Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005

Wisely retaining the visual aesthetic of Azkaban, albeit with a little more colour, this does lack the visual flourishes and background details that characterised the previous entry. The filmmakers have also recognised the need to streamline Rowling’s novels and keep the focus largely on Harry, though Brendan Gleeson is also a great addition to the secondary characters as Moody. It’s a shame then that a large portion of the plot focuses on a tournament that offers very little except some fun set pieces and the coming of age themes involving teenage jealousy, friendship difficulties and attraction don’t feel as integrated into the plot as last time. Part of the problem is that much of this feels largely inconsequential to the impending return of Voldemort. His return has been teased for three entries and right from the start, it’s clear the film is building to it. Fortunately, the final portion of the film doesn’t disappoint and Ralph Fiennes is deliciously arrogant, evil and appears to be having a great time. There is an intensity and ultimately a sadness to the end of the film as the central trio are faced with mortality and death that takes the series forward into more uncertain times and a recognition that a darker more adult world awaits them beyond the seemingly safe confines of their environment.

Maybe it‘s because I just re-read the novel before watching it again, but this movie is jarring in its simplicity compared to the book. I get that you can‘t cram all the contents of almost 800 pages into a normal-length film, and some plot points need to be made more plain because exposition isn‘t as easy in this medium*, but it felt like they left out some scenes for budget reasons (like the world cup) but then over-dramatised scenes which didn‘t really need it (like the first task) or added completely superfluous ones (like the dance scene) - and of course, there‘s the parts changed for no conceivable reason, like the Beauxbatons/Durmstrang gender separation (are there no male French wizards??), the maze (surely the special effects budget was taxed just as much by this as it would have been by a Sphinx?) and the much-criticised angry!Dumbledore.

*I get leaving out Bertha Jorkins or Neville giving Harry the Gillyweed, for example, it‘s unnecessarily convoluted for a movie, but I hate the parts where they change things for „clarity“ (because they think viewers are idiots) and then ruin the whole point - like Polyjuice Potion not transforming your voice, which they thankfully changed for this movie, or someone‘s eyes glazing over under the Imperius Curse (despite Moody saying you couldn‘t tell who was under its influence).

I just don’t know with this one. Didn’t like it back in the day, and that’s still the case now.
The directing and visuals are a major step down from Cuaron, though it still maintains a lot of its gothic style.
Some of the acting choices are highly questionable. I’m not just talking about that one scene with Dumbledore that got memed to death, but also some of the choices made by Brendan Gleeson and David Tennant can be a bit much. Still, even Mike Newell can’t get a bad performance out of Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman, so there’s that.
The first act feels rushed as hell, it’s pushing through way too much stuff. Take the Quidditch World Cup. Not only is it a bummer that we don't get to see the interesting stuff (the match), but the attack that follows isn't very well done either. The blocking is super awkward, the way it’s edited and put together looks sloppy, the scene doesn’t breathe. To me, this film doesn’t really find its groove until that first classroom scene with Moody. From there on, it’s a mixed bag. Some of the spectacle’s fun and well done, but there are also some moments that feel cringy. That might be intentional, as the main characters are teenagers, but there’s something about the directing and dialogue that feels off.
When it comes to the characters, I do think this film has some major building blocks for the journeys of Harry, Ron and Hermoine as characters, and that’s all pretty well handled. However, none of the other champions are even remotely interesting, and that sucks because Robbert Pattinson’s probably the most important part for the emotional core of this film, so his big moments don’t hit as hard as they should.
In essence, it’s still competent, but I think it made a lot of the wrong choices and ends up being very flawed.

5/10

63 | Every year since Harry arrived dangerous things always happened in Hogwarts. Probably Harry should reconsider moving to another wizarding school. This film seems to have more budget than the previous films. The quidditch world cup was so majestic and exciting to watch. Not long after that, the main focus of the story appears which is Harry Potter's main villain. We learned that from the tournament held by three schools. It was a ridiculous tournament because of how dangerous it was. They literary tried to kill their students. It was even funnier when they said it was to strengthen the school's friendship. Fortunately, the writing was the only bad thing in this film. Other than that, the acting, production design, and the directing were good, not great but good enough. The next film would be very interesting after the dark lord himself comeback.

