Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD Review:

Harry Potter’s (Radcliffe) fourth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry starts with an attack at the Quidditch World Cup by Death Eaters, the loyal followers of Lord Voldemort. As Albus Dumbledore (Gambon) and the Ministry of Magic investigate, the Tri-Wizard tournament starts and the magical Goblet of Fire selects the three contestants from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute that will face three challenging and dangerous contests. This tournament is going to be very different as the Goblet of Fire has chosen a fourth wizard to join the contest and that student is Harry Potter.

J.K. Rowling’s fourth book in the series hits the big screen but is Harry Potter’s new year at Hogwarts as good as his previous academic years? The answer is a magical yes.

When it comes to family entertainment you can’t get much better than the Harry Potter franchise. The stories of the boy who lived have captivated the cinema going public as much as it did with the readers of the books. Now as Harry enters his fourth onscreen year at Hogwarts, we witness some real changes not just to the world he inhabits but also to the boy himself.

Darkness comes to the franchise as Lord Voldemort’s influence starts to return as the forces evil gather strength. This, of course creates problems for not just the Ministry of Magic and the faculty of Hogwarts but for Harry, as he becomes the focus of evil once again. He also has to contend with the Tri-Wizard tournament, a competition that is as dangerous as it is prestigious. As well has these two dangers to his life he also has to come to terms with growing up and all the trappings that come with been a teenager.

This is the year that Harry, Ron and Hermione become young adults and experience all the problems that come with that. The relationship between the trio changes dramatically with tensions and jealousy coming to the forefront. We see them discover the opposite sex, as the pressure of their first ball sees Ron and Harry struggle to find dates and Hermione become the centre of attention. This adds depth to all three characters as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint continue to grow into their roles. Of them all, it is Daniel Radcliffe that grows the most however. Whereas Emma Watson and Rupert Grint established themselves very quickly in their roles, Radcliffe never quite felt as natural as his on screen friends. While he did improve in ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’, it is this movie that he finally becomes the Harry all of the fans have been hoping for.

The fourth instalment also sees the introduction of more youngsters into the fold. As well as the returning Fred, George and Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom and the rest of the Hogwarts students we have some new pupils to meet. Robert Pattinson plays the hero of Hogwarts Cedric Diggory. Katie Leung makes her motion picture debut as the object of Harry’s affections Cho Chang. Stanislav Ianevski is the world’s best Quidditch player Viktor Krum. Beauxbatons Academy’s representative is Fleur Delacour played by Clémence Poésy. These are important characters to the story but only Cedric Diggory gets the screen time and development unfortunately.  

As with all the films in the franchise, the adult cast is made up of the best of British. Along with returning Potter stalwarts Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Timothy Spall, Jason Isaacs and Michael Gambon who enjoys his second stint as Albus Dumbledore, we have some new thespians joining the Harry Potter family. Miranda Richardson is Daily Prophet reporter Rita Skeeter, who will do anything and go anywhere to get a story, even though she doesn’t always report the truth. David Tennant plays Voldemort’s disciple Barty Crouch Junior. Almost stealing the show is Brendan Gleeson as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Alastor 'MadEye' Moody. As with all the dark arts professors, he has an important role to play and is one of the most entertaining characters of the movie. The main new character however is the one who’s name we cannot say. Ralph Fiennes instils a real sense of evil into him to produce a genuinely frightening source of pure evil.

The forth film is far darker than any of the other Potter story and might not be suitable for younger viewers. It is this fact however that makes the movie completely riveting throughout. The presence and threat of pure evil makes this quite scary for people of any age. This is fact is also made all more prominent by the amazing visuals. From the dream sequences to the jaw-dropping dragon contest, the visual effects are the best seen in the series and really enhance the storytelling. 

‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ is another brilliant addition to the franchise and a must see for all fans of the young wizard. These films are the best examples of family entertainment to hit the silver screen, even though this one is a lot darker than the previous three. Intelligent, funny and downright scary in parts, this is the adventure that sees Harry and his friends grow to face the dangers that are still to come.

