 |
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the fourth movie in the Harry Potter franchise, based on the very popular children's book series. Please do keep in mind that this movie is based on the book, which means that as good as the movie is, reading the book is better. Before I begin, I must make one point clear. There are 2 types of people who will watch this movie: the readers and fans of the books, and the watchers and viewers of movies. Each of these two groups will have a varying opinion of this story and that is due to their level of expectation. Almost certainly you will find that the fans of the book will not like this movie very much (as so much was edited out for time-constraints), but those who have not read the books almost all love the movie for it's action and adventure. That having been said, this movie really races along in it's fast paced action. We begin with Harry and his friends excitedly attending a huge international sporting event. We do not get to see the actual event, just before and afterwards. During the post-game party, a terrorist attack by a group known as 'Death Eaters', breaks out. The plot moves along quickly to the beginning of the school year where Harry and pals are beginning their 4th year of instruction at "magical high school" Hogwarts. Immediately introduced are a gaggle of female students from a French wizarding school and a surly bunch of male students from a Bulgarian wizarding school. One student from each school will be competing with a Hogwarts student in an inter-school competition call the Tri-Wizard tournament. But alas for poor Harry, a happy and carefree school year is not in the cards. Under very unusual circumstances, his name is drawn to also compete in the magical tournament...one that he is underage, underskilled and underprepared to compete in. Everyone is mad at Harry for "cheating" to get his name in the competition...even his best friend Ron. Luckily things pick up for Harry when he starts winning in the competitions and at least most people are not mad at him anymore...but he has other problems...such as the very awkward position of having to ask the girl he has a crush on, to the school dance. The plot culminates right where you think it would end...Harry wins the competition but is transported right into the arms of his most evil foe, Lord Voldemort, who now is reborn with a powerful new body. From this point on, the story gets darker, as Lord Voldemort and death go hand-in-hand. To movie-watchers, this film is filled with fast-paced action presented at a break-neck speed. Excellent special effects male you feel that you are right in the story. To book-fans, you may feel that the characters in this story are oversimplified and presented in their very base terms. There is no complexity to their roles or to the story. The book that this film is based on is long and complicated and to film it just like the book would be near-impossible, however I feel this movie could have been better. But movie-only fans seem to like it. Along with his DVD comes a bonus disk, which includes special features. Extra footage, a self-guided tour of the school, interviews with cast and crew and games and activities equal hours of interactive fun. I hope that you enjoyed this review and that it has helped you in some way. If you found it to be insightful or helpful, I would kindly request that you vote "YES" (it was helpful). Thank you.Read full review
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is an excellent film; in my opinion, it's the best yet in the series. I was a little worried when the series started that the later films might suffer from an acting standpoint; all to often, it seems that when young actors grow older, they become less likely to be able to give a performance of the caliber we have come to expect of older actors. There are exceptions to the rule of course: for example, Elijah Wood was a child actor in "Radio Flyer" and he went on to star in "Lord of the Rings," as did Sean Astin, who was a child actor when he was in "The Goonies." The cast who play the students of Hogwarts are also very talented, and they are all convincing as the characters that they play. "The Goblet of Fire" is about the fabled Triwizard tournament, in which 3 schools compete for money, honor, and what looks like the Wizard version of the Stanley Cup. The goblet of fire picks the names of the competitors, all of whom are supposed to be over 17. Instead of 3 competitors, 4 are chosen. Can you guess the 4th? That's right, it's Harry! The problem is, he's only 14. The rules are clear though; anyone chosen by the goblet has to compete. Harry faces 3 challenges. He must get a golden egg away from a fire-breathing dragon, save his friends in a dark underwater lake, and finally he must find the goblet in a massive, sprawling maze, which is really quite breathtakingly large when viewed overhead. Now while the other Harry Potter movies have be relatively light (they HAVE been getting progressively darker), this movie is heartpounding, intense and dark, and while there are many scenes that provide comic relief, on the whole it is much darker that any Harry Potter movie up till now. I've seen some sellers on eBay refer to this as a "family movie," and it CAN be enjoyed by the whole family, but be aware that it