When I reached the theatre assuming we would either watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Garam Masala and hubby dearest said I have tickets for Harry Potter, I was very very HAPPY!!! It was first day and third show! I never expected it.
I hoped against hope that it will not be as disastrous as the last one, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I hated the characterization! Sirius and Lupin were so disappointing. In their human and animagus form. But…
In Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire the prodigious wizard returns with a bang!
The story starts with all the buddies, Harry, Hermoine and Ron coming back to school. In the Great Hall, Dumbledore announces the Triwizard Tournament that’s being held at Hogwarts and how 3 wizards above the age of 17, from 3 of the wizarding schools will compete for highest honour and greatest glory!
For the Potter fans, I guess I need not really elaborate the story ‘coz all of us have been there and done that! READ the book!
What works for the movie is perfect characterization, awesome sets that continue to amaze me and uber cool cinematography.
Harry, Hermoine and Ron have grown up, they are taller and now interested in the opposite sex! Their adolescence pangs are captured really well. Harry becoming speechless when he sees Cho-Chang, Hermoine looking gorgeous and attracting Viktor Krum’s attention and Ron, who is still to come to terms that he is falling in love with his best buddy Hermoine!
Some of the Highlights of the Movie:
The scene when the students from Beaux Batons School arrive in their carriage flown by silken white-feathered horses is breathtaking. The whole 10mins depicting the two schools’ team arrival just mesmerizes you!
The first task in the tournament involves getting a golden egg from right under the dragon’s nose! The whole scene with dragon and Harry zipping around entire area of Hogwarts leaves you with a dizzying excitement about what happens next.
The second task involving mermaids gives the director a chance to show us the vibrant underwater life. And the third task, the final one, which leads Harry and Cedric Driggory to Voldermort, scares you in parts.
Certain scenes such as the one where Voldermort gets back his human form or death of Cedric are a sign of more serious things to happen in future.
The scene where Prof McGonagall teaches the students ballroom dance to prepare them for the Yule Ball to be held on Christmas Eve is hilarious. Especially Neville practicing dance all alone in their dormitory is extremely high on the Cute Factor!
Hermoine walking down in her pink gown at the Yule ball is a sweet moment when her buddies realize she is a girl AND she is beautiful!
Amongst new characters, Cedric as the popular senior is just right, Rita Skeeter’s character is perfectly etched. I mean she comes on the screen and you say Rita Skeeter! Madeye Moody scares you and makes you smile in turns with his weird rotating eye that sees everything! Cho Chang is beautiful. Fleur Delacour, I frankly felt lacked the kind of image the book portrays. Madame Maxime, principal of BeauxBaton, the giantess who though a head taller than Hagrid has a gentle, lilting French accent. You can’t help but smile when she lovingly calls Aghreed (Hagrid) and you see the giant blush!!!
The movie has a lot of high points and has done fair justice to the book! It makes you smile quite often. But what it does the best, is keeping you on the edge of your seats inspite of knowing everything that’s going to happen!
And that I guess is the strength of the movie! I mean you know every action and reaction and yet you marvel at its screen rendition. It’s a near perfect vision of what you may have imagined while reading the book!
This movie even had the tad snooty crowd at PVR seeti maroing and clapping and cheering!!!
So all ye Potter fans, who are wondering whether this one is worth your time?
The answer is a loud resounding YES!!!!!
I don’t know about kids, though I heard quite a few kiddy giggles too, you surely will enjoy this mad fiery ride to the Goblet of Fire!