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Friday, December 2

Movie Review: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

What was most satisfying to me was the feeling that Hogwarts is now a real school. Teachers worry about students getting hurt (there's an age limit on the Tri-Wizard Cup for a reason), argue over disciplining their charges, and fret about teaching styles. This is a real school with real problems, even if they're magical problems.

That said, the movie occasionally sacrifices rationale for speed. At one point, several characters are intentionally placed in grave danger as part of the Tri-Wizard tournament and everyone's supposed to be okay with it. Unfortunately, that kind of contest cheapens the tragedy of loss felt later--it's hard to muster up tears when someone gets hurt after Hogwarts basically kidnaps its own students in the name of competition.

Still, it's a forgivable quirk that my wife tells me is explained in the novel. With all the action, crazy characters, and burgeoning relationships, Harry Potter has now moved into the realm of adulthood. Maybe that's why I liked it so much. [MORE]

Labels: movie reviews

posted by Mike Tresca at 5:32 PM

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