Review - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, now it's time to discuss what is my least favorite film of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire. 

         The movie opens with a Muggle groundskeeper going to get investigate a light at the Riddle house, which has been abandoned for years. The groundskeeper hears voices, including those of Peter Pettigrew aka Wormtail, Voldemort, and a wizard who is unidentified. The three are tipped off by Voldemort's snake Nagini, and Voldemort casts a curse that kills the groundskeeper. We then cut to Harry, staying with the Weasleys at the Burrow, being awakened by Hermione,who had just arrived. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny are all joining Mr. Weasley to meet up with his friend and Ministry of Magic co-worker Amos Diggory, as well as Amos' son Cedric Diggory, to travel by Portkey to the Quidditch World Cup. The Portkey in question is an enchanted boot that is used to transport across great distances. 

       The Quidditch World Cup is set between Ireland and Bulgaria, with Ireland evidently winning the match. We don't see this, as the entire match was cut. Ugh. Anyway, the Quidditch World Cup is attacked by a group of Death Eaters, who were loyal acolytes of Voldemort during his reign. Harry is knocked out and separated from the others, and wakes up after the attacks are finished and the campsite is burned down, only to witness the unidentified wizard from his dream cast a spell that puts the Dark Mark into the sky. Several wizards arrive to stun Harry, who has reunited with Ron and Hermione, until Mr. Weasley stops them. Among the wizards is Barty Crouch, who leads the Aurors elsewhere to search for someone who might be responsible.

      On the Hogwarts Express, Harry, Ron, and Hermione get ready for their fourth year at Hogwarts, and Hermione suggests that Harry should write to Sirius about his experience, which he does. Upon arrival at Hogwarts, the students see two other vehicles arrive: a Pegasus drawn carriage and a ship that sinks below and rises up to the water's surface. That evening, Professor Dumbledore announces that Hogwarts will play host to the legendary Triwizard Tournament. The other two participating schools will include the French Wizarding school of Beauxbatons and the Scandinavian Wizarding school of Durmstrang. It's also here where we meet the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody. Mr. Crouch, who heads the Ministry's Department of International Magical Cooperation, announces that due to the extreme danger inherent to the three tasks in the tournament, only students aged seventeen can submit their names for the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore reveals the Goblet of Fire, wherein students can submit their names by writing them onto a piece of parchment and tossing it into the blue flames eminating from the Goblet. Dumbledore warns that if chosen, there's no turning back. The Triwizard Tournament has officially begun. 

        The next day, in literally the only class we see in the movie, Professor Moody teaches the fourth years about the three Unforgivable Curses: the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Torture Curse, and Avada Kedavra the Killing Curse. Moody teaches these curses because he thinks the students need to be prepared for what is out there. Unfortunately, Neville has an adverse reaction to the Cruciatus Curse, and Moody offers him some tea after class. 

        The night of the Champion Selection finally arrives. From Durmstrang, Viktor Krum, who was also the Seeker for Bulgaria during the Quidditch World Cup, is selected as Champion. For Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour is selected. And for Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory is selected. However, the Goblet of Fire begins to act strangely and emit a fourth Champion: Harry Potter. Many students are confused, as Harry is only fourteen, and many Hogwarts staff are concerned, especially McGonagall. That evening, Harry gathers with the other three Champions, while Dumbledore, McGonagall, Crouch, Snape, Moody, and Beauxbatons and Durmstrang heads Madame Maxime and Igor Karkaroff try to get to the bottom of the situation. Madame Maxime believes that Harry, who denies putting his name in the Goblet of Fire or asking an older student to put his name in for him, is lying. However, Moody feels that only a very powerful charm, beyond the knowledge of a fourteen year old, could have hoodwinked the Goblet of Fire. Ultimately, Crouch reveals that, because the Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract, Harry is a Triwizard Champion and must compete in the Tournament. Later, in his office, Dumbledore asks Moody to watch over Harry. 

        Unfortunately, the situation has put Harry and Ron on the outs with each other, with Ron trying to figure out how Harry's name got into the Goblet of Fire. The four Champions are individually interviewed by Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet, who puts together a tabloid piece on Harry. Harry then gets a letter from Sirius, asking to meet in the Gryffindor Common Room that night, upon which he asks if Harry actually put his name into the Goblet of Fire, and for details about the dream he'd been having. Sirius warns that Hogwarts is no longer safe, and that whoever put his name into the Goblet is not to be trusted, as people have died in the Triwizard Tournament. 

       The following night, after a tip from Ron and Hermione, Harry goes into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, who shows him that the first task in the Triwizard Tournament will involve dragons. The next day, Harry warns Cedric about the dragons. Malfoy, after mouthing off, gets turned into a ferret by Moody who catches Malfoy trying to curse Harry with his back turned. McGonagall turns Malfoy back, and scolds Moody for using Transfiguration as a punishment. Moody takes Harry to his office to put together a game plan for dealing with the dragon he'll be facing. 