Star Rating = * * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good, emphasising the extremely good visual effects.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 2

Dragon Arena

Tri-Wizard Tournament: Dragon Challenge

The first part of the interactive DVD version of the Tri-Wizard tournament. Here you play as Harry as you have to avoid the deadly horntail dragon.

Harry vs. the Horntail (5.53 mins)
Director Mike Newell, producer David Heyman, visual effects supervisors Jim Mitchell and Tim Alexander, visual effects producer Theresa R. Carrao, CG modelling supervisor Ken Bryan, animation supervisor Steve Rawlins and star Daniel Radcliff talk about creating Harry Potter’s first challenge in the Tri-Wizard tournament, his battle with the Horntail dragon. We see how the dragon was designed and created digitally for the film, highlighting how Daniel Radcliff had to act to an aggressor that was only there in post-production.

Meet the Champions (13.03 mins)
Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski and Clémence Poésy take us behind the scenes of a day in the shoot life for their characters Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour. In a video diary style, we follow the three stars around for the day as they film at Leavesden Studios.

The Lake

Tri-Wizard Tournament: Lake Challenge

The second part of the interactive DVD version of the Tri-Wizard tournament and this time you take control of Harry as he dives beneath the waves and enters the realm of the mermaids.

In Too Deep: Second Task (9.27 mins)
Director Mike Newell, producer David Heyman, visual effects supervisor Jim Mitchell, visual effects producer Theresa R. Carrao, executive producer David Barron, special effects supervisor John Richardson, second unit director Peter MacDonald, dive coordinator Dave Shaw and stars Daniel Radcliff and Robert Pattinson reveal how the underwater lake scenes were created in the time. We see how Daniel Radcliff had to go through dive training to prepare for the role, how they created the underwater environment and designing the mermaids and other creatures that inhabit the lake.

The Maze

Tri-Wizard Tournament: The Maze Challenge

The third part of the interactive DVD version of the Tri-Wizard tournament and this time you take control of Harry he enters the extremely dangerous Maze.

To the Grave Yard and Back Challenge
Just as you think the Tournament is over you are transported to a mysterious graveyard where you have to survive the Death Eaters and an evil presence that is about to be reborn.

The Maze: The Third Task (6.32 mins)
Director Mike Newell, producer David Heyman, visual effects supervisor Jim Mitchell, visual effects producer Theresa R. Carrao, executive producer David Barron, special effects supervisor John Richardson, production designer Stuart Craig and stars Daniel Radcliff, Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski and Clémence Poésy show you how the thirty-five foot high maze came to life.

He Who Must Not Be Named (10.43 mins)
Director Mike Newell, producer David Heyman, visual effects supervisors Jim Mitchell and Ben Shepard, visual effects producer Theresa R. Carrao, creature and makeup effects supervisor Nick Dudman, costume designer Jany Temime and stars Daniel Radcliff, Jason Isaacs and Ralph Fiennes talk about bringing the epitome of evil back to life, Lord Voldemort. Here we find out how the personification of evil was realised and how Ralph Fiennes approached the role.

Hogwarts Castle

Additional Scenes (9.43 mins)
These deleted scenes include the Hogwarts school song, Harry and Ron trying to find dates for the Yule Ball, Jarvis Cocker performing a song at the Yule Ball, Harry overhearing Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff talking, more MadEye Moody and more of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Unfortunately with an introduction or commentary track, we don’t know why these good scenes were removed.

Preparing for the Yule Ball (8.41 mins)
Director Mike Newell, producer David Heyman, executive producer David Barron, costume designer Jany Temime, production designer Stuart Craig and stars Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Katie Leung, Oliver and James Phelps, Alfie Enoch, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Robert Pattinson and Clémence Poésy talk about preparing and dancing at the Yule Ball.

Conversations with the Cast (30.34 mins)
Host Richard Curtis puts the questions to Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint talk about appearing in the fourth film ‘The Goblet of Fire’. We find out what they actually thought about the movie and what was cut out, which scenes they like best and if there were any scenes that actually scared them. We also here about their own character’s development, what it was like working with new director Mike Newell and which characters in the Harry Potter universe are their favourites. Five lucky competition winners from around the world also ask the trio questions.

