Goblet Of Fire
So how crazy is this Internet thing?? I actually flew to Portland, to spend the weekend with a bunch of people I'd only known through the HHDA forum, so that we could attend the midnight premier of GoF! I had a freakin' blast, too! Although, I am a little disapointed that none of them turned out to be a perveted guy intent on taking me to some motel and having his way with me. Ah well... maybe next time. On the upside, one of them may well be a serial killer in the making. (You know who you are.) Anyway, here is my official GoF review:
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Not as good as PoA, but still a great HP movie. This is the funniest HP film ever, which is fitting because it was also the funniest book of the series. I found myself laughing out loud through the entire thing.
My main gripe is that, as with PoA, the pace of the film was way too fast, with not enough "filler," explaination, or backstory to make it as coherent as it could have been. I am constantly amazed at how the filmakers are able to strip so much from the books, add in their own stuff, yet still remain pretty faithful to the book (and the series). But I will never understand how Muggles are able to sit through the films and make sense of any of it. The first time I see one of these movies, I always get hung up on the parts that I think will confuse the newbies.
Definately darker, but appropriatly so. However, this movie was nowhere near as beautiful as PoA. Alfonso Cuaron made each location (from Hogwarts, to the Shrieking Shack, to Hogsmeade) into a character in the film. GoF was all about Harry, so all the background stuff was just that; background stuff that was never meant to catch your eye.
EFFECTS
I had fully prepared myself to sit through a bunch of lame special effects. What with the Hungarian Horntail and Moody's magical eye, I braced myself for the usual half-assed effects that plague the entire Sci-Fi genre. Instead, the effects were absolutely amazing! The dragon (while not perfect), was by far the best screen-dragon I've ever seen. The TWT, Moody, the QWC, and the fight with Voldemort all looked fantastic.
THE GROWN UPS
Brendon Gleason was great as Moody, and we finally got more screen-time with McGonagall and Snape. Let's hope that continues with OotP. I know that the books have to be trimmed to make room for the important stuff, but the studio gurus have to be careful about not removing everything that gives HP its "flavor." I have two words for the studio honchos: Director's Cut.
THE TRIO
This is by far Dan's best performance to date. The dramatic stuff was wrenching, without being over-done; and he really is a gifted comedian. And yes, during the bathtub scene, I kept having to chant the word jailbait.
Emma has been one of my favorite actresses since Sorcerer's Stone. It didn't matter that she was only 10, she was perfectly snotty and adorable. Emma can bring it, and this time out was no exception. And it's really staring to piss me off that she's so damn gorgeous.
Rupert also gave his best performance so far - he really impressed me in this. His scenes with Dan were dead-on. You get the jealousy, the hurt, and the regret. They only thing he can't do, is a dramtic scene with Emma. Rupert is great when paired with any other actor... but whenever he has to act with Emma; he is completely flat. Take the Yule Ball for example: I've never studied acting, but my theory is that Rupert and Emma didn't talk beforehand about how to play the scene, so they played it in completely different ways. I could be way off base, but that's the best explaination I can come up with for how their scenes felt.
CONCLUSION
All in all, I really liked this movie. I've scene it twice so far, and hope to see it at the IMAX after the holidays. I'll be first in line for the DVD, but I don't think I'll be buying it in Portland.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Not as good as PoA, but still a great HP movie. This is the funniest HP film ever, which is fitting because it was also the funniest book of the series. I found myself laughing out loud through the entire thing.
My main gripe is that, as with PoA, the pace of the film was way too fast, with not enough "filler," explaination, or backstory to make it as coherent as it could have been. I am constantly amazed at how the filmakers are able to strip so much from the books, add in their own stuff, yet still remain pretty faithful to the book (and the series). But I will never understand how Muggles are able to sit through the films and make sense of any of it. The first time I see one of these movies, I always get hung up on the parts that I think will confuse the newbies.
Definately darker, but appropriatly so. However, this movie was nowhere near as beautiful as PoA. Alfonso Cuaron made each location (from Hogwarts, to the Shrieking Shack, to Hogsmeade) into a character in the film. GoF was all about Harry, so all the background stuff was just that; background stuff that was never meant to catch your eye.
EFFECTS
I had fully prepared myself to sit through a bunch of lame special effects. What with the Hungarian Horntail and Moody's magical eye, I braced myself for the usual half-assed effects that plague the entire Sci-Fi genre. Instead, the effects were absolutely amazing! The dragon (while not perfect), was by far the best screen-dragon I've ever seen. The TWT, Moody, the QWC, and the fight with Voldemort all looked fantastic.
THE GROWN UPS
Brendon Gleason was great as Moody, and we finally got more screen-time with McGonagall and Snape. Let's hope that continues with OotP. I know that the books have to be trimmed to make room for the important stuff, but the studio gurus have to be careful about not removing everything that gives HP its "flavor." I have two words for the studio honchos: Director's Cut.
THE TRIO
This is by far Dan's best performance to date. The dramatic stuff was wrenching, without being over-done; and he really is a gifted comedian. And yes, during the bathtub scene, I kept having to chant the word jailbait.
Emma has been one of my favorite actresses since Sorcerer's Stone. It didn't matter that she was only 10, she was perfectly snotty and adorable. Emma can bring it, and this time out was no exception. And it's really staring to piss me off that she's so damn gorgeous.
Rupert also gave his best performance so far - he really impressed me in this. His scenes with Dan were dead-on. You get the jealousy, the hurt, and the regret. They only thing he can't do, is a dramtic scene with Emma. Rupert is great when paired with any other actor... but whenever he has to act with Emma; he is completely flat. Take the Yule Ball for example: I've never studied acting, but my theory is that Rupert and Emma didn't talk beforehand about how to play the scene, so they played it in completely different ways. I could be way off base, but that's the best explaination I can come up with for how their scenes felt.
CONCLUSION
All in all, I really liked this movie. I've scene it twice so far, and hope to see it at the IMAX after the holidays. I'll be first in line for the DVD, but I don't think I'll be buying it in Portland.