Area 77

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire :

I just came back from watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and as you can tell, I kinda liked it. An exquisit movie in all areas. Acting, faithfulness to the book, and creative directing.

As many of you know, there has been three different directors for the four movies. This was done so that the movies would have a variety of interpretations throughout the series; giving fans another reason to go insane waiting for the next installment. For Goblet of Fire, an English director was used. Mike Newell had previously directed Mona Lisa Smile and Four Weddings and A Funeral. I really liked the directing in this one. The camera angles were weird at times, making me feel like I wasn’t watching a movie but that I was sitting across the table. I’m no expert in cinematography and direction but I can tell that I personally liked Mike Newell’s than of the previous Harry Potter movies. It’s more exciting.

Goblet of Fire is the longest book in the series so far. It was packed with so many details, events, etc. that there was thought of splitting it into two movies! I won’t complain about the many things that were left out because it would be ridiculous. The movie already is 157 minutes long and I think it’s just asking too much if one was to complain about being completely faithful to the book. As always, the screenwriter, Steven Kloves, is supremely faithful content-wise. He won’t write a word without getting the “OK” from J.K. Rowling.

One thing that definately stood out this time is the quality of acting in all the characters. Especially in Emma Watson who plays Hermione Granger. Reading reviews from some of my favorite critics, I can now agree that the three teenage actors have truely matured and grown. And you can actually see it! And I don’t mean physically. However, the only reason I gave this movie a 4.5 instead of a 5 is because of Michael Gambon. I believe the producers could have found a better Dumbledore. To me, Dumbledore was an extremley wise man with a gentle voice, touch, and personality. Michael Gambon was everything but gentle. The late Richard Harris was a fantastic Dumbledore and I really do miss him in these movies. I’m always thinking of him whenever Michael Gambon appears on the screen.

This is the darkest of all four installments yet the ocassional bits of humor are delivered with fantastic timing that you actually do chuckle for a few moments. And yes, most of those little moments had some participation from Ron or the Weasley twins.

My final thoughts are that this is a great movie and I won’t be hesitant if asked to go see it again right now. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of the books and maybe not. The scenes were almost exactly if not better than I have imagined, which is why I can’t say I have a favorite scene. I feel sad that the anticipation is over. But the excitement is still here and I’m basking in every last drop of it!

Bottom line: go see it.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005 at 6:50 am and is filed under Literature/Poetry, TV/Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.