it has a lot of flaws in its internal logic.

The flaws all boil down to the titular object which ends up putting Harry Potter in the Tri-Wizard tournament. For one thing, the film doesn't explain how Harry Potter's name actually comes out of it. While the Goblet of Fire is a binding contract which cannot be broken, the rules of it dictate that only one student from each of the three competing schools may compete, hence the title Tri-Wizard tournament. How it actually allowed a fourth name out of the goblet is never explained, though it can be assumed as the man who was responsible for Harry Potter's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire was not a student at any of the competing schools, he was of a new ground that the Goblet had not picked someone from out of before and had to choose someone from whatever team the responsible man was from. But this isn't explained and left me asking questions. But also, if the Goblet of Fire is a binding contract as the characters state then it has to follow the rules. As the Tri-Wizard tournament only allows three competitors who all must be of a certain age, once it has picked its three competitors it cannot allow any others. And if it allows a fourth competitor, this breaks the rules of the Tri-Wuzard tournament and therefore nullifies the contract, ensuring that either the Tri-Wizars tournament must be called off for that Harry Potter is not allowed to compete. The Goblet of Fire isn't deeply understandable due to the fact that it's decisions don't make sense, and it throws the entire story into question and renders Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire impossible even in the Harry Potter universe. Perhaps the source novel explains if more, perhaps it doesn't, but the movie left me wandering and that unfortunately renders viewers likely to ask questions that the film cannot answer.

Also, there is another thing unexplained in the story. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone depicts Voldemort as having deceased after Harry Potter destroyed him with what Huey Lewis refers to as "The Power of Love" yet surviving as a ghost for an indefinite time period. While in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he is scene alive in a small and weak physical form. I'm sure there is logic behind that, but it isn't explained and after what happened in the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone I simply wonder what the deal was. While it could be explained in the source novel, the movie leaves the answer ambiguous and left me befuddled. Essentially, despite a basic story in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, small story elements that are key to it are overlooked and leave me disappointed and uncertain as to if I would still call this one my favourite of the series.

But luckily enough I can still say with honesty that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is vast entertainment.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my former favourite Harry Potter film due to the concept of the Tri-Wizard tournament. The story follows a direct path while it lets subplots unfold around it and allows new characters to introduce themselves to the series, all while it explores more of the mysteries of Voldemort and the mythology of dragons and mermaids. So the fantasy undertones of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire are really interesting, and the atmosphere is dark and thrilling consistently as Harry Potter faces the potential impending death of a situation he became mysteriously dragged in to. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire holds no reserves with exploring its dark territory and going into the mysteries of the magical universe. And while it's doing all that it doesn't neglect the importance of going into depth about its characters, so it tackles its stories from all angles and ensures that it is a consistently interesting one. One of the strongest aspects of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is how it dramatises the nature of Cedric's death when his father cries for his fallen son in a perfectly dramatised moment which almost had me in tears, so the dramatic effect of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is superior to in any of the previous films as it touches on a saddening death directly when its predecessors did so indirectly.

And from a visual perspective, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is terrific. As well as riding a skilfully composed musical score which keeps things intense and atmospheric consistent until the dramatic finale, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire contains the best visual effects to date which puts extraneous detail into its mythological characters, particularly its dragons. The visual effects make the experience awesome and depict the finest use of wand magic to date, particularly in the final duel sequences. The visual effects prove to just increase in quality more and more with every film, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire features the finest to date.

And while maintaining the same original production design for Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire also uses some new designs to touch upon its fresh locations where the Tri-Wizard Tournament occurs which allows the massive spectacle of things to be full of memorable imagery. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the best visual spectacle of the series thus far and works at delving into its dark territory without trouble. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tells it's complicated story very well with excellent technical elements, and it is easy for viewers to find themselves lost in the magic of the story, forgetting that it is a movie.

And as the material in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has gotten darker, the actors have gotten more serious.

Daniel Radcliffe stands to tackle the most screen time in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, even more than in the preceding films because the story is focused on him as he faces the Tri-Wizard Tournament against his will. And the emotional tension that comes with someone risking their life against dragons and other life-threatening mythology while keeping an eye out for the safety and wellbeing of all the other competitors is executed perfectly by Daniel Radcliffe. He rides the lead role with charisma and tackle the dark territory of the film with ease, and his sharp but troubled line delivery puts more depth into the character which makes Harry Potter an even better figure.

Rupert Grint faces a new side to the character Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire because audiences bear witness to his more jealous side when Harry Potter ends up in the Tri-Wizard tournament or when Hermione Granger gets a date with somebody else before he could ask her out, so we see a foreshadowing for the later more negative aspects of the character in which he is a bit of an ass. And Rupert Grint gets the character dead on with accuracy to facial gestures and rough line delivery, establishing a sense of awkwardness but a certain fearless anger at the same time. Rupert Grint steps up to another side in his iconic character Ron Weasley, and that makes Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire more appealing.

Emma Watson has reached a stage where she is becoming a stronger woman, and she puts that into the character easily because audiences bear witness to Hermione Granger developing into a woman more than anytime before in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Emma Watson steps into her role as Hermione Granger with ease once again and reveals a more fierce emotional side to her where she interacts with the other cast members in a more aggressive fashion at certain moments. Consistently she emits the same kind of insightful intelligence which make Hermione Granger the iconic character that she is, and when combined with the kind of age and wisdom that comes with her gradual development as a person, so she proves to be growing stronger as an actress as she gets older.

And the returning efforts of Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman and Michael Gambon all manage to make an entertaining impact, while Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire also faces the presence of newcomer Brendan Gleeson as Alastor Moody, and the image of him too. The character Alastor Moody proves to be a strong and fierce wizard which makes him a good teacher of defence against the dark a rats, and at the same time he emits a sense if mysterious darkness which leave audiences always asking questions which the film does not fail to answer by the end of its running time. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire boasts another talented actor stepping into the role tackled by three others before, and he gives it a more intense and mysterious effort than any of the others which make him one of the best to be cast in the role of a defence against the dark arts teacher.

Anyone who has ever seen Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire should never ever see Twilight. As a kid I never saw any of such films but always enjoyed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and ever since I unfortunately watched all of the first Twilight movie, it is hard for me to look Robert Pattinson in the eyes again. While Twilight was a waste of his talents, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire proved that he actually had them by giving him the role of Cedric Diggory which is really the finest role he has ever played. While Twilight attempted to capitalise on his boyish charm, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire managed to harness it. Robert Pattinson has a friendly youthful charm which he puts into the role which makes him a character easy to care about, and it makes Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a more compelling feature.

And Miranda Richardson who is a legendary British actress for her diverse collection of roles in films like me The Crying Game or the Blackadder TV series is given the perfect part for her which features a relentlessly perfect dedication to portraying a stereotypical gossip columnist and doing it with the comedic charm that viewers of Blackadder have come to love about her, so her performance is a nostalgic one.

David Tennant also gave a fine performance during his brief screen time.

And lastly, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the first in the series to feature two time Academy Award nominated actor Ralph Fiennes in the role of Lord Voldemort. With makeup and costuming which leaves him looking nothing like he truly is, Ralph Fiennes disappears into the role and gives a more antagonistic and dark performance than his role as Amon Goeth in the masterpiece Schindler's List. Seriously, the character Lord Voldemort is unforgettable due to Ralph Fiennes' dedication to character, and he is a perfectly dark and twisted figure who takes on the role flawlessly.

So Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a complex and striking visual spectacle with maturity and dark mythology to it, even if it lacks explanation and justification of particular internal logic.