Spring Break
Goblet adds to Potter series magic
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Riding on the coattails of Half Blood Prince euphoria, the most recent cinematic installment of the Harry Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has been receiving fan-hype since July. Fortunately for director Mike Newell, Goblet of Fire lives up to the magic and majesty of J.K. Rowling's fourth novel.
The fourth book shocked readers with its tremendous length when it was released in 2001, which makes this latest blockbuster all that more impressive. Not only does the movie rival the book's action-packed plot, but it also contains the powerful and dark undertones that lead to Lord Voldemort's rising (literally) from grave -- something that has even The New York Times raving that Ralph Fiennes' Voldemort, "may be the greatest screen performance ever delivered without the benefit of a nose." With 734 pages, the epic novel is not one that can easily be transposed into a two and half hour movie. Luckily, the linear events of the TriWizard Tournament aid the cinematic structure. Yet, only Newell can be credited for the accuracy and surgical detail given to convolved, morbid backdrop.
The movie begins with Harry's prophetic dream of Lord Voldemort plotting his demise and is quickly launched into the Quidditch World Cup, where star seeker and future Drumstrang champion Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski) is introduced. During the festivities after Ireland's victory, Death Eaters invade the compound and a mysterious man (later exposed as Barty Crouch Jr. [David Tennant], son of Bartemous Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation) casts the Dark Mark. The entire movie is fast-forwarded to the Welcome Feast at Hogwarts, where Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) explains to an elated student body that Hogwarts, Drumstrang and Beauxbatons will be competing the TriWizard Tournament. One student from each school will be chosen to participate in three tasks deadly tasks that require strength, talent and intellect. Additionally, the prospect of "eternal glory" awaits the winner of the Tournament.
The depth of the main trio (fictional Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger with real-life counterparts Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) explodes in this innuendo-packed, unavoidably melodramatic saga of 14-year-old best friends. From Harry's childish infatuation with Cho Chang (Katie Lueng) to Ron and Hermione's overt attraction, the trio begins to experience internal dilemmas, which in Harry's case are coupled with the pressure of the being the fourth TriWizard Tournament Champion.
The central conflict revolves around Harry accidental placement as the "Fourth Champion" of the TriWizard Tournament. As implied by its name, the TriWizard Tournament is only intended to have three champions. However, through a sinister and ominous turn of events Harry's name erupts from the Goblet of Fire naming him the fourth overall, and the second Hogwarts, champion, which leads to plenty of intra-Hogwarts tension between supporters of Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) and Harry Potter, especially when Ron sides with Cedric out of jealousy!
Goblet of Fire can win over even the unenthusiastic with its more winsome trio: dragons, mermaids and labyrinths. Each of these quite literally deathly-defying tasks could rival the suspense and grandeur of not only their literary origins, but also a typical Spielberg summer sensation. Harry arguably shows more magical expertise in the movie than in the books, where he clearly nudged, poked and prodded from every angle by his criminal godfather, bookish best friend and crazed Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson). During the film, Harry's talents and "moral fiber" are more credited to his own merit rather than the leaps and bounds taken by those closest to him. Yet his most supportive, albeit demented, professor and ally has more than just Harry's best interest at heart. Mad-Eye Moody is a man of legendary prowess and insanity and is sure to win over audiences' hearts everywhere when he transfigures Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) into a ferret.
Adolescent crushes and TriWizard tasks aside, Goblet of Fire begins to scratch at the "dark and difficult times that lie ahead." The epic nature of the Harry Potter series emerges within the characters and tribulations of this movie. The differentiation between what is right and what is easy becomes more and more pronounced as the horrors of a magical world at war fall steadily into then open. Overt and hidden loyalties become dangerously relevant when, as Goblet of Fire explicitly states, "everything is going to change."