Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Yey!

I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last Saturday and was again enchanted by this terribly addicting tale of the boy wizard destined to defeat the most evil magician of his time. Before we got to the cinema, though, we had a difficult time getting to the mall as all buses within our area were on strike and at the venue, we came across this terribly rude ticket seller who wouldn't sell us tickets for the 12:30 noon showing as it was only 5 minutes before 12:00. By the time we sat down to fully immerse ourself in the film, we were hungry, irritable and very frustrated. It was a good thing we were not disappointed with the film, because the special effects more than made up for our horrible morning.

Although there were portions from the book taken out or modifed for cinematic purposes, this fourth installment of the Rowling series more or less captures the best of the book and provides a more impressive view of the wizarding world than the previous three films. You will not be disappointed with the World Cup and Triwizard Tournament, which comprise two lengthy yet integral events in the story. I especially liked the introduction of the teams that were to take part in the World Cup as well as the dragon-fighting part of the Triwizard Tournament.

The most striking scene involving a main character for me was when Hermione descended the stairs to meet Viktor Krum at the beginning of the dance. This was a revelation for me, in that the actress who played the part grew up with her character, as did the actors for Harry and Ron's parts. I was amazed at the casting, specifically at how they could get the new actors to look exactly like the characters in the book that I had imagined. Krum, Karkaroff, Mad Eye Moody, and Cho Chang really came alive with the actors cast in their roles. I was a bit put off by the ones chosen to portray Cedric Diggory and Rita Skeeter, but their characterizations grew on me by the time the film ended.

This two-hour movie is not as dark as the third, but has a sinister atmosphere with a focus on the re-emergence of the Dark Lord who, in the personalization of Ralph Fiennes, has regained enough power to harm Harry but not enough to reinstate his former glory. You just know that his return in the parts five and six of the series will be something to look forward to.