17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not the best..., 23 Feb 2006
After the incredible, adult-orientated Prisoner of Azkaban, the fourth outing for Potter, Goblet of Fire, seems to be a backwards step towards the more kiddie style of the first two films.
The main reason for that fact is because the film-makers virtually tried to squeeze the entire 600 page novel into a 2 and a half hour running time. That was a mammoth task, done pretty well, but as far as adaptations go, its not even the best in this series.
Out go a few major plot lines, like Hermione's Elf campaign, but everything else is bunged into the script into a reduced form. Scenes that were pages long in the book get reduced to a couple of minutes of film, which I felt gave the film a feeling of being rushed, unfulfilled plotlines and a confusing style if you HADN'T read the book.
Harry Potter newbies (if, indeed, there are any?!) should avoid. This will only confuse them. But for the real fan, Goblet of Fire is impossible to dislike.
Being thrown into JK Rowling's world once again is always a delight, particularly as it is always how I imagined it from reading. The huge ensemble cast is a delight (even if the three main leads still disappoint), and the new characters and actors are embraced into the series with welcome arms. It's only annoying that firm favourites like Sirius and Snape just don't get enough screen time!
The film mostly revolves around the Tri-Wizard tournament, and the three contests really are the action highlights of the film. The rest of the film only bridges the gap between the next test. ost memorable is an encounter with a dragon, expanded on superbly from the book.
Much has been made of the super-scary ending - finally he who must not be named is revealed in all his disgusting glory, and its the true highlight of the film. Yes, it's dark, sure it could be scary for very young kids, but my 9 year old neice was fine with the dark horror nature of the finale.
Still, it doesn't matter if this film was absolute rubbish - it would still sell by the bucketload, and we're virtually guaranteed a film of book 5 - so its refreshing that the film makers don't rest on their laurels, and at least try to make a film thats better than the last.
Looking at the extras, its also worth noting that there is more on how they made the film and behind the scenes, rather than the earlier films DVD releases that just gave us set-top games and quizzes. The making ofs should be interesting, and I look forward to discovering how they created some of the scenes.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another excellent Potter adaptation, 20 July 2006
Film version of the 4th Potter book where Harry is unwittingly entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Sensibly the two-and-a-half-hour Goblet Of Fire film concentrates on the tournament rather than the other sub-plots in the book though there is still some room for lightness and humour amongst the darkness of the main story.
The effects are of course brilliant and Goblet Of Fire another excellent adaptation though Prisoner Of Azkaban is the pick of the bunch for me so far.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, 15 Mar 2006
By A Customer
I am a true Harry Potter fan, having read all of the books about a hundred times each, but i thought that this fourth film was fantastic. Sure, it cut out quite a lot and added a couple of things, but it was still a brilliant watch. Definately the best of the four and the kids are so much better at acting! People who dislike the film need to get a life-its brilliant!
The film follows all of the major plot, and although there could have been a little more about the world cup i thought it was amazing. The special effects were fantastic-especially the underwater scenes!
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