Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Directed by Mike Newell
Written by Steve Kloves
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon
Release Date November 18th, 2005
Published November 17th, 2005
Four movies, three different directors and not one slip in quality. This is the extraordinary track record of the Harry Potter film series. I am of the belief that a visionary director is the necessary component in making a great film series. George Lucas may not have directed all of the Star Wars films but his vision was constant and his aims achieved. Peter Jackson's imprint is the lasting legacy of the Lord of The Rings series.
What the producers of Harry Potter have achieved is astonishing for not having one director guiding the series with one singular vision. What Harry Potter does have is the brilliant work of author J.K Rowling whose hand in shaping the films made from her books cannot be underestimated. Even as she allowed each of three directors to bring something of their own aesthetic to each film, it is Rowling's imagination that finally ends up on the screen and it's the reason why Potter will go down as one of the greatest film series ever.
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire thrusts you right back into the world of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) as our hero reunites with friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) for year four at Hogwarts school of magic. Upon their arrival, after a brief and surprisingly dangerous visit to the Quidditch World Cup, they are informed that things are going to be different this year.
This year Hogwarts is playing host to the legendary Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous and deadly trial that introduces two other schools of magic heretofore unknown to us. From France the Beauxbaton Academy with female students as lithe and lovely as their school's name. On the other hand Belgium's Durmastrang students are as menacing as their school name and notably features the stern charismatic presence of Quidditch champion Viktor Krump.
For the Triwizard Tournament each of the schools will place names in the ominous Goblet of Fire, which will magically choose which students will represent their school in the tournament. Because of an age limit Harry, Ron and Hermione are not eligible for the tournament, or so we are told. Viktor Krum from Durmstrang, Fleur De La Course (Clemence Poesy) from Beauxbaton and Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts are supposed to be the only competitors however the Goblet has other ideas. Somehow, the name Harry Potter escapes the Goblet and, rules or not, Harry is forced into the tournament.
Harry did not submit his name for the tournament and one of the mysteries of the plot is who did put him in the tournament and what nefarious reasoning was behind it? Was it the new Dark Arts professor MadEye Moody (Brenden Gleeson), or was it the shady headmaster of Durmstrang Igor Karkaroff (Predrag Bjelac) who has a secret tie to the dark lord Voldemort? It certainly was not Ron or Hermione who were afraid for Harry's safety and in Ron's case a little jealous.
The Triwizard Tournament is yet another of the many visual wonders of the Potter series. Though the dragons of the first challenge are only okay in terms of CGI creativity, the chase scene they are part of is the film's first exciting moment. The underwater challenge, featuring some very unappealing mermaids, is, without a doubt, the best of the film's action. Using magic provided in a way by MadEye Moody, Harry grows gills, allowing him to remain underwater as long or longer than his fellow competitors. The challenge involves saving his closest friends from drowning. Not only does Harry save Ron's life but when Fleur is unable to continue with the challenge Harry risks his life to save one of Beaubaton's students as well.
The final challenge, an ever shifting maze leading to the tournament cup is only a mere precursor for the film's finale which features our first ever look at a living, breathing Lord Voldemort in the person of Ralph Fiennes. If this showdown is a bit of letdown-- it features a dreadful talking killer bit by Fiennes-- it's likely because we have three more chapters left in this film series, plenty of time before we have the true final throwdown.
The main subplot of Goblet of Fire is the ever quickening maturity of our heroic trio. As big a challenge as the Triwizard Tournament is, it may pale in adolescent comparison to the kids' first ever school dance, the Yule Ball. For Harry and Ron, finding a date may be more fearful and daunting than any evil magic they have faced. For Hermione it's only slightly better since she landed the most sought after date in the school, Viktor Krum.
Director Mike Newell, the third director to tackle a Potter movie, is the first British director to try his hand at this very English series and his Englishness comes through in the film's aesthetic. Britain is stereotypically gray and wet and such is the look of The Goblet of Fire often gray and wet. There is very little color and very little light which is also a function of this story's tone which is darker than the films that preceded it. Even in comic moments like Harry's uncomfortable bathing encounter with the ghostly Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson) the look of the scene is so dark and gray you can barely see Myrtle's non-corporeal form.
The contributions of writer Steven Cloves cannot be understated. When producers first received the book from J.K Rowling and found it was an eye-popping 734 pages there was talk of splitting it into two films. However, with director Mike Newell only signed on for one picture it was put to Cloves to pare the book's many plots and subplots into one script and keep it to the series average two and a half hour runtime.
Kloves' work is extraordinary if you are like me and have only watched the movies. I was impressed with the speed with which we were drawn back into this story. However, some fans of the book are finding some of their favorite subplots, including encounters with Harry's non-wizard family, the Dursleys, and a plot involving Ron's little sister Ginny, missing from the film. There is apparently a whole beginning of the book that was cut, likely in favor of getting back to Hogwarts quicker, that many fans are rather upset about.
Regardless of the few criticisms from hardcore Potter book fans, I doubt director Mike Newell could have made a better version of The Goblet of Fire even in two movies. The characters have deepened, the story has progressed well and while I prefer Alfonso Cuaron's warm inviting visuals, Goblet is better than its immediate predecessor in terms of preparing audiences for what is coming next.
The best compliment you can give a film that is intent on supplying sequels is to say you cannot wait to see what happens next. Well, I cannot wait to see what happens next. Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix comes out in 2007, which feels like an eternity away. I would consider reading the book but I don't want to be disappointed by the cut corners that will be necessary in adapting that book for the screen. I don't want to be disappointed the way some Potter acolytes are disappointed with Goblet of Fire.
It's not a disappointment in terms of outright dislike. Rather, most Potter book fans are going to enjoy this adaptation. It's more of a longing to see played out before them all that they had imagined from the book. Not seeing some of their favorite characters or subplots has dampened some of the enthusiasm for the film but overall fans should be satisfied with Goblet of Fire.
What comes next in the Potter series is likely to be a bigger challenge behind the scenes than in anything in the story. Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix is scheduled for theaters in 2007. It will be the first of the series to not feature a script by Steven Kloves who is taking time to direct his own feature called The Curious Incident of The Dog In the Night. The script for Phoenix will be penned by Michael Goldenberg best known for 2003's Peter Pan and the Jodie Foster movie Contact.
Even more daunting is that the new director will be David Yates, a television veteran who will make his big screen debut in one of the most highly anticipated franchise offerings in history. Even a seasoned veteran might be a little frightened by such a task.
