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Eric Sykes, Timothy Spall, David Tennant, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Mark Williams, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Bonnie Wright, Jeff Rawle, Robert Pattinson, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Stanislav Ianevski

A fairy tale beginning has now turned into a dark and mischievous journey for the teen wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe). It first was a warm and amusing adventure with some suspense in the initial film. However, even after the first cinematic adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy novel the films have become increasingly darker to the point where the rating now has been bumped up from PG to PG-13 in the fourth installment of Harry Potter. The elevated rating on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire might suggest that Harry Potter is aging and his life is now turning increasingly more difficult, as both adolescence and evil forces intensify its influences on his life. ***

J.K. Rowling addresses notions of magic, a parallel fantasyland reached by strange methods of travel, and many fantastic creatures, which is brought to life through director Mike Newell’s fantasy coming of age vision. In the fourth episode of Harry Potter, Harry has reached the midpoint of his adolescence. It is also a time when he is highly susceptible to influences around him. The film shrewdly illustrates the coming of age of the teen wizard and his friends, as they all face the predicaments of adolescence. Through its a clever narration Potter and his friends deal with teenage obstacles and choices, often for the first time, which can have a significant impact on the rest of their life. Symbolically, the same concept is brought through the lurking evil that seems to meddle underneath the surface of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These evils fizzle through by initially teasing and belittling, which eventually turns into alienation and vicious bullying. ***

The story opens with a foreboding presentation of a huge snake swirl out of a wall. It leads the audience to a remote location where a groundskeeper notices a light in the mansion of which he is the caretaker. Lets put it this way, the caretaker has an unpromising future when he detects the light, as the servants of Lord Voldemort are preparing for something wicked in the mansion, and their plan involves Harry Potter. In addition, Lord Voldemort, Potter’s nemesis and the murderer of his parents, a frail voice indicates his presence, but his full persona is never revealed. This brief opening does not only suggest, but promises the audience about something dreadful. ***

Meanwhile, Potter and his friends are enjoying the summer vacation away from Hogwarts, as they are about to visit the Quidditch World Cup between Ireland and Bulgaria. However, festivities at the World Cup are suddenly interrupted by the nightmarish Dead Eaters while Lord Voldemort’s sign burns in the sky in the form of a skull and a snake. Here the film moves a little too rapidly, which causes some awkwardness. However, it reflects on the monumental task that screenwriter Steven Kloves faced while turning this epic book to film into a 2 and half hour epic film. The film might have been twice as long if it was a strict adaptation. ***

Back at Howarts, Potter and his buddies learn that a change for the school year is that two other schools will be visiting, and that there will be a competition between the schools called the Triwizard Tournament. This is an ancient tradition that is brought to the academies to foster understanding and friendship between the cultures and countries, which should help building bridges between the people. The rules of the competition are simple, only one wizard student from each school can participate and they have to be of the age of 17. Potter does not have to worry about the dangerous tournament, which could have lethal consequences, as he is only 15. However, something goes wrong when a fourth mysterious name is called that violates the rules of the tournament. The name is Harry Potter. ***

Ostracized, alienated, and bullied Potter finds himself being pushed away from friendships and belonging, as he is thought of as a cheater. It turns into a dangerous journey where he could opt for the easy solution, and turn his back on his friends. Dangerous decisions have to be made that can have lasting consequences on Potter’s life and on those he knows. At the same time, he must face teen issues such as love, attention, and popularity, as a school ball is about to take place. ***

There are also some captivating side stories such as Potter’s studious friend Hermione (Emma Watson) falling in love with Krum, a Bulgarian Quidditch athlete who also is competing in a Triwizard Tournament. Ron (Rupert Grint) has to deal with feelings of insecurities based on feeling like a misfit and an undesirable. There are also new friendships that evolve in the film with new characters, and it intentionally teaches the audience the value of lasting friendships. ***

The fantasy novels about Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling have swept the world in a fire of imagination and adventure. When the decision of adapting these stories to a cinematic experience the world has to prepare themselves for shortened Rowling’s adventures, as the books stretch between 600 and 700 pages. On occasion, the screenplay adaptation generates some awkwardness, as it moves a little to swiftly through scenes and leaves the viewer with questions. Yet, this fourth film of Harry Potter elevates above the previous three films, as it leaves the audience with an intelligent narrative well performed by a terrific cast that deals with many of the ambiguous issues of adolescence. ***

The film also has an overwhelming amount of sorcery and magic, which naturally weaves together with a large amount of strange creatures in the film. However, it is within this imaginative world that the audience can both escape reality while pondering the many serious issues in the world in the light of the fantastic adventure that the film presents. It delivers a truly unique and mesmerizing journey that brings the viewer through emotional agony and the physical pain of a normal teenager named Harry Potter. ***

The anamorphically enhanced image comes in its original aspect ratio 2.40:1, which possess no visible digital issues. However, there are some issues resting within the dark scenes, as the graininess accentuates these scenes. There also seems to be some slight trouble with the clearness of details in scenes with little light. Besides these visual problems there is nothing that will deter the audience from enjoying the film visually. ***

The strength in the technical department rests in the aural experience, which is far better than the visual. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound fully employs all the speakers with terrific use of the subwoofer. On top of this the clarity of the sound enhances the dialogues in a good manner. There are also two language tracks: English and Spanish. ***

There is a 2disc special edition that has a second disc full of goodies including games, special features, and other visual trinkets for those who want more than just the cinematic experience. *** ---

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is in my humble opinion the best so far, even though they missed a lot due to the narrow adaptation due to budget and time. It is definitely a DVD that should find itself in every collection that wants to have Harry Potter, fantasy films, or just a wonderful cinematic experience. ***