People die in this tournament!!!

Over the years the Harry Potter films have had something of an uneven following with the over 15's crowd. Fans of the books generally love them for the way they bring the magic of the books to the silver screen, wheras none fans generally remain so due to the fact that no changes are made in order to explain the plot points that need to be excised. Still, speaking as a fan of the books, I always feel a little concern that the films will not be able to fully recapture the magic of the ever expanding series. In this instance though I feel that I was justified in feeling this concern. Afterall not only was The Goblet Of Fire the first book in the series to break the thousand page mark, but it's also my favorite entry into the series thanks to the dark, gothic atmosphere that it portrayed. Thankfully I'm here to tell you that you can rest in peace; that The Goblet Of Fire movie is just as well acted as the previous films, just as atmospheric as the book, and well, by far the best film in the series to date.

Director Mike Newell (Mona Lisa Smile) achieves this by really skimming the fat from the story. He removes all of the formulaic devices that worked in the books, but for me always drew too much attention from the narrative structure of the films. The Goblet Of Fire opens as the book did, with a dream involving a weakened Lord Voldemort murdering the grounds keeper of his childhood home, before a screaming Harry is woken by Hermione so that the trio can set off to the Quiditch World Cup. This only leads to further troubles as followers of the dark lord make a reappearance in order to attack the spectators while they sleep. Of course the specifics of this attack will not be revealed to a group of school children who will instead return for another term at Hogwarts school for witchcraft and wizardry. This year though the school is to host something known as The Tri Wizard tournament, a dangerous contest in which any student over the age of 17 can risk life and limb in the name of their school. The idea being that any qualified student who wishes to partake can place their name in a flaming goblet that will then select one student from each of the 3 schools. Unfortunately this year four names are selected, one from each school, and one very under age Harry Potter. Due to the binding nature of this contract Harry has no choice but to partake in the dangerous game with no knowledge as to how, or why, he was selected.

Now I've already stated that a lot of the fat has been trimmed from the story, and so naturally fans are going to be nervous about the changes made. I wont lie to you, there are a lot. The most minor changes come in the form of characters showing up in unexpected scenes, which is used to explain characters whose introductions had otherwise been cut. This does happen a few times due to the scale of the original book. In fact almost every side plot has now been removed, and there's no more Dursley's, no more Quiditch, and certainly no more following these kids to every single class they would attend during the course of a year. To be honest as much as these factors worked in the books, in the films I always found that they distracted from the narrative structure, and without them the film feels more focused, less formulaic, and as a result a whole lot more entertaining.

Of course entertaining is exactly how this film should turn out too. The 3 rounds of the Tri Wizard Tournament are designed to push Harry further than he's ever been pushed before, and the way they come alive on screen is an amazing thing to behold. Each of the three rounds introduce you to a brand new creature, and mercifully the effects that bring them to life are seamless. These creatures have a genuine depth to them, perspiring, breathing, and reacting to the environment so well that you never once find yourself questioning their reality.

Though everyone knows that all the effects work in the world doesn't mean squat if the director doesn't implement them correctly. This is the part of the film that Martial really shines at with a choreography that perfectly captures the high speed thrills of the books, but never confuses the audience with a hyperactive camera. Believe me, the days when Columbus turned a Quiditch match into a Deathstar trench run are now long behind us.

What needs to be considered with every Harry Potter film is the cast though. Adult veterans are as perfect as ever, with just one exception. Michael Gambon still doesn't feel quite right as Dumbledore. It's not that he's bad, he actually gets the characters authority across perfectly, but sadly Dumbledore is supposed to be a warm, approachable character, and Gambon just doesn't portray that at all. Still the other newcomers more than make up for this. Roger Lloyd-Pack (Trigger in Only Fools And Horses) surprised me with his portrayal of nervous politician Barty Crouch. Then Miranda Richardson's turn as unpleasant reporter Reeter Skeeter seemed ooze the kind of manipulative charm you would want from a character you love to hate. Brendan Gleeson plays the new defense against the dark arts teacher Mad Eyed Moody, and is absolutely the highlight of the film. He's got the slightly goofy, slightly crazy, and more than a little distant demeanor perfected in ways that I never expected possible.

The kids themselves are still played by the same group of actors, and despite showing definite physical signs of ageing, are mostly what you'd expect. Daniel Radcliffe has grown comfortably into the roll of Harry Potter. Rupert Grint occasionally comes across as bored with the roll of Ron, but usually bounces right back during interactions with his friends. However the only one to truly grow is the young Emma Watson, who has somehow gone on from the cute little girl in the first film to an actress quite capable of portraying an exasperated teenager without becoming irritating. I was a little disappointed with Tom Felton though. His portrayal of Malfoy was once the best thing in the series, but as he's getting older you can tell that he's stopped caring for the role, and the result is that he has lost the arrogance you could once hear in his sneers.

At the end of the day you know what you're getting with a Harry Potter movie. Either an enjoyable fantasy adventure, or a childish work of fiction that you really wont like. Oh, you may even consider it to be the devil's work, but I aint goin there. All you really need to know from me is that with the sinister tone, superb action, and tighter plotting, The Goblet Of Fire is the best film in the series to date.