HARRY POTTER & the GOBLET of FIRE
Best opening weekend boxoffice AND the most entertaining of the four released so far, now it's up to the remaining three to take the series where Peter Jackson took 'Lord of the Rings' - the Oscar SWEEP!
3-1/2 stars (out of 4) [(2005)USA/WB/Rated PG-13] - (2 hrs. 37 min.)
Directed by Mike Newell
Screenplay by Steve Kloves
Source: based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
Lead characters/Cast
Harry Potter - Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley - Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger - Emma Watson
Review:
A common complaint leveled at the "Harry Potter" series has been it's failure to live up to the imagination of author J.K. Rowling with most ardent fans admitting that the movies pale in comparison to the books they were based on. That sore point has finally been resolved by taking the story into more mature territory garnering not only a PG-13 rating but also the most sophisticated special effects yet created for this film series.
'Harry Potter' has graduated from boy wizard to action hero as he encounters so many life and death situations you could easily surmise that by the time movie #5 ("HP & the Order of the Phoenix") rolls around he'll be 14 going on 40 - emotionally anyway. One positive consequence the series newfound maturity is that it could one day make 'Harry Potter' a candidate for Oscar's attention. Especially in the coming years as Harry faces deeper and more complicated issues while pursuing the truth surrounding the death of his parents at the hands of Lord Voltemort.
In addition to the many amazing technical feats and monsters created to menace Harry, the story itself offers perhaps the scariest scenario any young boy must face when he comes of age - asking a girl for a date. To be able to watch a character many fans have practically grown up with finally become involved in more earthbound pursuits proves a huge boon to the franchise by adding a level of romantic comedy heretofore beyond the juvenile trio.
Of course, the series already has a lot of built-in humor provided by its menagerie of adult characters ranging from 'Hagrid' (Robbie Coltrane) the half-giant to new additions like tabloid reporter 'Rita Skeeter' (Miranda Richardson). I would like to note that (in my opinion) the one 'newbie' that steals every scene he's in is actor Brendan Gleeson's as the hilarious 'Mad-Eye' Moody (aided in no small part by his roving mechanical eyeball).
If the series can continue to push into more universal themes while exploring its magical ones there is certainly an opportunity to attain a level of complexity that could capture some Oscar glory in the future, not unlike the way Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies lurked in the background until the finale swept 11 categories. And the addition of Oscar-caliber actors to the cast (like Ralph Fiennes as 'Voldemort') only pushes the envelope the much further into Potter's hands.
Here's hoping Potter's muggle friends behind the camera keep raising the bar and turn the finale into a true moment of 'eternal glory'.
Supporting characters/Cast
Rubeus Hagrid - Robbie Coltrane
Lord Voldemort - Ralph Fiennes
Albus Dumbledore - Michael Gambon
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody - Brendan Gleeson
Lucius Malfoy - Jason Isaacs
Sirius Black - Gary Oldman
Rita Skeeter - Miranda Richardson
Severus Snape - Alan Rickman
Minerva McGonagall - Maggie Smith
Wormtail - Timothy Spall
Argus Filch - David Bradley
Filius Flitwick - Warwick Davis
Draco Malfoy - Tom Felton
Arthur Weasley (Ron's dad) - Mark Williams
Neville Longbottom - Matthew Lewis
Padma Patil - Afshan Azad
Parvati Patil - Shefali Chowdhury
Additional cast (newbies galore):
Madame Olympe Maxime - Frances de la Tour
Igor Karkaroff - Pedja Bjelac
Cornelius Fudge - Robert Hardy
Moaning Myrtle - Shirley Henderson
Barty Crouch - Roger Lloyd Pack
Viktor Krum - Stanislav Ianevski
Cedric Diggory - Robert Pattinson
Fleur Delacour - Clemence Poesy
Barty Crouch Junior - David Tennant
Fred Weasley - James Phelps
George Weasley - Oliver Phelps
Ginny Weasley - Bonnie Wright
Cho Chang - Katie Leung
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Best opening weekend boxoffice AND the most entertaining of the four released so far, now it's up to the remaining three to take the series where Peter Jackson took 'Lord of the Rings' - the Oscar SWEEP!