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Rating: 62.71

Plot

P1: 1.3
P2: 1.0
P3: 0.7
P4: 1.5

Director: Mike Newell

Favorite Characters

1.6: Brendan Gleeson as Barty Crouch Junior
1.4: Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort
1.2: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
1.1: Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory
0.9: Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
0.8: Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Written by Kornelius Harda Wicaksana

Ron: "Do you think we'll ever just have a quiet year at Hogwarts?"
Hermione, Harry: "No."
Ron: "Yeah, didn't think so. Oh well, what's life without a few dragons?"

Everyone has long hair in this one for some reason. Goblet of Fire has always been my least favorite of the franchise mainly because of the sports tournament, it changes the recipe but i'd rather have another mystery adventure storyline like they usually do. What I like even less is the teen drama stuff and the dance subplot. It's still a good watch because of the characters who I adore. Brendan Gleeson is a great addition as Moody but the ones that shine the most (once again) are Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith. Pattinson's character doesn't get enough scenes before the third act. The Quidditch World Cup was so brief. The dragon chase, underwater scenes and the maze in the third act were all pretty thrilling. Last battle's epic and I love the set piece.

Magical Creatures Ranked (by favorite):

1. Hungarian Horntail Dragon - I wish we saw the other 3 battles cause that was awesome.
2. Abraxan Winged Horse - flying horses carrying what I was hoping would be Santa.
3. Siren/Selkie - very ugly, they would never seduce anyone.
4. Triwizard Maze - getting lost is the least of your worries in there.
5. Licorice Snap - that jumpscare always gets me. Black licorice is disgusting anyway so teaches anybody who goes for it.
6. Snake (Nagini) - Voldemort's pet snake. Looks pretty domesticated to me.
7. Grindylow - little angry octopus people.

Script: 7

Deviates greatly from the book, and adds plenty of teenage love drama and a darker tone. Some of it has been made for a greater cinematic pleasure, but there are so changes that make little sense for those who haven't read the book.

Main cast: 6

Perfectly suitable but not particularly developed from previous films. Radcliffe still has trouble with emotional acting.

Supporting cast: 8

Highlights include Miranda Richardson as Skeeter, Roger Lloyd-Pack as Barty Crouch, and Ralph Fiennes as iconic villain Lord Voldemort.

Protagonist & antagonist: 7

While Harry enters his emo face that culminates in the next film, Voldemort rises again and feels like a real threat.

Production: 10

With darker vibes, the film sets the tone and style for the rest of the series and David Yates keeps the massive narrative well together. The design and sets also look great.

Post-production: 10

The CGI is believable, down to the first big dragon of the series. The music takes a darker turn while using familiar melodies.

Atmosphere: 9

Dark and menacing, it clearly marks a tonal shift for the series while also putting more emphasis on relationships and a more varied type of humor.

Pacing: 12

Despite its long runtime, it keeps up interest with humor, excitement and enough material from the book to keep fans engaged.

Expectations: 7

It stays true to the main plot of the book and manages to raise the feeling of coming danger, but it would have been nice to see less of the first third of the book cut.

Replay value: 9

One of the more solid and entertaining entries in the series. Easily fun to watch several times over.

Score: 85/120

Tournament time for Harry, Ron and Hermione, as their beloved Hogwart's Academy plays host to a high-stakes wizarding competition and an influx of students from two international schools. It also represents childhood's end, in a way, as mortal stakes are raised and the trio begin to take an interest in members of the opposite sex.

The series has grown considerably darker this time around, and in more than just a thematic sense. All around the school, formerly bustling with life, the colors feel drained and lights extinguished. It's a chilly, drab-looking film, apart from a few splashy moments during the action scenes, lacking the bits of good-natured whimsy that had typified the franchise to this point. Many, many threads from the novel are completely omitted, which makes sense as it's a seven-hundred page tome and would not have easily fit into a feature-length window, but those remaining points lack a sense of cohesion. Rather than speckled segments of a greater whole, they play like mix-and-match dashes of half-told sidetracks; a shifting, unfocused narrative that nearly serves as a jumbo-sized montage.

The broader saga takes some important steps this time around, with Voldemort finally making an in-the-flesh appearance and Harry working his way through some particularly sticky situations. We add a few important supporting players, too, although that seems to come at the expense of the core trio. Ron and Hermione are relegated to second (or third) fiddles, and the film sorely misses that sense of camaraderie as their mutual society approaches an existential crisis.

A tricky episode to rate, one which could have been excellent with a bit more focus and room to breathe, but also may have been nearly unwatchable at the proper length. We're finally moving somewhere consequential, at any rate.