He's back, and I don't mean Voldermort, although the dark lord does return the fourth installment in the Harry Potter movie series like something straight out of Alien.
No, the famed boy wizard, created years ago by English writer J.K. Rowling, is back. That's right. Harry Potter has returned with a vengeance.
"Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire," which opened nationwide Friday, finds Harry in his fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this time coming up against his mortal enemy face-to-face. In this film Harry begins to discover the trials and tribulations of adolescence, having turned 14 over the summer.
Instead of a normally boring and long summer with his dysfunctional extended relatives, Harry is invited to the Quidditch World Cup alongside his best friends Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and the whole Weasley gang.
Much to my dismay, director Mike Newell devotes very little time to this sporting event, instead spending most of the two-hour film, focusing on the Triwizard Tournament, an event where wizards and witches from rival schools compete. Although the cup sequence is short, it isn't weak in special effects. The flying is quite amazing, as is the World Cup stadium and the dark mark.
Harry, too young to enter the Triwizard competition, is somehow chosen as a competing champion and must go up against the other three higher-level students.
The champions consist of newcomers Cle'mence Poe'sy as Fleur Delacour, Stanislav Ianevski as Viktor Krum and Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory. Neither of them do much talking, but Ianevski offers the movie some eye-candy, although Harry and Ron are growing to be quite handsome young men.
After being selected as the fourth champion, Harry must go up against a horn-tailed dragon, scary mermaids, and a giant, self-growing grass maze.
All of these feats provide Newell with the opportunity to show off dynamic special effects. Most impressive was the portion shot underwater. However, I must say, Mad-Eye Moody's eye looked like something my 8-year-old sister could have made.
Speaking of Mad-Eye newcomer Brendan Gleeson gave a wonderful performance, stealing the stage as the retired and paranoid ex-Auror. One of the best scenes in the movie shows Mad-Eye turning the obnoxious Draco Malfoy into a ferret.
Another newcomer Miranda Richardson is quite convincing as the muckraking journalist Rita Skeeter.
However, we mustn't forget some old favorites. Rupert Grint is utterly delightful, as usual, as Ron Weasley. Emma Watson exemplified a perfectly hormonal and emotional Hermione Granger, in her transition from childhood to early womanhood. Matthew Lewis shone as Neville Longbottom, particularly during a scene in which Mad Eye Moody tortured a spider with a forbidden curse. And Shirley Henderson was fabulous as Moaning Myrtle. And last, but not least, Daniel Radcliffe is absolute perfection as Harry. He has grown into this boy so well that is it quite hard to discern the actor from the character.
Screenwriter Steven Kloves did not disappoint in his adaptation of Rowling's work. As a die-hard Potter fan who has read each book at least twice, I was surprised and a little upset not to see some of my favorite scenes on screen, but Kloves more than made up for it. He added features that even Rowling would be proud of. However, much of the beginning of the film felt a little rushed to get to the tournament. Klove went a little too quickly through plot points, like the opposing schools arrivals, and the very charming transaction between Harry and his crush, Cho Chang, played by the beautiful Katie Leung.
Once you get past the very beginning, the film takes a wonderful turn and does not fail to deliver.
Overall, the movie is supposed to take place in one of Harry's darkest years, yet the film is hilariously funny. Jokes can be found in some of the direst of situations, yet oddly enough, none of them feel out of place. Most of the comic relief is offered by the Weasley twins, Fred and George, portrayed by James and Oliver Phelps.
In the immortal words of Harry Potter, "I love magic," and I guess I can say I loved this film, too.