Reflections on the forth film (14.13 mins)
Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Katie Leung, Oliver and James Phelps, Alfie Enoch, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Devon Murray, Bonnie Wright, Jamie Waylett, Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski and Clémence Poésy talk about returning for the fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The young cast talk about coming back to Harry Potter, the new characters, friendships both on and off screen, the adult cast and working with the new director.

Theatrical Trailer (1.14 mins)
Watch the teaser trailer for ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’

DVD ROM

Place the DVD in your PC and access even more special features including EA Game Demo, Magical Trading Cards, Hogwarts Timeline and Web interactivity

OVERALL

Warner Bros. has put together a very good package that successfully mixes making of featurettes, interviews and interaction content. The mixture is just about right, with older fans getting a lot from the behind the scenes footage and making of featurettes and the interactive game will really appeal to younger Harry Potter fans. The absence of a commentary track is a real shame however but fans of the movie should be very pleased with this package.

DVD Star Rating = * * * * 

There is a fine line walked when adapting a popular book into a film, and the Harry Potter series has flirted with both sides. There is an obvious danger that if you stray too far away from the source material you will upset fans, but there is also the opposite risk that if you are too close to the material it can feel dry and old. The first films in the Harry Potter series had the problem of being boring despite the accuracy to the book. The third film in the series upset fans because of all of the minor changes, especially in the locations. The fourth film seems to hit it just right, even allowing the film to be rated PG-13 as the story increases in intensity. If the rest of the films follow suit to Goblet of Fire the series will remain interesting to watch for fans of the book and the film series alike.

Coming into year four at Hogwarts we find that there will be an exciting event to take place. There is a Triwizard Tournament in which competitors from other magic schools come to compete. Only one from each school is supposed to be picked by the goblet, but everyone is shocked when Harry’s name comes out as an extra competitor, especially since he claims that he never put his name in the goblet. It’s all another mystery at Hogwarts, but Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t have time to solve mysteries in this installment. Harry is preoccupied trying to prepare for the deadly tournament that promises three challenging tasks.

At nearly two hours and forty minutes The Goblet of Fire is just as long as the other films in the series, but this one seems to move quicker. The action has increased with their age, and the dark material begins to come out more often as well. Harry and the gang are going through puberty suddenly, both as actors and characters, which should be uncomfortable. Somehow this film manages to get across the fact that they are beginning to change without making it obvious that there are some coming-of-age themes in the series, and without making the actors look silly. Mostly teen angst is dealt with, and that should increase quite a bit as the series continues.

With each new film there are new characters, and this one brings Brendan Gleeson as the new Dark Arts professor. It is also the first film that He Who Must Not Be Named is portrayed by an actual actor, and Ralph Fiennes steps into the role with ease. Sadly this film doesn’t ask much of Sirius Black, and Gary Oldman is hardly seen. The other casting issue is that of Dumbledore’s replacement, who sadly misses the quiet power of the character. The only hope is that the director of the next film learns to reign in the professor’s rage.

The Goblet of Fire is available in a single disc version, and a two-disc special edition DVD. The two-disc version is packed with all sorts of special features that break the film into sequences as well as a few game demos just for fun. Disc one of the two-disc special edition has the film alone, and disc two holds all of the special features. Even the trailers for upcoming films are on disc two. The features include deleted scenes and conversations with the cast, but the true features are much more elaborate. There is a featurette for nearly every large scene in the film, and they are all set up in an interactive menu. The menu is setup like a map, so you can choose a location and each one has different special features somewhat appropriate to their location. Three of the locations are the locations of each of the tasks in the Triwizard Tournament, and there are featurettes about each of the tasks. There are also a few games to play, but trying to work them out with the DVD remote is a frustrating task.

The special features are so interactive and the menus are somewhat cheesy, so that it doesn’t feel like a PG-13 film. It almost still seems to be meant for a younger crowd although few of the featurettes seem likely to entertain them. There are some good featurettes and a lot of interviews which take the place of any commentary tracks.



Ryan Izay