Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)

Good movie good old times

It's about time. No longer did the filmmakers feel the need to tone down some of the scarier moments and themes. Finally, we have a HP movie that (at least somewhat closely,) captures the darkness, as well as humor, of the book. Prisoner of Azkaban made an effort to do this, but Goblet of Fire succedes fully.Goblet of Fire is paced very well. It takes off almost instantly and the pacing rarely lets up. But unlike Prisoner of Azkaban, where important plot points were sped through (to the confusion of non-readers,) Goblet of Fire at least makes sure most loose ends are tied up. From the beginning, the movie seems epic. The music, by Patrick Doyle, is great, and, in my opinion, and improvement on John Williams's music. The music when they ride the portkey is excellent, for example, and Doyle's new HP theme, (that plays a couple of times during the movie, most notably when Harry sees the ghosts of his parents,) is excellent. Williams fans don't need to worry, though; his HP theme remains in the opening scene and at the start of the credits.Special effects have improved all around, and some scenes, like the Quidditch World Cup, the Portkey scene, the 2nd task, Priori Incantatem....these scenes are amazing. And after basically having had his character ruined in Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron is FINALLY more than just "comic relief." And Rupert Grint shows that he can actually act, rather than the mugging for the camera he did in the past 2 movies. Dan Radcliffe's performance as Harry has also improved, and while there's still some occasional issues, overall, he's completely captured the essence of the character. Emma Watson as Hermione....she's good in some scenes more than others. At times, she seemed to be overacting a little bit. Yet, in other scenes she did a great job. It's really hard to say for sure. Hopefully her performance will be a bit more even in Order of the Phoenix.I'm also glad to see that they didn't squeeze a happy ending out of this movie. Yeah, the ending's still slightly more happy than the book's, but it's more of an "uplifting" happy than the "cheesy" happy that was used in the previous 2 movies. I said this with Prisoner of Azkaban, and I guess I'm saying it again with Goblet of Fire; the HP series is heading in the right direction. Can't wait for Order of the Phoenix.My only problems with this movie are minor. Dumbledore's personality....I didn't have as much of a problem as most people apparently did, but the scene in the trophy room was way over the top. Dumbledore even looked INSANE in some shots. (Look at his face in the close-up after Moody explains that "The goblet of fire is an exceptionally magical object")Also, each of the tasks, (as well as the Quidditch World Cup scene and Priori Incantatem,) literally don't last 1 second longer than they had to. ...but I think that some, especially Priori Incantatem, (I really doubt I'm spelling that right,) could have lasted for at least another minute or two.Anyway, overall, it's an excellent movie. The HP movie series has finally grown up. I can't wait to see what they'll do with the next movie....as for the DVD features...it's a bit disappointing this time around. This series has never really had good DVD's. Sorcerer's Stone was a joke. Chamber of Secrets was an improvement. Prisoner of Azkaban was a bigger improvement, although the interviews were ruined by the Shrunken Head.Goblet of Fire, though, (DVD features-wise) is better than the first 2 movies but behind PoA. While GoF has a ton of "making of" stuff dealing with special effects, it's missing the "making of the movie" itself! Director Mike Newell doesn't get interviewed, (although he briefly makes some comments) none of the adult cast is interviewed, and Steve Kloves (screenwriter) and JK Rowling are completely absent. So the special features are mostly special-effects related. Although even these aren't done particularly well. They cover the 3 tasks, Voldemort, and the Yule Ball, but dont feature Priori Incantatem, the Quidditch World Cup, (or the attacks there,) the portkey, or anything about Moody's magical eye or the Pensieve.Although there ARE some worthwhile features. The "Reflections on the 4th film" is a great feature, and the feature where you watch a typical day on the set for each of the 3 champions is interesting, (although again, I wish more focus was put on how they actually SHOT the scenes and less on what the studio looks like.) Plus, the deleted scenes were worth a look, even though it's clear why most of them are cut. (Only 2 of them really seem like they should have been left in; the scene where Harry, Ron, and Hermione talk in the common room before Harry visits Dumbledore, and the scene where Harry steps outside at the Yule Ball.) And, finally, they have the lame teaser trailer. (No Theatrical trailer...why...I don't know.)Anyway, great movie, bland DVD. Someone's really gotta step it up in the DVD department on the next movie. For a movie that's grossed over 290 million domestically, the DVD features here are surprisingly uninspired. And make sure you get the "2-Disc Special Edition" DVD, or you get no special features at all.

Good quality DVD, and good 4th film installment of the Harry Potter movie series. Excellent cast.

Harry Potter offered to stream. Kids loved it

Another fantastic installment in the series! The plot thickens with incredible twists and character development. The Triwizard Tournament is thrilling, and the stakes are higher than ever. Can't recommend this enough to any Harry Potter fan!

Acquiring the 8-set films of Harry Potter was rather amusing for me. Having only viewed the films on commercial television, there was of course no opportunity to stop, go back, crank up the volume and find out what someone was whispering. (Such as the things Sirius calls Snape.) Like 'Chamber of Secrets' this is unlike 'Sorcerer's Stone' and 'Prisoner of Azkaban' in that there is much new information revealed about the scope of the Wizarding World and the people and plots within. No, sorry; none will be revealed in this review.One impressive factor is the physicality of Daniel Radcliffe (and his stunt doubles, naturally!). Radcliffe has a long underwater sequence that has many face shots, so despite CGI we must believe he did many of these stunts himself. This is not just running from rock to rock as cover, this is a long-term swim doing a dolphin style - and no doubt hoping the rubber feet and finger-webs do not fall off in the middle of a shot!As to the disk itself - it contains the movie. Do not expect extras. Those are in different packaging and/or on the Blu-Ray versions. (This review is of the DVD.) This DVD does show some sloppy transfer, some scenes just too dark or bright, and a couple that are plain out of focus (a criminal activity when it comes to film-to-disc transfer). I prefer a few extras, trailers at least, and preferably commentary or a short about the 'Making Of'. This tells me I received something extra for purchasing a film, rather than renting a single view.If you are (or are becoming, as I am) a Harry Potter fan, this is simply Year Four. To stand alone in an 8-film series is a task for both screenwriters and director to face, and this episode of Harry Potter can indeed be viewed as the sole Potter film seen. The Tri-Wizard Tournament is a valid excuse for a film; that it fits seamlessly into the overall story is rather secondary (the others seem a build-up or What Happened After). 'Goblet of Fire' also is the turning point from Harry Potter being a pleasant fantasy for 11-year-olds to 15-year-olds facing the seriousness of living in the adult world (Wizarding or Muggle) and the challenges that actually exist on a daily basis. This film gets dark in tone near the end, and continues to darken through 'Deathly Hallows, Part 1" (the darkest of the lot, as 'Deathly Hallows, Part 2' resolves the series and there is much more light at the end).Jump on the Hogwart's Express and have some fun! What are you, a Death-Eater?