Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire

J.K. Rowling's boy wizard enters PG-13 territory for the first time to face his most dangerous nemesis—growing up

	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
	Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Ralph Fiennes
	Directed by Mike Newell
	Screenplay by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
	Warner Brothers
	PG-13
	Opened Nov. 18

By Thomasina Gibson

n oversized snake slithering through the undergrowth, a doddering old man limping toward an unpleasant demise and a sweaty boy being woken out of dream by a young woman ... surely this can't be the start of a Harry Potter movie? Where's the tinkly music, where's the frizzle of magnanimous magic that heralds the boy-who-lived's latest adventure? Where's the laughter at Harry's bumbling relatives being put in their place once again? You won't find it in this neck of the enchanted forest. There's plenty of laughter on the way, but it comes as very welcome light relief from the darker images evoked by director Mike Newell's visually stunning representation of J.K. Rowling's fourth blockbuster novel.

Right from the get-go, it's clear "dark times lie ahead" for Potter (Radcliffe) as evil Voldemort (Fiennes), aka You-Know-Who to his friends, sits bundled in a chair demanding deaths, destruction and a drop of Harry's blood in order to rise and take over the wizarding world. You'd think an almost all-powerful being like the psychopathic serpent-man formerly known as Tom Riddle would do an Indiana Jones type of thing and just shoot the boy with a bullet from a gun, but then we'd be without a great adventure and two and a half hours of pure magic.

The movie is a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows for the inhabitants of Harry's world. After the sinister beginning with Voldemort's sycophantic minions vowing unswerving devotion and the delivery of Hogwarth's finest, Harry, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and various members of the Weasley family set off for the Quidditch World Cup—a joyous occasion set in a stadium the size of the council chamber from Star Wars. The fun and frivolity come to an abrupt end when a bunch of Death Eaters—looking for all the world like black-garbed Klan members—start to torture the Muggles (non-magic folk) and torch the tents of the World Cup spectators.

Understandably, panic ensues. Harry's knocked unconscious and wakes in time to see a leather-clad figure (David Tennant) summon the Dark Mark (a death's-head skull with a snake protruding from its mouth), thereby letting everyone know the Dark Lord is on his way.

From then on, things get really tough for poor old Harry. His name explodes from the infamous Goblet of Fire, thereby proclaiming him a champion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and a dangerous series of challenges ensues wherein the competitors must battle furious dragons, outwit menacing mermaids and penetrate a flesh-enveloping maze to capture the Tri-Wizard Cup and "eternal glory." Each of these set pieces is a visual-effects triumph that surely must garner effects supervisor Jimmie Mitchell an array of award nominations.

Harry can deal with most of this death-defying stuff easily, but asking Cho Chang, the girl of his dreams (beautifully played by newcomer Katie Leung), to the school dance—that's a truly terrifying task. His ordeal is made even worse by the poisonous Rita Skeeter's (Miranda Richardson) paparazzi-style reporting and unsubtle sexual innuendo.

Finally—a sense of Britishness

Daniel Radcliffe conjures a polished performance as the pubescent teen trying to come to terms with wizardry, women and the fact that a demented megalomaniac is trying to kill him. Radcliffe's comic timing is a revelation, particularly during some bath-time frolics with a mischievous ghost (Shirley Henderson), while his bad timing on the dance floor is sure to raise a heartfelt smile or three. The intensity with which he attacks the final confrontation with his nemesis and his grief at Cedric Diggory's (Robert Pattison) murder show how far Radcliffe's acting skills have improved in the past five years.

Newell's Goblet of Fire is brimful of opportunities that illuminate individual character. Rupert Grint—or should that be Grunt—is brilliant as the confused, embittered, angst-ridden Ron. He's the embodiment of every gloomy teenage boy, from telling Harry to "piss off" to "pissing off" everyone at the Yule Ball, including "secret swan" Hermione.

Talented Watson puts aside her character's annoying "know-it-all" persona to reveal a budding beauty who can't quite believe the spell she's cast over Bulgarian hunk Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski). Love is in the air, too, for gamekeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and his French fancy Madame Maxime (Frances DeLa Tour), and a wonderful thing it is to behold. The intimate moment when Madame decides to tidy up her scruffy lovebird will have every person in the audience going "Ewwww!"

Brendan Gleeson plays Mad Eye Moody, a former dark wizard catcher turned school teacher (an interesting career move), with lip-smacking relish. Professors Snape (Alan Rickman) and McGonagall's (Dame Maggie Smith) all-too-brief appearances are, nevertheless, delicious.

Stuart Craig's production designs from the sepulchral gloom of the graveyard to the silver sprayed elegance of the Great Hall are literal works of art. Jarvis Cocker's witty tunes for the Wyrd Sisters band are the perfect foil to Patrick Doyle's symphonic score.

Yes, there will be purists who moan that too much has been cut from the book, but at a whopping 700-plus pages, it would have taken a "time-turner" to squeeze everything in. As it is, director Newell has judiciously pruned the mammoth tome and delivered a feast that is fun, fast-paced and full of delights. His boarding-school background gives this movie a sense of British-ness missing from the three previous Harry Potter productions and his grasp of the mysterious and macabre celebrates the thriller at the heart of J.K. Rowling's novel.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is not a children's movie. It's a movie for anyone who likes adventure and excitement sprinkled with magical moments. Newell's direction has ensured that the Harry Potter franchise has come of age, and, in the words of the boy wizard himself, "I love magic." —Thomasina

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