Movie Reviews
with Andy Gough
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire (M)
Directed by Mike Newell
Trust me Harry, use the force...
The Harry Potter franchise is well entrenched. Prolific author JK Rowling continues to churn out record-shattering novels about the nerdy, awkward young wizards, with cinematic versions rolled out annually.
The fourth film's plot revolves around Harry's unwilling participation in the Triwizard Tournament, a dangerous metaphysical challenge between three schools of magic. This chapter is quite dark in places and packs a few scares, so note the M rating when letting the kids go.
If you missed the last Potter offering, you might be a bit confused by a few things going on at Hogwarts, even though its faithful to the original story and the convoluted Potter mythology. Sure it's not on the scale or calibre of Lord of the Rings, but it's a fun ride, and our young hero seems to survive his ordeals more through sheer luck than skill or bravery. Goblet has a decent spattering of humour and A list actors round out its appeal.
In an age when digital special effects can conjure up just about anything a director can imagine, audiences really expect magic because suspension of disbelief is a lot harder to achieve. But how much of the film's success depends on the CGI? Films like Independence Day with shallow plots and characters date quickly, despite the gargantuan special effects. But a fantastical underwater scene with mermaids is something you don't see every day!
As the characters mature, so do the actors, now 16. Goblet touches on issues such as love and dating with mixed results. One has to wonder what real life experience the young actors engender in their performance, rather than just acting. Puberty can be scarier than the fiercest dragon.
The ending was surprisingly downbeat, with a death, a victory (of sorts) to the forces of evil and a change in the relationship between the three lead characters.
The next movie, The Order of the Phoenix, is already in pre-production, so Harry's franchise is thriving. For now, it will be interesting to see if the new Narnia Chronicles shapes up as a challenger in the pre-teen/teen market.
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