Wild about Harry

Our rating:

While it was a long wait - some 18 months - for Harry Potter fans to see this latest instalment in the young wizard's adventures on the big screen, the wait to see it on DVD has been remarkably short. This time around, director Mike Newell delivers a dark but delectable package with The Goblet of Fire - and delivers all we’ve come to expect, and so much more.

Newell, the first Brit to direct a Potter film, makes every post a winner as he takes the series in a similar direction to that established by Alfonso Cuaron in The Prisoner of Azkaban. Newell produces arguably the most disturbing and complex film of the series so far. It’s also the most human in a way, as Harry and his friends have to not only deal with wizardry and magic, but also the perils of puberty.

In early scenes, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is troubled by a disturbing dream involving his nemesis Voldermort and a mysterious young man. Just before school returns, Harry (who’s now living with the Weasley family) Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Ron’s family take a magical trip to the Quidditch world cup. But dark deeds are in train, and the supporters’ camp is attacked by death-eaters allied to Voldermort. When school opens, Hogwarts is chosen to play host to the tri-wizard tournament, in which champions from each of three wizardry schools pit their wits against each other in a series of dangerous magical tasks. The entrants are chosen by the goblet of fire from names submitted on pieces of paper thrown into its mystical flame. Despite an edict from the Ministry of Magic that no one under 17 may enter, Harry’s name is drawn by the goblet - much to his surprise as he didn’t enter. But rules are rules, and Harry must compete. His task is however made a little easier by Professor “Mad Eye” Moody (Brendan Gleeson), the school’s new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, who takes the young wizard under his wing.

As seems to be the trend with this series, the special effects get even more spectacular. Flying dragons, underwater sequences, transformations and shape-shifting trees are all taken in stride as Newell creates a vivid fantasy world. As I mentioned, he also opts for a very dark visual tone, a la The Prisoner of Azkaban. The sunny country idylls from the first two films are long gone. For me, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the complexity of the tale demands a more serious approach to the material; and screenwriter Steve Kloves certainly does it justice.

True to the book, Newell resists the urge to go for a happy ending. This is very much a transitional story, with many questions raised but few answered (these no doubt being left for coming instalments). The film works as a self-contained story in its own right, but I’m sure for many fans, The Order of the Phoenix can’t come soon enough.

There was been some controversy surrounding the OFLC’s decision to give this film an M rating. To some extent, the advisory is warranted, as things do get pretty full-on towards the end of the film, which could disturb younger children. By the same token however, Newell makes it very clear that we’re dealing with fantasy here, not reality, and many older children will have little trouble distinguishing between the two.

The performances are uniformly good, with the younger trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and particularly Rupert Grint “growing” with their roles. But the real acting grunt here is in the supporting players, with a stellar cast of a kind that only the Brits seem to be able to bring together these days. Michael Gambon gets a much fuller role here as Dumbledore; although Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith are sadly under-utilised, as is Gary Oldman who makes a brief and almost unrecognisable return as Sirius Black. Brendan Gleeson is priceless as “Mad Eye” Moody, while Miranda Richardson camps it up as a newspaper reporter. But the single most telling performance is from a heavily made-up Ralph Fiennes. He only appears in one sequence, but certainly makes the most of it (and look out for more of him in coming films).

When I reviewed The Prisoner of Azkaban 18 months ago, I said I still couldn’t really understand what all the fuss was about the Harry Potter films. But having revisited them all recently, and having now seen The Goblet of Fire, I think I finally get it. Like the books before them, these movies are building a powerful mythology that transcends its individual parts to create a truly mesmerising experience.

David Edwards

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Gambon and Ralph Fiennes
DVD release: 29 March 2006