       The day of the first task arrives, and the four Champions each pick a dragon. Fleur gets the Welsh Green dragon, Krum gets the Chinese Fireball dragon, Cedric gets the Swedish Shortsnout dragon, which leaves Harry with the Hungarian Horntail. Crouch then reveals the task: collect the golden egg their respective dragons are protecting, as contained in the egg is a clue to the second task. After Fleur, Krum, and Cedric complete the task, Harry is up, and is almost immediately attacked by the Horntail, which proves to be highly aggressive. Using the Accio charm, Harry summons his Firebolt broomstick and flies around the pit, and is eventually chased by the now freed dragon, flying around the grounds of Hogwarts, eventually sending the dragon down into a ravine, returning to claim the egg. That night, he opens the egg to a violent screeching noise. Ron, realizing that Harry would've had to be nuts to put his own name in the Goblet, finally reconciles with his best friend, and the two are thick as thieves again. 

           Ron is then sent a package containing dress robes, which is when the Gryffindors are informed about the upcoming Yule Ball, which is a dance that occurs on Christmas Eve night, and is a major part of the Triwizard Tournament. Over the months leading to the Yule Ball, Harry and Ron try to get dates, but everyone else has been asked, including Hermione and a Ravenclaw girl named Cho Chang, who Harry has a crush on. Ultimately, Harry gets himself and Ron set up with Parvati and Padma Patil, who agree to go with them. On the night of the Yule Ball, it's revealed that Cho was asked to go with Cedric, while Hermione was asked to go with Krum. Fleur's date is just some random student. McGonagall reveals to Harry that, per tradition, the Champions and their dates are the first to dance. 

      The dance goes fairly well, but Ron and Hermione have a bit of a spat over her agreeing to go with Krum instead of Ron. Some time later, Harry and Hermione discuss the upcoming second task, when Cedric gives Harry a tip on going the Prefects' bathroom, with possibly the most awesome looking bathtub ever. While taking a bath, he tries opening the egg again, but to no avail. It is then when Moaning Myrtle shows up and suggests he put the egg underwater before opening it. He does this, and instead of hearing vicious hissing and shrieking, he instead hears a beautiful voice singing the following song: "Come seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground. An hour long you'll have to look. To recover what we took." Harry then determines that at Hogwarts, there are mermaids in the Black Lake. In the library, Harry, Ron, and Hermione try to break the clue down, and Harry realizes that he'll have to find a way to breathe underwater for an entire hour. Moody then sends Ron and Hermione away, and has Neville help Harry out, and Neville suggests a plant called Gillyweed. Now, I should mention that in the book, it was Dobby the House Elf, who now works with other House Elves in the Hogwarts kitchens, that recommended the Gillyweed to Harry, but since Dobby got cut from the movie, Neville recommends the Gillyweed instead. 

       During the second task, it's revealed that the Champions will dive into the Black Lake and recover something precious to each Champion. While in the water, the Gillyweed gives Harry gills, flippers, and webbed hands, which aid him underwater. Unfortunately, Fleur gets caught by a bunch of Grindylows, and is ejected from the task. Harry, Cedric, and Krum then arrive where the mermaids are holding what was stolen from the four Champions: Ron, Cho, Hermione, and Fleur's sister Gabrielle. Cedric and Krum rescue Cho and Hermione, while Harry rescues Ron and Gabrielle, not wanting to leave her behind. Harry gets nabbed by Grindylows, and sends Ron and Gabrielle back to the surface. Harry then gets free of the Grindylows and surfaces himself. The judges decide to reward Harry's moral fiber by giving him second place just behind Cedric. Crouch later congratulates Harry for his success in the Tournament so far. Later on, Harry finds the dead body of Crouch, and goes to meet with Dumbledore about the situation. Ultimately, Cornelius Fudge opts not to cancel the Tournament despite the death of Crouch, and Fudge, Dumbledore, and Moody exit the office for a moment. Harry then sees a Pensieve, wherein Harry sees a trial headed up by Crouch, with Dumbledore and Moody in attendance. The trial involves Karkaroff, who was convicted as a Death Eater, giving names of other Death Eaters, including the already deceased Evan Rozier, Department of Mysteries employee Augustus Rookwood, and Severus Snape, whom Dumbledore confirms turned against Voldemort prior to his downfall. Karkaroff mentions one name. An individual who participated in the torture of Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife Alice. The individual's name is Barty Crouch Jr. The younger Crouch is then zapped by Moody, and taken away to Azkaban. Exiting the memory, Harry reveals to Dumbledore about his dream, of Wormtail, Barty Jr, and Voldemort meeting in the Riddle house. 

