Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) is the movie that got me into the Harry Potter franchise. As hard as it is to imagine now, I was never a Harry Potter fan when I was young. (In fact, I did not even read the books until after I graduated from college). So, what was it about Goblet of Fire that spoke to me? Read here to find out!
Harry Potter was everywhere when I was younger. But for some reason, I had it in my head that you could either be a Lord of the Rings fan or a Harry Potter fan (in much the same way, I thought you could either be a Star Wars or Star Trek fan), and that you could not be both. Since I loved the Lord of the Rings movies so much, Harry Potter was out of the question! However, my brothers were not so closed-minded. They enjoyed both the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises. My family rented Goblet of Fire from Blockbuster the weekend it came out. I decided to watch it with them "to see how bad it was." (For some reason, that excuse always made perfect sense when I was younger).
And boy, was I wrong. It wasn't bad at all. It was great! I loved everything about the Goblet of Fire. And to this day, it is still my favorite Harry Potter movie. What makes the Goblet of Fire such a great film is that even if you have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies, it still works. Of course, it is a much more rewarding experience if you have seen the other movies. This being said, I found myself becoming involved in the gripping story without having seen the previous entries in the franchise.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is entering his fourth year at Hogwarts, along with his two best friends, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint).
Like always, there is another new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, "Mad-Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson). This year, Hogwarts is hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in which three wizarding schools (Hogwarts, Durmstrang Institute, and Beauxbatous Academy of Magic) compete across three dangerous challenges. The rules state that only wizards aged seventeen and above may compete. So it is a surprise the titular Goblet of Fire unexpectantly picks Harry Potter as a fourth champion. Harry is bound by contract to compete, due to some kind of wizard law. The other champions that the Goblet picks to take part in the competition include my favorite character Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) of Hufflepuff along with Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski) from the Durmstrang Institute and Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France.
What follows is one unforgettable movie, with many new and old characters.
The universe to Harry Potter is greatly expanded in this film with the addition of the new schools. All three schools are well-developed with their own personality and charm. No pun intended! There are some new characters introduced in this movie from both home and abroad so to speak. Fan favorites, such as Snape (Alan Rickman), Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), and Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) are back.
As previously stated, it introduces my favorite character, Cedric Diggory. Cedric is just so darn cool. He is the kinda guy who can be friends with anyone and would fit in with any crowd at school. It would have been easy to write Cedric's character as a minor antagonist for Harry, but I am so glad that they did not. Cedric is popular at Hogwarts, not because he is a bully, but because he is a genuinely nice guy who helps everyone out. Basically, he is like your favorite older cousin that you looked up to when you were younger. And of course, let's not forget that he is from my Hogwarts house, Hufflepuff!
The Goblet of Fire is first and foremost a coming-of-age movie.
Since I was a middle schooler when I first saw this, this part of the movie really spoke to me. The way the movie handles jealousy between peers and their adolescent hormones feels so real for a movie about wizards. Next to Back to the Future, it is my favorite school dance scene in a movie. I mean, I really felt for Ron when Hermione went to the dance with Viktor. That is what a good movie is supposed to do: make you feel for the characters, almost as if you are there. Harry's jealousy of Cedric Diggory felt so real because, at the same time, you could see why Cedric was so popular. Cedric was easy-going and cool. While Harry was popular too, he was also a little awkward at times. Daniel Radcliffe does an amazing job of portraying this part of Harry's character, especially in the school dance sequences.
The Goblet of Fire is also a great tournament/'X-games' movie.
Each challenge in the movie comes with a unique puzzle to solve. It is a test of wits just as much as it is a test of physical endurance. The costumes they used for these scenes are probably my favorite in the whole franchise. It is fun to see what sporty gear looks like in the Wizarding World.
And let's not forget, this is the first Harry Potter movie with Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort.
And he knocks it out of the park. He is scary, but at the same time, you can see why there are those that follow him. He's got this presence about him that draws you in anytime he is on screen.
I could go on and on about this movie. I could talk about Ron's family, the Ministry of Magic, and Alan Rickman. But let's get right down to it: should you see this movie?
Short answer: "YES."
Do you have to see the other movies to see this movie?
Well, while I would recommend that you see all the movies, and listen to all of Jim Dale's audiobooks at some point, I'll make an unusual suggestion. Have you ever tried to start with the first Harry Potter, but couldn't get into it? Do you vaguely remember trying to watch them in the past, but have long since given up? Basically, is Harry Potter just not your "thing?" Then, please. I implore you to give this movie a chance. At worst, you'll find out that you truly just don't like Harry Potter. At best, however, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be your gateway into the Wizarding World. My movie rating is A+.
Click here for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban review.
Click here for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets review.
Click here for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone review.
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