3-1/2 stars (out of 4) [(2005)USA/WB/Rated PG-13] - (2 hrs. 37 min.)
Directed by Mike Newell
Screenplay by Steve Kloves
Source: based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
Lead characters/Cast
Harry Potter - Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley - Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger - Emma Watson
Review:
A common complaint leveled at the "Harry Potter" series has been it's failure to live up to the imagination of author J.K. Rowling with most ardent fans admitting that the movies pale in comparison to the books they were based on. That sore point has finally been resolved by taking the story into more mature territory garnering not only a PG-13 rating but also the most sophisticated special effects yet created for this film series.
'Harry Potter' has graduated from boy wizard to action hero as he encounters so many life and death situations you could easily surmise that by the time movie #5 ("HP & the Order of the Phoenix") rolls around he'll be 14 going on 40 - emotionally anyway. One positive consequence the series newfound maturity is that it could one day make 'Harry Potter' a candidate for Oscar's attention. Especially in the coming years as Harry faces deeper and more complicated issues while pursuing the truth surrounding the death of his parents at the hands of Lord Voltemort.
In addition to the many amazing technical feats and monsters created to menace Harry, the story itself offers perhaps the scariest scenario any young boy must face when he comes of age - asking a girl for a date. To be able to watch a character many fans have practically grown up with finally become involved in more earthbound pursuits proves a huge boon to the franchise by adding a level of romantic comedy heretofore beyond the juvenile trio.
Of course, the series already has a lot of built-in humor provided by its menagerie of adult characters ranging from 'Hagrid' (Robbie Coltrane) the half-giant to new additions like tabloid reporter 'Rita Skeeter' (Miranda Richardson). I would like to note that (in my opinion) the one 'newbie' that steals every scene he's in is actor Brendan Gleeson's as the hilarious 'Mad-Eye' Moody (aided in no small part by his roving mechanical eyeball).
If the series can continue to push into more universal themes while exploring its magical ones there is certainly an opportunity to attain a level of complexity that could capture some Oscar glory in the future, not unlike the way Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" movies lurked in the background until the finale swept 11 categories. And the addition of Oscar-caliber actors to the cast (like Ralph Fiennes as 'Voldemort') only pushes the envelope the much further into Potter's hands.
Here's hoping Potter's muggle friends behind the camera keep raising the bar and turn the finale into a true moment of 'eternal glory'.
Supporting characters/Cast
Rubeus Hagrid - Robbie Coltrane
Lord Voldemort - Ralph Fiennes
Albus Dumbledore - Michael Gambon
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody - Brendan Gleeson
Lucius Malfoy - Jason Isaacs
Sirius Black - Gary Oldman
Rita Skeeter - Miranda Richardson
Severus Snape - Alan Rickman
Minerva McGonagall - Maggie Smith
Wormtail - Timothy Spall
Argus Filch - David Bradley
Filius Flitwick - Warwick Davis
Draco Malfoy - Tom Felton
Arthur Weasley (Ron's dad) - Mark Williams
Neville Longbottom - Matthew Lewis
Padma Patil - Afshan Azad
Parvati Patil - Shefali Chowdhury
Additional cast (newbies galore):
Madame Olympe Maxime - Frances de la Tour
Igor Karkaroff - Pedja Bjelac
Cornelius Fudge - Robert Hardy
Moaning Myrtle - Shirley Henderson
Barty Crouch - Roger Lloyd Pack
Viktor Krum - Stanislav Ianevski
Cedric Diggory - Robert Pattinson
Fleur Delacour - Clemence Poesy
Barty Crouch Junior - David Tennant
Fred Weasley - James Phelps
George Weasley - Oliver Phelps
Ginny Weasley - Bonnie Wright
Cho Chang - Katie Leung
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++