Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Movie Review

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

The story starts with all the buddies, Harry, Hermoine and Ron coming back to school. In the Great Hall, Dumbledore announces the Triwizard Tournament that’s being held at Hogwarts and how 3 wizards above the age of 17, from 3 of the wizarding schools will compete for highest honour and greatest glory!

Harry Potter Triwizard First task

The movie is well made, very stylish and extremely visually appealing. The line between special effects and reality is sufficiently blurred to make the experience completely enjoyable and speaks to the wonderful advancements made in the industry today. I was most amazed with the way Rowling’s vision has been brought to the screen. Nowhere do the sets and their rich rendering disappoint, be it the spectacular Quidditch World Cup, the Beauxbatons carriage and Durmstrang ship and most importantly in the tasks of the triwizard tournament themselves. The dragons, merpeople and the maze are wonderful to watch. The second task involving the water and merpeople recieved, I think, the best treatment of the lot. The Hogwarts castle has lost the enchanted look which it had in Alfonso Cuaron’s version, opting instead for more prosaic stone walls, circular staircases and stained glass windows but there is so much else happening in the movie, that it doesnt matter too much.

A panicked Hermione, Ron and Harry grouped in front of members of the Weasley family at the Quidditch World Cup

Technically this book has the most action and hence, is the one that is most suitable for adapting to screen and with so much action going on the story moves along at a brisk pace. Rowling purists will notice HUGE slashes being made in the material. A number of side-plots and character developments that are in the book are completely reduced or done away with completely. For example, the Quidditch World Cup which takes about half the book is reduced to the first 10-15 minutes and we are taken directly to the Triwizard Tournament.

The movie has a lot of high points and has done fair justice to the book (even with the cuts)! It makes you smile quite often. But what it does the best, is keeping you on the edge of your seats inspite of knowing everything that’s going to happen!

And that I guess is the strength of the movie! I mean you know every action and reaction and yet you marvel at its screen rendition. It’s a near perfect vision of what you may have imagined while reading the book!

Overall, this is a good movie, a fun and entertaining watch.

So all ye Potter fans, who are wondering whether this one is worth your time?

The answer is a loud resounding YES!

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