Director: Mike Newell
Writers: Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Robert Pattinson
Synopsis: Harry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares.
Just about anything went on the 2005 franchise blockbuster scene, at least in comparison to the greyscale, one-note output that defines that very same genre in a general sense today. By that point in cinematic history, both the Harry Potter movies and, more broadly, big fantasy films had found their footing.
The Lord of the Rings had just recently wrapped things up with the awards-dominant The Return of the King and, for the Wizarding World specifically, Prisoner of Azkaban had just set a new standard for that specific franchise’s movies going forward. When Goblet of Fire flew onto the scene, despite it still being mostly liked, some folks just didn’t know what to do with it.
On the heels of the aforementioned, uber-successful and terribly loved threequel, director Mike Newell came out swinging with the fourth Harry Potter entry in the weirdest ways imaginable. In addition to (apparently) asking to burn down the Forbidden Forest entirely, which wasn’t allowed, Newell did manage to make the entire thing feel like an awkward coming-of-age high school movie. Only, he packed his telling with tangled long hair, the ever-expected magic, gorgeous silhouetted frames and triple the angst of the previous three movies.
Sure, the “HP” movies had been dramatic up to this point, but Goblet of Fire worked to cut a little deeper than any of the efforts had before. Not only is the beloved Death Eater angle introduced, in which a main character’s father is working for Voldemort, but you get multiple full looks at Voldemort himself for the first time, and Newell wastes no time introducing him.
From his shadowed presence as a sort of evil, finger-pointing baby to his slimy rebirth in the film’s stunning final act, Ralph Fiennes’ legendary portrayal was born in a light that only this movie could properly portray. Between all the teenagers yelling at one another and the peculiarly dangerous wizarding games at the core of this thing, Voldemort being the villainous through line works marvelously to set it apart.
It also helps that all the kids – including the momentarily added Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory – are working through interpersonal conflicts whilst simultaneously competing in the previously mentioned Triwizard Tournament, and while the life-threatening nature of the games is a bit hard to buy into at times, seeing Harry duel a dragon as it scales the castle of Hogwarts is the sort of blockbuster spectacle often missing from these kinds of movies now. And it looks magnificent, to boot, as does the entirety of Goblet of Fire.
The entire movie is painted in a hazy blue sheen, reminiscent of the eerie fire that outlines the film’s titular cup as students unwittingly submit themselves to the school’s competitive tournament. It all looks so somber, contrasted nicely with Azkaban’s warmer palette and suited to the stauncher, more mature emotions that accompany this entry in its waning moments.
This one might not be as consistently refined as the movie before it, but, in spurts, Goblet of Fire is as good as any of the Harry Potter movies can be. The multi-faceted introduction of Voldemort alone makes this one worth returning to on a regular basis, but when you also take into account that a child is turned into a ferret and thrown around with invisible magic in the middle of the school’s courtyard? It’s exactly the type of manic, fantastical adventure that commits to a silly premise and dies by it, all the same. An underrated submission into the cinematic Harry Potter canon, no doubt, and a thrilling one-off experience from a director who took a swing in multiple manners.
