I have been to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this evening. The cinema was quite full, still, even though it is in its second week of showing. A great film, but having read the 678 (?) pages in the book, it did feel at times like you were watching a video with the fast forward button pressed down. 2 hours and 26 minutes cannot do justice to a book of that size and with so much in it. I would feel sorry for people who hadn't read the book first as so many emotions were dropped, in favour of little cameo pieces. The small time frame meant that background and build-up to events was sacrificed, in order to cram in as many of the events as possible.
Nevertheless, the film was enjoyable to watch, with satire, humour, teenage emotions, and even the deep sadness of death being ably portrayed on screen. The whole film served as a reminder of the very dramatic scenes J. K. Rowling wrote for this episode.
A good performance by teenage actor Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) whose unfortunate "bloody hell" may become his catch-phrase, yet. His portrayal of a jilted friend came across as pretentious at first, a victim of the little time available, but his later scenes hinted that he may have a great character acting future ahead. Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) played the part a fickle teenage girl being annoyed by her would-be boyfriend to great effect. She shows signs of making diction her strong point, so we should certainly look out for more high-class portrayals from her in the future. Daniel Radcliffe trotted out the essential plot lines, and it has to be noted that his underwater swimming expertise was one of the most unusual calls made upon any actor in any film. The teenagers performances were professionally balanced with the performances of key older actors, notably that of Brendan Gleeson (Mad-Eye Moody), and Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), making the evening entertainment one that will last in my memory for quite a few months to come.