is PG-13 for a reason. This can be scary for younger audiences, and I urge any parent to use discretion when deciding whether or not this is appropriate for your child. If your child is pretty brave or he/she has read the book version and is fine with it, the chances are that they will be fine with this. Still you might want to talk to them about it, and if your child is one who is easily scared, this may be to extreme for him/her. If they really want to watch it and you are concerned, consider viewing it for yourself before letting your child watch it. After all, who knows your child better than you? Some of the highlights of the movie (for me, at least,) included the Quidditch World Cup, the dance, the dragon challenge, and the climactic battle (which, btw, is perhaps the most intense scene in the movie). Sorry, I'm not going to tell you who the battle is with... if you don't know, I don't want to ruin the surprise. As far as what dvd to go with, I'd go with the 1 disc version (I got the fullscreen copy :D). The sound and picture quality are outstanding, and are what you should expect from a dvd. There are no special features on the 1 disc version, but I rented the special edition 2 disc set, and can assure you that you aren't missing much. The deleted scenes were nothing to write home about, and the only upside to them is that it gives you the utmost respect for whoever decided to cut them out of the movie. The games are ok, but they don't merit buying the 2 disc set. I highly recommend buying the 1 disc set. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the Goblet of Fire!Read full review
This most recent installment in the Harry Potter series is an absolute delight. As always, we enjoyed the visual feast with very nicely done special effects and cinematography and the respect with which the film remains true to the book. I was personally delighted that the Penseive in Dumbledore's office was exactly as I envisioned while reading about it. This episode features what feels like much more dire and dark danger for Harry, Hermoine, Ron and many of our other favorite characters. As the students at Hogwarts mature we see love and jealousy blossom, with the tension between Ron and Hermoine stepped up a notch. Of course no story about Harry could be complete without his growing to understand himself and the world around him a little more. It's not exactly accurate any longer to refer to the stars of this picture as "child actors". We've watched them grow and change, as have the characters that they so skillfully portray. Love, danger, intrigue and lots of magical moments, all set to a wonderful musical score, delight viewers young and old and offer a welcome distraction from our rather "Muggle-some" lives.Read full review
I think that it is safe to say that I have never been more eager for a film to be released onto the big screen. I think it is also safe to say that it has been a long, long time since I have enjoyed a film so much. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire is the greatest and latest of the saga, and was nothing short of beautiful. It's plot evolves around the triwizard tournament, a legendary event that brings three wizard schools together for a series of magical competitions. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliff) mysteriously finds himself unwillingly taking part as the forth champion. The story progresses through the three events and his struggle to survive them. All the time he is being setup for a terrorifing show-down with 'you know who' in a graveyard. As I mentioned previously, this film is beautiful. The characters are extremely deep and played to perfection by the now more experienced Daniel, Emma, and Rupert. The story is perfect and involving with more than a few twists. There are some stunning scenes thoughtout which enhances the film. It is the darkest to date and there is a very powerful and moving death scene but it is also unbelievable watchable and enjoyable. At one point my knees started to felt weak as the film began to conclude. To summarise Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire is a truly amazing film that can be enjoyed by all the family. I am counting the days to the release of the next film.Read full review
This is still a great Harry Potter movie. I was worried they might start getting cheezy (as many serial movies do), but that's definitely not the case here! I like the fact you can really see Harry grow in this one. It might be a little scary for some small kids. My almost 4-year-old daughter was a little scared the first time she watched it towards the end when Harry was in trouble, but after she found out he was okay, she loved it, and this is one of her more asked for ones to watch. We did watch it before she saw it, and figured she would feel that way about it. (She is a HUGE fan!) Not as close to the book as the other ones, but the book was SO much longer. I definitely would have loved the longer movie, but for production purposes, I don't blame them! It's probably my least favorite to date, but all in all, it's just another great part of the Harry story, and I can't wait until the new one comes out next week! (We'll be taking our little HP fan to see it a little closer to her birthday next month!)Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
