Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Choosing more daring directors as the books get darker is one of Warner Bros. smartest moves concerning this series. Y'all know I raved about the last one, and this one is just as good. Better in some respects -- the kids are definitely coming into their own. Daniel Radcliffe emotes beautifully when needed and acts like the teenager he is everyplace else. I wasn't quite as impressed with Emma Watson. She's as acerbic as she was before and I suppose I want her not to be, which is silly, as that's the way she's written. Most impressive is Rupert Grint as Ron. Ron's always been played as somewhat of a dolt, and in this film Grint gives us a more mature, less fearful teenage dolt. Perfect, as far as I'm concerned. Special effects are grand, especially the Quidditch arena (although we get no actual Quidditch, unfortunately). The plot is, well, the book, minus a few story lines (such as Hermione's alliance with the house elves), and needs the full 2.5 hours to be told. Supporting characters are, as usual, marvelous, especially Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter, the incredibly nosy journalist. But all I could think about at the end was how they better hurry the hell up. Film books five and six before Rowling gets seven out! That way we can be all be on the same "page" at the end. Besides which, there are 16-year-olds playing 14-year-olds now. How will it work when a 20- or 21-year-old is trying to play a 17-year-old in the last film? Let's hope they all keep their baby faces.

year: 2005
length: 157 min.
rating: 4.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330373/combined