Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Have you ever gone to one of those inter-school sporting events? The ones that had all the participating schools assemble at one place, had elaborate set-ups and competition so tough that you almost wanted to back out at every round? Well think back on those days and then think about competitions where you might live or die. Well multiply that by maybe a hundred and you might be close to having a better idea about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Don’t believe me? Well, you can just watch! The Golden Trio and their friends are back again for the fourth time on the screen. And this time it is bigger, grander, more dangerous and darker than ever. The movie focuses on the Triwizard Competition. As the name suggests it is a competition between the wizards from three different wizarding schools across Europe. Essentially, a good old inter-school competition. What could go wrong, you ask. Well considering this is the Potterverse, there is a very good chance that my answer could very well be everything. So I am going to stick to the safe side and just say, “Everything could go wrong!” And it does.
So enter a host of new characters from the two other wizarding schools, a new Defense Against Dark Arts professor (again!), Ministry officials and magical creatures and a nosy little lady that has access to all the gossip that keeps happening. Oh did I mention that a Wizarding World celebrity (not Harry) is also a part of this new motley? And did I mention that the competition in question, the Triwizard Tournament was so risky that it had to be cancelled? And this is a competition for school kids! Crying out loud. Feel me, yeah?
Now enough about my outrage at the competition, so this competition meant for eighteen-year-olds (you are considered an adult when you turn eighteen, in the Wizarding World) and has a distinct and unique process to select the worthiest of the candidates from each school, who then is bound to participate. So is it any wonder that a fourteen-year-old Harry gets selected? Dragons, hostile merpeople and a host of other mysterious, dangerous magical creatures and a treacherous maze all lead to that elusive Cup, glory and one thousand Galleons. Sinister things are happening behind the façade of the tournament and things finally come to a head at the finals. An entity darker than anything Harry had ever known emerges and the death that had been lurking in the shadows finally strikes.
Now, one thing that sets this one apart from the movies I have been discussing about, so far, is that everything is more elaborate. There are more day scenes and even the night ones are grand and bright. The grandeur, the elaborate costumes, focus on the personalities of the characters from each different school have been shown in elaborate detail. However, there is a darkness that pervades throughout it all but you just cannot pin it. There are also quite a few questionable characters whose integrity you keep questioning. And others who seem to be model citizens upholding the law at all times. Things are never what they seem to be. And somehow adds to the appeal.
This was the last movie in the franchise that I watched after reading the book. Following this, I kept reading the books aside for quite some time and only got back to them after watching the final one. I think I did that because there were scenes in the movie which I felt could have been done better. A price that I feel the remaining ones had to pay. One mistake that costed too much, maybe. However, overall, if I put the thoughts of the book away from my mind for a bit, I can appreciate the movie as an individual. And I will probably love this one as much as I love the others. And as I always say, come the weekend, you’ll find me bundled up on the couch, watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, maybe?
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.