Post by Pulpmariachi on Nov 19, 2005 20:22:41 GMT -5
First and foremost, major thanks to Smitty for letting me review this one. Much appreciations over here on the Colorado front!!
Spoilers are probably present.
How would you start to describe this movie?
How would you start to describe the entire Harry Potter phenomenum?
There's no way, it's already known. The story of Harry Potter (both the development and the actual plot of the books) have been branded into the pop culture mainstream. Everyone knows about Harry Potter, and those who say they don't are lying to a.) look cool or b.) don't want to admit they like these "kids'" books too.
The Harry Potter series stopped being for children with the last book and film. The first two are definitley little fairy tales of a boy who discovers something new and wonderful. Then, with the third one, they started getting to be about the characters and the characters were growing up. Alright, alright, the third one works more as a bridge between childhood and adolescense, but from there on in, these are no longer books targeted for kids.
So where does that put us? We've seen Harry already defeat ghostly Voldemort, Voldemort as a boy (i.e. memory), and uncovered the innocence of a man who for the past 13 years had thought to been guilty.
Now, Harry is competing in a wizard tournament. It's called the Tri-Wizard Tournament (hey, I grew up on these books so I got all the terms down) but we'll call it the Sucidial Olympics. Just kidding. But since this is Harry Potter, can you expect nothing less?
The basic plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, year four of Harry's Hogwarts career basically follows through the above mentioned competition. Two other schools join Hogwarts (I forget their names and can't really spell them anyways) in a contest that will bring "eternal glory" to the winner.
Oh, there's also been some rumors that Voldemort, the most evil Dark wizard ever, might be returning, but that's secondary as everyone focuses on the tournament. In competition are: Viktor Krum of some school where the German (maybe Hungarian? Icelandic? Viking? somewhere central Europe) school transport by a ship that also functions as a submarine (pity it wasn't yellow), Fleur Delacour from a French school who arrives by chariot, and Cedric Diggory of everyone's favorite Hogwarts, who arrives by train, just because he already happens to be attending classes. They are chosen by the Goblet of Fire to participate in the oncoming events.
Little you should know about the Goblet of Fire. The Tri-Wizard Tournament has a rule saying that no student under 17 can put their name in the Goblet. And the Goblet is bewitched so that no student under 17 can do this. Cue the amusing scene with the Weasly twins as they attempt to enter their names, with interesting results.
Yet somehow, Mr. Potter has been chosen.
The Tri-Wizard Tournament brings about loads of differences to the school year. There is no Qudditch (they make you think they'll show a Qudditch game, but they never do), but the three events. Now, I did put a spoiler warning a top, but none of these should come as a surprise or an "Oh my golly!" to anyone who has read the books. First, there's the dragons. Then there's the mermaids, and then there's the maze, which is probably the creepiest and eeire maze since the original Shining.
But, even more nerve-racking than that, is the Yule Ball where the students have to--gasp!--dance with one another. This provides some beautiful photography and a chance to see two members of Radiohead dressed up as the wizard rock band the Weird Sisters, albeit for only a couple seconds.
It's strange, because we've (or at least those who are following the movies) have watched the kids grow up. Like the books, they aren't children anymore. Now they're coping with the most dreaded enemy of all, Voldemort. No, I mean puberty. But the kids can act now (as they proved in the last installment) and are able to go about conviningly. A big part of that is that they're going through it themselves.
Then there's the adult actors, British Shakespeare-trained actors in wizarding robes. It's always great to see. We don't see a lot of adults in this movie, except for Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [duh], The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), who is the guy who pushes everything forwards.
This film, as been mentioned before, is the first one to be directed by a British director: Mike Newell. When I first heard he was directing I just thought, "Oh blast. Four Weddings and a Funeral?! Mona Lisa Smile?!" Of course, he did do Donnie Brasco, which was an alright gangster movie. Well, he does go all-out for this one. And does a great job going so, picking up right where Alfonso Cuaron left off.
It's a great film. Newell keeps it moving alright for the most part. The competitions are intense and the ending in the graveyard is just brilliant, where we see the fetus Lord Voldemort turn back into a "human," though missing a nose and still looking like some sort of insect. The intensity is great and probably the best of any of the Potter films.
However, it's not a flawless movie. Whereas the first two films were just rushed all the way through, the third film was rushed during the Shrieking Shack scene, this was rushed at the beginning. Just boom! boom! boom!, stuff happens. And if you haven't read the book you just might be a little confused.
Also I think that Newell pays less attention to the style from year three. Not to say that this isn't a good-looking movie (because it is, major props to Roger Pratt, DP), but it still doesn't look as good as the last installment.
I also missed the John Williams score as the new guy (Patrick Doyle or something) prefers just drums and brass. Missing the magical sweep of a full orchestra that Williams so oftenly masterfully commands.
Overall, like the books themselves, this is my second favorite installment. This book had the most visuals (I'm talking visuals, like ships rising out of water, mermaids attacking, a ritual in a graveyard that could have come out of Macbeth), or maybe they should be called action pieces, I think, of any of the others and they transfer well.
