‘Goblet’ is one of the better Potter flicks

< Prev | 1 | 2

Movie video

Scoop: Golden Globe nominations
Dec. 15: Msnbc.com's Courtney Hazlett reports on "Up In The Air's" six Golden Globe nominations, and whether new TV shows "Modern Family" and "Glee" pose threats to favorites "30 Rock" and "The Office."

Morgan Freeman shines in ‘Invictus’

Golden Globe Award nominees announced

Jeff Bridges on playing country superstar

Golden Globe nominations announced

Slideshow

December movies
James Cameron’s spectacle “Avatar” hits theaters, along with George Clooney, who is “Up in the Air,” and Robert Downey Jr. as “Sherlock Holmes.”

more photos

Much of the action takes place at the Triwizard Tournament, where Harry does gravity-defying battle with a fire-breathing dragon, tries to navigate a maze and visits the bottom of a very chilly-looking lake. The flying sequences and the underwater episodes are especially exciting, thanks to computer-generated special effects that create a world that seems simultaneously solid and unreal.

Nothing really looks like this, but as a fantasy landscape it’s irresistible. Cinematographer Roger Pratt, who specializes in dreamy darkness (he earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for 1999’s “End of the Affair”), again demonstrates his artistry.

NBC VIDEO
Emma Watson
Nov. 15: Emma Watson of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" talks with "Today" show host Katie Couric.
Today show
The filmmakers once considered splitting “Goblet of Fire” into two movies, instead of ramming all that plot into the single 157-minute film they finally produced. Sometimes the strain shows, especially in the handling of unfamiliar faces in supporting roles.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattison) is initially treated as a major character, and certainly he is meant to play a crucial role in the finale. Harry has a crush on Cho Chang (Katie Leung), and Hermione flirts with Bulgarian tournament contestant Viktor Krum (Stanislaw Ianevski). None of them has enough screen time to make much of an impression. Other characters have been eliminated entirely.

But Newell and Kloves needed to cut somewhere, and they’ve kept the focus on the characters that matter most. The result is a movie that will pack kiddie matinees and could draw an older audience as well.

< Prev | 1 | 2