Day Four: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (88%)

From the very beginning of this fourth film in the Harry Potter series, we know that we're in for a much darker film than we've previously seen. The opening scene of the film shows us the hapless caretaker of the long-abandoned Riddle estate being murdered via a magical curse, or at least that's what Harry has been dreaming about. This nightmare of Harry's is a sign that we've entered into a much more mature territory.

Director Mike Newell has the unenviable task of following Alfonso Cuaron's excellent Prisoner of Azkaban, so far the high point of the series. Newell's Goblet of Fire isn't quite the achievement that Azkaban was, but it's a fine film nonetheless.

That leads me to a something that I'm increasingly aware of as I watch each one of these films; each installment of this franchise (so far) is a great movie. The first couple of films have their flaws, but Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets are excellent introductions to Harry's world, and they are both very enjoyable films. And I must give credit were credit is due; the wonderful Prisoner of Azkaban reaps the benefits of the time spent in the first two films establishing the on-screen version of Rowling's universe.

Freed from the necessity of introductions, screenwriter Steve Kloves (who's been adapting this entire series so far) makes some pretty drastic cuts to Rowling's novel in order to stay focused on Harry. That means we don't see the Dursleys at all, we never see the original connection between the murdered caretaker and Voldemort, and Hermione's elf activism (a major subplot in the book) has been cut too. Granted, none of these details take away from the story, but serious fans of the novels may have lamented their removal.

The plot centers around Harry's participation in the Triwizard Tournament, a Olympics of sorts for wizards. Although he's supposed to be too young for the tournament, someone conspires to put Harry's name forward anyway, and he becomes the Hogwarts champion alongside none other than Edward Cullen, I mean Robert Pattinson. As Harry tries to meet the challenges of the various events, the wizarding world is dealing with the aftermatch attack from the Death Eaters, former henchmen of the dreaded Lord Voldemort.

One of the more interesting aspects of this film for me was that, for the first time, I felt like the wizard world wasn't stuck in Olde England. Previously, wizard-only areas like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade Village have had a very Victorian feel, and having characters talk about "parchment" and the like just reinforced a feeling that the wizarding world was rooted in the past (in spite of anomalies like the Weasley's flying car).

But now we're seeing much more sophisticated aspects of the world of Wizardry. The Quidditch world cup at the beginning of the film is as much a spectacle as the Super Bowl, complete with Diamondvision-style displays. We're also seeing Harry, Ron, and Hermoine take their first steps into the world of Teen Romance, and it's just as dramatic and perilous as it is for muggles.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson continue to grow as actors, and they're really able to make us believe in the evolution of their characters' relationships with each other. In particular, we see a new confidence from Harry, particularly when he's celebrating the completion of the first part of the tournament. Michael Gambon is settling nicely into the role of Dumbledore; as events really begin to worry and tax the Hogwarts headmaster, Gambon is deftly able to balance authority and humanity. And we finally get to see a bit more out of the great Maggie Smith. Goblet of Fire shows her best scene in the entire series so far; prepping the Gryffindor house for the Yule Ball, which she calls an opportunity for "well-mannered" frivolity, she threatens the students, saying she won't have the good name of Gryffindor ruined by a "babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"

The parade of British actors continues in this installment; Jason Isaacs returns, as does Gary Oldman (or at least his voice), and although he wasn't so famous at the time, it's nice to see Robert Pattinson play something other than the brooding vampire. Brendan Gleeson makes his first appearance as the fearsome Mad-Eye Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Miranda Richardson appears as the conniving gossip reporter Rita Skeeter. David Tennant (recently of Dr. Who fame) plays a Death Eater sentenced to Azkaban. And then there's the great Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. Fiennes has played villains before, and he really captures the arrogance, malice, and violence of the dark lord.

In the end, I think Newell was really trying to follow Cuaron's previous installment. Like Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire is a dark film, but he overdoes it at times. For instance, the weather around Hogwarts is often rainy, and even the sunshine looks wan and pale. And cinematographer Roger Pratt seems to be trying to create some of the same types of shots that Michael Seresin had created for Cuaron in Azkaban. Indeed, a couple of shots are exactly the same; you might not notice this in the 12 months between film releases, but when you're watching the movies back to back it's glaringly obvious.

The real strength in this film, though, lies in the Newell's more original elements. The entrances of the Beauxbatons and the Durmstrangs are artfully (if a bit sensually) staged. The chaotic Death Eater attack at the Quidditch Word Cup is appropriately scary. The challenges of the tournament (dragons, mer-folk, and a malicious hedge maze) are exciting to watch. And as Harry finally faces the reborn Voldemort, we get our first look at two wizards locked in mortal combat, and it doesn't disappoint.

Like Cuaron, Newell doesn't return for another installment, and although Goblet of Fire is a good film, I'm not disappointed that he's not coming back for another film.

Deconstructing Harry Dates:

• Day One: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
• Day Two: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
• Day Three: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
• Day Four: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
• Day Five: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
• Day Six: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)