Saturday, November 26, 2005

Goblet of Fire Movie

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while! Things have been really busy.

We went to see the Goblet of Fire movie last week, and I was pleasantly surprised. I haven't really enjoyed any of the Harry Potter movies. For the most part they have just been recreations of scene after scene from the book, with all the subtlety and mystery lost. But I actually enjoyed this one. Director Mike Newell did it right: he didn't try to reproduce the whole book, and he changed what needed to be changed to make it a better movie. Film is a different medium than print, and what makes a good book doesn't necessarily make a good movie, and visa versa. I actually thought that the film did a better job than the book of conveying just how isolated Harry felt - how it must have been to have everyone, including Dumbledore and even Ron, think that he did something that he shouldn't have and that he was out for the glory. Newell also injected just the right amount of humor to balance the suspense, and it made for a very enjoyable film. The acting was good, and the three principal actors especially have really come a long way.

The movie wasn't without it's flaws. I wasn't impressed with the depiction of the maze, and I thought Wormtail should have been in a little more pain after cutting off his hand. But overall I thought it was a good movie.