From the very beginning of this fourth film in the Harry
Potter series, we know that we’re in for a much darker film than we’ve
previously seen. The opening scene of the film shows us the hapless caretaker of
the long-abandoned Riddle estate being murdered via a magical curse, or at least
that’s what Harry has been dreaming about. This nightmare of Harry’s is a sign
that we’ve entered into a much more mature territory.
Director Mike Newell has the unenviable task of following
Alfonso Cuaron‘s
excellent
Prisoner of Azkaban, so far the high point of the series. Newell’s
Goblet of Fire isn’t quite the achievement that Azkaban was, but it’s a fine
film nonetheless.
That leads me to a something that I’m increasingly aware of as I watch each one
of these films; each installment of this franchise (so far) is a great movie.
The first couple of films have their flaws, but
Sorcerer’s Stone and
Chamber of
Secrets are excellent introductions to Harry’s world, and they are both very
enjoyable films. And I must give credit were credit is due; the wonderful
Prisoner of Azkaban reaps the benefits of the time spent in the first two films
establishing the on-screen version of Rowling’s universe.
Freed from the necessity of introductions, screenwriter Steve Kloves (who’s been
adapting this entire series so far) makes some pretty drastic cuts to Rowling’s novel
in order to stay focused on Harry. That means we don’t see the Dursleys at all,
we never see the original connection between the murdered caretaker and
Voldemort, and Hermione’s elf activism (a major subplot in the book) has been
cut too. Granted, none of these details take away from the story, but serious
fans of the novels may have lamented their removal.[rtimage]MapID=1152272&MapTypeID=2&photo=34&legacy=1[/rtimage]
The plot centers around Harry’s participation in the Triwizard Tournament, a
Olympics of sorts for wizards. Although he’s supposed to be too young for the
tournament, someone conspires to put Harry’s name forward anyway, and he becomes
the Hogwarts champion alongside none other than Edward Cullen, I mean
Robert Pattinson. As Harry tries to meet the challenges of the various events, the
wizarding world is dealing with the aftermatch attack from the Death Eaters,
former henchmen of the dreaded Lord Voldemort.[rtimage]MapID=1152272&MapTypeID=2&photo=51&legacy=1[/rtimage]
One of the more interesting aspects of this film for me was that, for the first
time, I felt like the wizard world wasn’t stuck in Olde England. Previously,
wizard-only areas like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade Village have had a very
Victorian feel, and having characters talk about “parchment” and the like just
reinforced a feeling that the wizarding world was rooted in the past (in spite
of anomalies like the Weasley’s flying car).
But now we’re seeing much more sophisticated aspects of the world of Wizardry.
The Quidditch world cup at the beginning of the film is as much a spectacle as
the Super Bowl, complete with Diamondvision-style displays. We’re also seeing
Harry, Ron, and Hermoine take their first steps into the world of Teen Romance,
and it’s just as dramatic and perilous as it is for muggles.
Daniel Radcliffe,
Rupert Grint, and
Emma Watson continue to grow as actors, and
they’re really able to make us believe in the evolution of their characters’
relationships with each other. In particular, we see a new confidence from
Harry, particularly when he’s celebrating the completion of the first part of
the tournament.
Michael Gambon is settling nicely into the role of Dumbledore;
as events really begin to worry and tax the Hogwarts headmaster, Gambon is
deftly able to balance authority and humanity. And we finally get to see a bit
more out of the great Maggie Smith. Goblet of Fire shows her best scene in the
entire series so far; prepping the Gryffindor house for the Yule Ball, which she
calls an opportunity for “well-mannered” frivolity, she threatens the students,
saying she won’t have the good name of Gryffindor ruined by a “babbling,
bumbling band of baboons!”[rtimage]MapID=1152272&MapTypeID=2&photo=46&legacy=1[/rtimage]The parade of British actors continues in this installment;
Jason Isaacs
returns, as does
Gary Oldman (or at least his voice), and although he wasn’t so
famous at the time, it’s nice to see Robert Pattinson play something other than
the brooding vampire.
Brendan Gleeson makes his first appearance as the fearsome
Mad-Eye Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Miranda Richardson
appears as the conniving gossip reporter Rita Skeeter. David Tennant (recently
of Dr. Who fame) plays a Death Eater sentenced to Azkaban. And then there’s the
great Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. Fiennes has played villains before, and
he really captures the arrogance, malice, and violence of the dark lord.
In the end, I think Newell was really trying to follow Cuaron’s previous
installment. Like Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire is a dark film, but he
overdoes it at times. For instance, the weather around Hogwarts is often rainy,
and even the sunshine looks wan and pale. And cinematographer Roger Pratt seems
to be trying to create some of the same types of shots that Michael Seresin had
created for Cuaron in Azkaban. Indeed, a couple of shots are exactly the same;
you might not notice this in the 12 months between film releases, but when
you’re watching the movies back to back it’s glaringly obvious.[rtimage]MapID=1152272&MapTypeID=2&photo=39&legacy=1[/rtimage]
The real strength in this film, though, lies in the Newell’s more original
elements. The entrances of the Beauxbatons and the Durmstrangs are artfully (if
a bit sensually) staged. The chaotic Death Eater attack at the Quidditch Word Cup
is appropriately scary. The challenges of the tournament (dragons, mer-folk, and
a malicious hedge maze) are exciting to watch. And as Harry finally faces the
reborn Voldemort, we get our first look at two wizards locked in mortal combat,
and it doesn’t disappoint.
Like Cuaron, Newell doesn’t return for another installment, and although Goblet
of Fire is a good film, I’m not disappointed that he’s not coming back for
another film.
Deconstructing Harry Dates:
