Monday, November 28, 2005

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The fourth outing of everybody's favorite boy wizard is the most imaginative and exciting of the series. Mike Newell manages to artistically reinvent the world of Hogwarts as Alfonso Cuaron did in the previous film. Newell is the first British director of a very British series, though I didn't notice this as being any more "British" than the previous films. The three leads continue to develop as actors, people, and characters nicely, in that these all seem to be metaphors for growing up anyway. This is the darkest entry yet, and the stakes are raised as Lord Valdemont makes his return, and the film ends up with a body count. Despite it's 2 1/2 hour length, it manages to jump from event to event, and for me anyway, left me wanting to see more. The story revolves around Harry's mysterious entry into the dangerous Tri-wizard Tournament which is a life or death contest usually reserved for older students. It's through this contest, however, that I believe Harry begins to develop morally. It's in his willingness to sacrafice the win to help others, or to not bend the rules for curiosity sake that makes this the most morally grounded of the series. Plus the darker nature, and more dangerous challenges provide a stronger, more mature conflict for him to face. That combined with Newell's visual flair, and some of the more imaginative digital wizardry in recent memory, make this the most imaginative, exciting and well-rounded of the series.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home