Highlights include an attack in the school’s toilets by a huge, lumbering troll, a life size game of chess in which the pieces come to life to destroy each other, a cloak of invisibility, a man with two faces on opposite sides of his head, and the finale which includes a scene of a man disintegrating into dust as a homage to Hammer’s Dracula and is just as impressive. The CGI effects are elaborate and generally flawless, and the only ones I didn’t care for were the «broomstick flying» shots in the quidditch game which still ended up looking a little too fake for my liking, which is a shame as they’re used excessively. Otherwise the effects work is phenomenal and something to be seen.
Daniel Radcliffe takes on the rather subdued role of Potter, and is overshadowed by two excellent performances from Rupert Grint as the lovably cheeky Ron and Emma Watson as the bossy Hermione. The supporting cast are generally excellent, with fine turns from Richard Harris as Headmaster Dumbledore, Robbie Coltrane as the giant Hagrid (whose weight bizarrely fluctuates throughout the movie), John Cleese — briefly — as an unsuccessful ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, John Hurt as a wand dealer, Richard Griffiths as Harry’s unpleasant uncle, and most of all Alan Rickman with a sinisterly villainous performance of Gothic dread — nobody can be a bad guy like Rickman can. Cameos from the likes of Julie Walters, Fiona Shaw, Zoe Wanamaker, and even Warwick Davis (which surely had to be a step up from LEPRECHAUN 5 or whatever his last film was) as a goblin are endless and a delight.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE may be a kid’s film, but there’s enough going on here to make it an enjoyable viewing experience for adults who plan to watch the film with their kids as well. Lots of plot, interesting and original characters, refreshingly old-fashioned moral codes, some fine sets which skilfully mix old and new-style worlds, an effective score, special effects which seamlessly blend in with the story and above average acting help to make this a gem of a movie and a cut above the rest.
Not originally a fan of this series (really, not interested), I’ve got to say that I now see the widespread appeal of these Harry Potter movies! I actually first saw GOBLET OF FIRE (2005) when it premiered on cable the year after it’s release and liked it enough to want to start watching this series. Then when ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007) came out 2 years later, I liked it, but it seemed to get really dark and serious more so than GoF and I really needed perspective in understanding the trajectory of these HP films. I went out and bought the 5-disc collection of SORCERER’S STONE, CHAMBER OF SECRETS, PRISONER OF AZBAKAN, GOBLET OF FIRE, and ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. It’s apparent these films are purposefully getting darker as they move along, some staying very true to the source material, some taking liberties.
Of the 5-disc set, I actually think this film, CHAMBER OF SECRETS, may be the best! I still like the other 4 for different reasons, but here’s some reasons why I rate this one so high:
*Daniel Radcliffe, as Harry Potter, improved immensely from the first film to this one! In SS, you could really tell the 12-year old youngster was a bit nervous and awestruck at having to carry the load of this franchise on his shoulders! Radcliffe, while adorably cute along with his co-stars Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione) in SS, really needed to step it up in CoS and he did in spades! In CoS, 13-year old Radcliffe obviously established that he IS Harry Potter!
*The film’s length is not a bother! When a film this long (over 2 1/2 hours?) can sustain itself and hold your attention without ever devolving into boredom or tedium, that is saying something! Especially when it’s led by 3 kids! Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson deserve all praise!
*Kenneth Branagh’s delightfully fun performance as new Defense Against the Dark Arts Prof. Gilderoy Lockhart! This is the role that gets changed from film to film and Branagh’s Lockhart is probably the best!
*The climactic showdown between Harry and Tom was suspenseful and epic! Who’d have thought a scene between two teenagers would be as involving, deep, and exciting as any showdown between two adults? And they used words as weapons just as much as action and never sounded preachy or boring! An accomplishment indeed!
*Of course, the adult cast the late great Richard Harris (Prof. Dumbledore, played by Michael Gambon in the later films), Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall), Alan Rickman (Prof. Snape), and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) carry their loads in professional, brilliant fashion and allow the young actors to have their shining moments. Jason Isaacs was a great addition as Lucius Malfoy, a new foil for Harry Potter and the father of little Draco Malfoy (reliably malevolent Tom Felton, who has played the role since the beginning with his contemporaries Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson).