This is a great film. Even if you haven't read the books, you should go see it. Like the last film, these are also able to stand on their own as movies instead of just companion pieces to the books.
***1/2 /****
Spoilers are probably present.
How would you start to describe this movie?
How would you start to describe the entire Harry Potter phenomenum?
There's no way, it's already known. The story of Harry Potter (both the development and the actual plot of the books) have been branded into the pop culture mainstream. Everyone knows about Harry Potter, and those who say they don't are lying to a.) look cool or b.) don't want to admit they like these "kids'" books too.
The Harry Potter series stopped being for children with the last book and film. The first two are definitley little fairy tales of a boy who discovers something new and wonderful. Then, with the third one, they started getting to be about the characters and the characters were growing up. Alright, alright, the third one works more as a bridge between childhood and adolescense, but from there on in, these are no longer books targeted for kids.
So where does that put us? We've seen Harry already defeat ghostly Voldemort, Voldemort as a boy (i.e. memory), and uncovered the innocence of a man who for the past 13 years had thought to been guilty.
Now, Harry is competing in a wizard tournament. It's called the Tri-Wizard Tournament (hey, I grew up on these books so I got all the terms down) but we'll call it the Sucidial Olympics. Just kidding. But since this is Harry Potter, can you expect nothing less?
The basic plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, year four of Harry's Hogwarts career basically follows through the above mentioned competition. Two other schools join Hogwarts (I forget their names and can't really spell them anyways) in a contest that will bring "eternal glory" to the winner.
Oh, there's also been some rumors that Voldemort, the most evil Dark wizard ever, might be returning, but that's secondary as everyone focuses on the tournament. In competition are: Viktor Krum of some school where the German (maybe Hungarian? Icelandic? Viking? somewhere central Europe) school transport by a ship that also functions as a submarine (pity it wasn't yellow), Fleur Delacour from a French school who arrives by chariot, and Cedric Diggory of everyone's favorite Hogwarts, who arrives by train, just because he already happens to be attending classes. They are chosen by the Goblet of Fire to participate in the oncoming events.
Little you should know about the Goblet of Fire. The Tri-Wizard Tournament has a rule saying that no student under 17 can put their name in the Goblet. And the Goblet is bewitched so that no student under 17 can do this. Cue the amusing scene with the Weasly twins as they attempt to enter their names, with interesting results.
Yet somehow, Mr. Potter has been chosen.
The Tri-Wizard Tournament brings about loads of differences to the school year. There is no Qudditch (they make you think they'll show a Qudditch game, but they never do), but the three events. Now, I did put a spoiler warning a top, but none of these should come as a surprise or an "Oh my golly!" to anyone who has read the books. First, there's the dragons. Then there's the mermaids, and then there's the maze, which is probably the creepiest and eeire maze since the original Shining.
But, even more nerve-racking than that, is the Yule Ball where the students have to--gasp!--dance with one another. This provides some beautiful photography and a chance to see two members of Radiohead dressed up as the wizard rock band the Weird Sisters, albeit for only a couple seconds.
It's strange, because we've (or at least those who are following the movies) have watched the kids grow up. Like the books, they aren't children anymore. Now they're coping with the most dreaded enemy of all, Voldemort. No, I mean puberty. But the kids can act now (as they proved in the last installment) and are able to go about conviningly. A big part of that is that they're going through it themselves.
Then there's the adult actors, British Shakespeare-trained actors in wizarding robes. It's always great to see. We don't see a lot of adults in this movie, except for Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [duh], The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), who is the guy who pushes everything forwards.
This film, as been mentioned before, is the first one to be directed by a British director: Mike Newell. When I first heard he was directing I just thought, "Oh blast. Four Weddings and a Funeral?! Mona Lisa Smile?!" Of course, he did do Donnie Brasco, which was an alright gangster movie. Well, he does go all-out for this one. And does a great job going so, picking up right where Alfonso Cuaron left off.
It's a great film. Newell keeps it moving alright for the most part. The competitions are intense and the ending in the graveyard is just brilliant, where we see the fetus Lord Voldemort turn back into a "human," though missing a nose and still looking like some sort of insect. The intensity is great and probably the best of any of the Potter films.
However, it's not a flawless movie. Whereas the first two films were just rushed all the way through, the third film was rushed during the Shrieking Shack scene, this was rushed at the beginning. Just boom! boom! boom!, stuff happens. And if you haven't read the book you just might be a little confused.
Also I think that Newell pays less attention to the style from year three. Not to say that this isn't a good-looking movie (because it is, major props to Roger Pratt, DP), but it still doesn't look as good as the last installment.
I also missed the John Williams score as the new guy (Patrick Doyle or something) prefers just drums and brass. Missing the magical sweep of a full orchestra that Williams so oftenly masterfully commands.
Overall, like the books themselves, this is my second favorite installment. This book had the most visuals (I'm talking visuals, like ships rising out of water, mermaids attacking, a ritual in a graveyard that could have come out of Macbeth), or maybe they should be called action pieces, I think, of any of the others and they transfer well.
This is a great film. Even if you haven't read the books, you should go see it. Like the last film, these are also able to stand on their own as movies instead of just companion pieces to the books.
***1/2 /****
