Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Hmm, at times, I wonder if I am truly a Harry Potter fan. I enjoy the franchise immensely. The world crafted by Rowling has a certain allure to it, and she definitely has a knack of the ole melodrama. But of all the six books published, I have only read one: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; however, of the four movies, I have seen them all, including the “Goblet” just this past weekend. I haven’t purchase that many related merchandise, but I’m tempted to buy the Harry Potter themed sets from Lego. So I guess, I’m just a fan, not a devotee.

As to why I have only read one book, instead of all six, is that I like to see the movies prior to reading the book. Too many times have I been scathed by book-to-movie adaptations which bordered on the silly and ridiculous. Case in point, “The Sum of All Fears”. The book was great, as all works of Clancy’s are IMHO. But the movie was horrendous. Not because of Ben Affleck, as much as I am tempted to say so, but because of the “creative license” they used. It was supposed to be about the Middle East, not post cold-war Europe; it was rogue Muslim factions that procured the weapon, not Fascists. And Dr. Ryan was already married with children, not just getting ready for engagement. All in all, it was a horrible movie, because I saw the book, I knew the book.

As to how this relates to Harry Potter. I told Kevin, who has read all six, that I won’t read the books until I have seen the movie first. That way, I won’t go into the theater with high expectations, only to be shattered by the constraints of the medium.

As for the movie itself, I can say I truly enjoyed it. The entire movie-going experience was great fun. From arriving an hour prior, waiting in line in the theater lobby with friends, straining our necks to see the various previews mounted on TVs high above; to getting numerous popcorn and drink refills (of course we had to, the combo cost a bundle), and to finally making it into the theater and getting awesome seats. The pre-movie experience was quite jovial.

The film was a blend of teenagers coming of age, true friendship of those established and new, plus big fire-breathing dragons, flying broomsticks, and “you-know-who”.

The movie had a dark tone to it; hardly were there bright shiny palettes of colors. If there were such, it was muted. From the beginning to the end, the movie gave a sense of foreboding that evil was lurking and that things for these young group of friends would not quite be the same.

As for the acting, the three seemed to have a natural chemistry, and the actors, especially Radcliffe, whose acting was a bit force in the previous installments, was more “Harry Potter-esque” and natural. The thing that I worry about, is given the pace of shooting the films, the actors/actress may seem a bit out of place age-wise related to their roles.

The music was excellent, this time with a new composer, Patrick Doyle, at helm. The score didn’t deviate much from the previous as composed by John Williams, and I hardly noticed it, but it was there, providing the emotions of the film. I always think that films whose music I don’t deliberately notice, the more successful the music is.

As for the special effects, it merged seamless into the story telling. The creatures, effects, were natural, rarely (more like never) did I sense something was done, just for the sake of it. I felt at home in the world of Hogwarts, and the effects made it so.

“Goblet”, directed by Mike Newell, was a fast-paced, action-adventure film, hardly was there a moment that seemed dull. The golden egg scene with Harry and Myrtle was a bit slow for my taste, especially the bubbles, but everything else flowed smoothly and quickly. I would say (given that I haven’t read the book) I knew what happened, why and how, and was propelled at a speed where I could enjoy all the intricate details the movie had to offer, while not being bored to death in the process. The only thing I have to nit-pick about the ending was, how it ended. It just seemed so, rushed.

After the movie, Yu-ting went home as it was already quite late. Arthur, Becky and Tammy came over to my place for some cake and tea, where we chatted about the movie and various other topics. I feel a bit guilty for making Tammy stay up that late, for she had church in the morning at 08:30 sharp. As for myself, I slept soundly into noon.

P.S. We went to see the movie on Saturday night. The movie was schedule at 22:30, but we arrived quite earlier than that. I don’t recall the precise timing, but Kevin stated that we started waiting in line around 21:40.

I guess this is my attempt of curing the backlog I have piled up. This entry is for Saturday, November 19th, 2005.