I have always heard that you should never judge a book by its cover. This critic found that you should never judge a film by its fanfare. After seeing this film I quickly realized that I had been missing out on three other movies I should have seen a long time ago.
The story begins with Harry having an unsettling dream. The dream portrays future events that could very well point to his fate. Things are already not the way they should be when evidence that the Dark Lord is rising comes to light. However, when awaking Harry finds himself in the company of his good friends and on his way back to Hogwarts.
The Triwizard Tournament is almost under way and three wizards of age from different schools must compete for eternal glory. The Goblet of Fire has selected its three competitors, but an unexpected event graces Hogwarts. The Goblet of Fire spews the name of a fourth competitor, Harry Potter. Controversy arises when this happens because not only is Harry not of the appropriate age, but he did not submit his name to the Goblet of Fire.
As evil brews in Hogwarts, Harry and his friends find themselves getting mixed up in more than just wizardry. Hogwarts is now filled with the students of two other schools, and interests are peaking. Harry finds himself developing an interest in a girl from another school, while Harry’s friend Hermione develops a crush on one of the Triwizard competitors. Harry faces formidable foes throughout the tournament, and later learns that his worst nightmare is yet in store for him.
The single disc version of this DVD does not come with a single special feature, not even a trailer. However, if you are willing to spend a few bucks extra you can get a two-disc deluxe edition that comes with a trailer.
This film is a dream from start to finish. The costume design, sets, visual effects, and sound editing were all well above par. I was not disappointed in the least bit. The colors in the scenery were magnificent, as were the computer-generated dragons. The sound was audiophile heaven, spread over a near perfect 5.1 audio mix. If you were to buy this DVD (this will be the first Harry Potter movie I will buy, and I’m sure to buy the rest ) you would not be disappointed.
Article comments
1 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
We managed to see this movie, the bunch of us on our computer.
We differ from the reviewer in that we have all read all of the Harry Potter books.
The movie does stand on its own if you have never seen the other movies. But we read the books. That makes a huge difference.
It is understandable that the movie cuts out many of the features of the book. It would be impossible to make a movie of the book and keep an audience sitting down. This isn't 1955 and audiences will not be willing to sit still like they did for "The Ten Commandments".
But Rawling's plot has to go in a certain direction and accomplish certain tasks to prepare the viewere for the next movie. This doesn't happen in this movie. This means that it will have to happen in the next movie, somehow, or the bext moview will not really make sense according to Rawling's plot line.
All in all, in spite of the graphics and everything else, the book is superior.
2 - Steve
I enjoyed this movie, having seen the previous movies and read all the books so far. They certainly upped the ante in this movie by exaggerating the dangers of some scenes, and adding a couple of humorous touches.
I have been a little disappointed there is not a commentary by either the stars or the director, one had been planned apparently, but the previous 3 movies had not had one either, so it is not available. I guess they figure most kids would not be interested in that feature. I do wonder if they might repackage the whole series after the 7th movie with commentaries added though.
I think the 5th movie of the next book is going to be amazing. I do wonder though, how much they will cut to get the story into a 2 and a half hour movie. I would love it if they had to split the 5th movie into 2 parts, the book is about 800 pages after all. I guess we'll find out around June 2007.