       Finally, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament arrives, where the four will have to traverse a big ass hedge maze and be the first to find and collect the Triwizard Cup. The maze itself shifts around, changing directions, and forcing each one to think. Krum ends up bewitched by the Imperius Curse, and attacks Fleur, who Harry helps get out of the maze. Krum and Cedric duel for a moment, and Krum is knocked out. Cedric then races Harry for the Cup, only for Cedric to get caught by vines, Harry destroys the vines, saving Cedric. The two then run for the Cup and claim it together, only to be transported to the graveyard from Harry's dreams. Cedric realizes that the Cup was a Portkey, but Harry warns that they need to leave. 

        Wormtail arrives with the shriveled, pathetic wretch that is Voldemort, and on Voldemort's orders kills Cedric and dumps Voldemort into a massive cauldron. Using three things: the bone of Tom Riddle Sr, the severed hand of Wormtail, and a few drops of Harry's blood, Voldemort is restored to full strength, Voldemort then summons the Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy. Voldemort then gives Wormtail a new metal hand, and confronts Harry. Voldemort then reveals the truth: it was the act of love that Lily Potter made by sacrificing her own life for her infant son that gave Harry protection from Voldemort. Voldemort then releases Harry, and the two have a duel, which Voldemort plans to use to kill Harry, proving his powers once and for all. Harry and Voldemort's cast their spells simultaneously, connecting their wands and releasing the spirits of those that Voldemort killed, including the Muggle groundskeeper, Cedric, and Harry's parents. James them instructs Harry to break the connection and get to the Portkey, and Cedric asks Harry to take his body back to Amos. Harry complies and Voldemort, who was distracted by the spirits, screams in anger at having lost this chance to kill his adversary. 

        Returning to Hogwarts, Harry reveals that Voldemort is back and that it was Voldemort that was responsible for the death of Cedric. Moody takes Harry to his office, and asks about what happened, what it was like seeing Voldemort in person, and if there were others in the graveyard. Moody then reveals that he's been behind everything, including putting Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. And, when Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape arrive, Snape pours a vial of Veritaserum  into Moody's mouth, and he reveals himself to be an imposter, with the real Moody being in a trunk in the office. The imposter is revealed to be Barty Crouch Jr, who Dumbledore has sent back to Azkaban. 

        Dumbledore holds a funeral for Cedric, revealing to everyone that Cedric was murdered by Voldemort, which is a fact that the Ministry of Magic doesn't want known. In his dormitory, Harry is approached by Dumbledore, who apologizes for putting Harry on such mortal danger. The school year ends, and the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students return to their respective schools, with the students of Hogwarts returning home. 

        Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire did have some cool moments, including the Dragon Challenge, the Yule Ball, the Underwater Challenge, and the graveyard scene with the return of Voldemort. In addition, new cast members like Brendan Gleeson as Moody, Katie Leung as Cho, Clemence Posey as Fleur, Roger Lloyd-Pack as Barty Crouch, David Tennant as Barty Crouch Jr, Stanislav Ianevskias Krum, and a pre-Twilight Robert Pattinson as Cedric were all terrific. The visual designs for the Hungarian Horntail, the Grindylows, and the mermaids were definitely top notch, and definitely a highlight. 

       And the best part was the casting for Voldemort. Ralph Fiennes, who I've mentioned enjoying his perfect as M in my James Bond reviews, was definitely excellent as Voldemort, and when he shows up on screen, I was pumped. Finally, one of the most dangerous dark wizards of the Harry Potter series was on the big screen, and it was incredible. 

        However, I feel like too much was cut from the film on favor of pacing. For example, we build up the Quidditch World Cup, and the match is cut. In the book, we see the Weasleys arrive through Floor Powder to pick up Harry from the Dursleys, but that was left out of the movie, making this the first movie of the series not to have the Dursleys in it. Also, a lot of magical creatures in the hedge maze task like the Blast Ended Skrewts and even a Sphinx or two all got left out of the movie. But my biggest gripe is with the music score. The first three Harry Potter films all had music composed by John Williams, but in this movie, he was replaced with composer Patrick Doyle. Doyle's score is okay, but it doesn't hold a candle to, or even have the same feel, as the sheer whimsy of John Williams' original themes.

       Overall, I feel like too much was sacrificed to cram the story into one movie. Director Mike Newell clearly missed the mark with this one. So, I have to give Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire a 3.5/5. The lowest score I'm giving to any of the Harry Potter movies. Luckily, things definitely improved with the following four Harry Potter films under new director David Yates. But, we'll get to that on Sunday when I discuss Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.