If you thought the masturbation references in Prisoner of Azkaban were shocking, get ready for a full-scale hormonal assault in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The kids are barreling through puberty and new director Mike Newell is all too happy to infuse the Potter flick with a serious dose of naughty English schoolboy humor, in the vein of his 1994 comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Goblet of Fire is the darkest, most sexual and wickedly funny Potter installment yet, and earns its PG-13 rating with a harrowing death scene, teenage pranks and oodles of sexual innuendo. Bathroom ghost inhabitant Moaning Myrtle ogles Harry’s goods in a bath scene, Hermione refers to her admirer Viktor Krum as “strictly a physical being” and Ron makes a comment about a fellow student’s developing chest. And Harry, of course, finds his first love interest in Cho Chang, played by adorable Scottish newcomer Katie Leung, probably the most over-hyped storyline, considering she barely gets 10 minutes of screen time and has even fewer lines.
Leung is only one of a slew of new characters and actors in Goblet, including the hunky Robert Pattinson as Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory, Stanislov Ianevski as star seeker Viktor Krum, Clemence Poesy as French vixen Fleur Delacour, the deliciously wicked Miranda Richarson as meddling reporter Rita Skeeter, Brendan Gleeson as off-kilter Mad Eye Moody, Ralph Fiennes as the resurrected Lord Voldemort and new Doctor Who star David Tennant as Barty Crouch Jr.
Each of the adult actors is, like the rest of the veteran cast, ideally suited to their roles, Gleeson and Tennant in particular. Pattinson and Poesy play their characters as a jock and creampuff, respectively, straying from their literary incarnations significantly enough that in Pattinson’s case, it makes his character less sympathetic than he should be.
The teenage actors mature along with the subject matter, Daniel Radcliffe being the stand out, pulling off an impressive emotional range, particularly in the film’s climatic battle and death scenes. Emma Watson, while still acting largely by moving her eyebrows about emphatically, nails an emotional scene where she chastises Ron for not asking her to the Yule Ball. Rupert Grint has thankfully stopped pulling faces in lieu of acting, though his now hulking 17-year-old figure is more notable than his performance. Now 16-year-old Radcliffe, too, has developed into quite the object of lust, if the squealing that ensued at his half-nude bath scene is any indication.
While the booming hormones definitely linger in the background, the focus of Goblet is the darker stuff of Lord Voldemort’s return to power, and the danger of the Triwizard Tournament and its three tasks. Excising everything that doesn’t tie directly to the tournament, screenwriter Steve Kloves makes Goblet read like an action flick, and the momentum works. While clocking it at just under two and-a-half hours, the film flies by, each dangerous task bringing us closer to the film’s shining moment: Voldemort’s rebirth and duel with Harry, followed by the franchise’s first real brush with death.
Director Mike Newell, following on the heels of Alfonso Cuaron’s heralded work on Prisoner of Azkaban, infuses Goblet with the same impending sense of darkness, particularly through the film’s muted visual style – everything accented by firelight and the shadows of approaching twilight. He ditches Cuaron’s blue filter effect and plays up the action, making Goblet both the most fantastical and realistic Potter yet. Cuaron built the new world, and Newell makes it feel like home, utilizing the same rustic Scottish locations that make Hogwarts seem like a visceral place.
Fans of John Williams’ overbearing, bombastic Harry Potter scores are in for quite a shock: The franchise has brought in Scottish composer Patrick Doyle (A Little Princess, Bridget Jones’ Diary) to create a richly tense and dynamic score, completely different from the music of the previous three films. In its best moments, Doyle’s score is reminiscent of Emmy award winner Michael Giacchino’s “Alias” soundtrack and of the high drama of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. It’s a ballet wrapped up in a spy thriller, with sweeping love themes and dark motifs that complement the new dramatic arc of the Potter franchise. Doyle’s work on tracks “Voldemort” and “Cedric” are particularly moving, and drive the film’s dramatic conclusion.
Goblet is a natural continuation of the entire cast and crew’s work on The Prisoner of Azkaban, further developing the series as a true cinematic entity. Some fans will likely be incensed by the numerous changes, but everyone else, particularly those coming fresh to the series, will find it the most digestible Potter flick yet. m
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