*Moaning Myrtle! Special mention also goes to Shirley Henderson as the newly introduced character in this film. A great comic relief (but still essential to the plot) character!
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Plot summary
Harry’s (Daniel Radcliffe’s) fourth year at Hogwarts is about to start and he is enjoying the summer vacation with his friends. They get the tickets to The Quidditch World Cup Final, but after the match is over, people dressed like Lord Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes’) «Death Eaters» set a fire to all of the visitors’ tents, coupled with the appearance of Voldemort’s symbol, the «Dark Mark» in the sky, which causes a frenzy across the magical community. That same year, Hogwarts is hosting «The Triwizard Tournament», a magical tournament between three well-known schools of magic : Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. The contestants have to be above the age of seventeen, and are chosen by a magical object called «The Goblet of Fire». On the night of selection, however, the Goblet spews out four names instead of the usual three, with Harry unwittingly being selected as the Fourth Champion. Since the magic cannot be reversed, Harry is forced to go with it and brave three exceedingly difficult tasks.—Soumitra
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January 12, 2022 at 03:05 PM
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While Prisoner was a step forward I alway felt like the film adaptation of Goblet was a step back simply due to time. Goblet really should be longer to cover all the stuff going on here. Yes, we have the games but in order to do that right the whole movie has to be about that. There’s not enough time to explore all the other stuff going on here, the relationships shifting and adapting, the mystery of what’s going on. None of this feels more epitomized than in the relationship of Ron and Harry. Best buddies up until now and yet, suddenly they’re fed up with each other. I understand the reasoning of it all but it doesn’t feel like the film is allowed to live in that enough to make the reactions feel reasonable or earned.
Goblet of fire is still decent, it just doesn’t feel like a step forward for the series. It’s entirely necessary but doesn’t progress or amp up in a meaningful enough way. Not that it really matters because at this point you’re likely 3-4 movies in and you’re either going to see this through or you’re not. Just know that it gets progressively better from here.
Harry Potter and the TriWizard Cup.
»Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire» is the best of all Harry Potter movies of all(at least until now),and also the only one that I gave a vote bigger then 7. As all my Harry Potter comments, I need to say again that the book is so much better and has much more details who are important in the series, but this is the first of all movies who really deserve my applause. The effects are better, the cast looks more comfortable in their respective roles and even being a summary of the books,»Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire» finally was a good movie. Of course that since the fourth book is very big, many, MANY parts are not showed in the movie,including details about the relationship between Cedric and Harry and also when Harry was in the Quidditch World Cup.
aka «Harry Potter e o Cálice de Fogo» — Brazil
Dark and engrossing!
I liked this film very much. It is much darker than the previous outings, but not as faithful to the source material. The only thing I didn’t like so much about the book, was the subplot about Hermione trying to help house elves. It was cute, but interfered too much with the dark overtones of the narratives. The film looks dazzling, especially the ballroom scene. Speaking of that scene, I adored that dress that Hermione was wearing, Emma Watson looked unrecognisable in that scene.Also the music by Patrick Doyle this time was beautiful. I don’t think it’s as dark as the book, and I wasn’t too keen on some of the casting. Roger Lloyd Pack and David Tennant were fine in their roles as the Crouches, but their characters were changed significantly. I did wish they made Crouch’s disappearance more mysterious, instead of giving it away, ruining the suspense that was quite compelling up to that scene. I am not too keen on Michael Gambon’s Dumbledore, I just don’t remember Dumbledore being violent as they made him. As I’ve said already, I much prefer Richard Harris as the character. I am also on the fence about Mad Eye Moody. Brendan Gleeson is a very talented actor, evident in films like In Bruges and The General. He looked the part, but his voice wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for Moody. I have listened to the audio tapes by Stephen Fry, and I imagine Moody’s voice as low and gravelly. Although Gleeson mostly succeeded with his role, I personally think he tried too hard. My brother also noted that he didn’t like the execution of the three tasks. I didn’t like the third task, and the other two were fine. I did think on a positive note that Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort was suitably scary, and with the exception of Dumbledore everyone else was well done. All in all, a flawed but quite engrossing film, that doesn’t quite live up to the darkness of the book. 8/10 Bethany Cox
