Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
Harry Potter has grown.
Not only has Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) aged another year. Not only does he have his first serious crush. Not only does he compete for even greater renown as a contestant among the three wizarding schools participating in a Triwizard Tournament. But because the spirit infused within Harry Potter by his creator is beginning to come to the fore.
As the only one ever to survive the killing curse of the dark Lord Voldemort, the Boy Who Lived begins in this film, through the ordeals Harry experiences because of the Goblet of Fire, to make his mark as The Boy Who Loved.
On the surface, that moniker could seem to result from Harry’s crush on Cho Chang (Katie Leung), the Ravenclaw seeker who first caught Harry’s eye in a school Quidditch tournament. Or from the romance that seems to be blossoming everywhere. The film could almost be subtitled “Young Wizards in Love.� Even Hagrid the gamekeeper gets into the act.
But a deeper kind of love – “an old magic more powerful� than anything in Harry’s world – is beginning to shine. And the timing couldn’t be better.
In his fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry finds himself caught up in his darkest challenge yet. For the first time in generations, Hogwarts is hosting two other wizarding schools in a competition known as the Triwizard Tournament – a contest that has been fatal for some and whose participants must be at least 17 to face the trials. The name of one contestant from each school is revealed from the Goblet of Fire. But no one is more surprised than 14-year-old Harry when the Goblet spits out his name as a fourth contestant.
Initially, Harry is widely viewed as having rigged his own entry – an allegation even believed by his best friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). “I didn’t ask for this to happen,� Harry says. “I don't want eternal glory.� But, eventually, the pair finds more troublesome things to ponder: finding a date for the Yule Ball.
The Triwizard competitors face dragons, underwater challenges and a deadly maze. Ron battles his own dragons of jealousy as he learns that Hermione (Emma Watson) has already been asked to the Ball by someone else. And both Harry and Ron find themselves less than successful in navigating the maze of adolescent relationships.
But in the events surrounding the Triwizard tasks, Harry’s mettle is revealed. He demonstrates fairness, sportsmanship and “moral fiber,� sacrificing his own best interests out of concern for others. Before the film is over, we learn the depth and breadth of what can be achieved through sacrificial love.
The dark Lord Voldemort is back, too. His Death Eaters, the cruel henchmen who spread havoc and fear with his Dark Mark, reveal themselves. They rampage like Ku Klux Klansman at an international competition known as the Quidditch World Cup. Meanwhile, Harry is having dark nightmares and his scar burns with the memory of an ancient pain.
The fourth film in the series is adapted pretty closely from the best of the six Harry Potter books published so far by British author J.K. Rowling. (The seventh and final book is due out sometime in 2006 or 2007.) The action is relentless. Those who haven’t read the books may need to observe closely, turn to multiple viewings or simply be content in allowing themselves to drown in the wave of special effects that are purely magical. It’s the best in the Potter film series, yet still not to surpass the text itself.
As the first film in the series to go beyond the PG rating, Goblet of Fire is definitely too scary for pre-teens. There are several deaths, an aggressive dragon and suddenly hostile mermaids. There’s a different feel to the films as well. After three previous films, we see less of the magical feats to which we’ve grown accustomed, such as swinging staircases and talking portraits. Still, this film introduces us to the Magic Eye of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Alastor “Mad-Eye� Moody (Brendan Gleeson). We learn of “turn keys� – enchanted objects that have the capacity to instantly transport anyone who touches them to another place. And we follow Harry into the memories of Professor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) by means of a pensive – a bowl-shaped memory-retention device. These memories provide clues about the one whose trying to orchestrate Harry’s life.
“Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Harry. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right... and what is easy,� Dumbledore says. And Harry often seems swept up in a fast-moving current of events beyond his control. But the film shows that – even in the most difficult of situations – we still have a choice about how we will respond. Harry’s consistent choice of sacrificial love and on behalf of life models a biblical tradition that provides its own moral fiber for this series. As in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry is never the most powerful wizard. He’s simply the wizard who chooses to tap into the source of the power of Love.
—Overview (multimedia)
—Reviews and Blogs
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
Harry Potter has grown.
Not only has Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) aged another year. Not only does he have his first serious crush. Not only does he compete for even greater renown as a contestant among the three wizarding schools participating in a Triwizard Tournament. But because the spirit infused within Harry Potter by his creator is beginning to come to the fore.As the only one ever to survive the killing curse of the dark Lord Voldemort, the Boy Who Lived begins in this film, through the ordeals Harry experiences because of the Goblet of Fire, to make his mark as The Boy Who Loved.
On the surface, that moniker could seem to result from Harry’s crush on Cho Chang (Katie Leung), the Ravenclaw seeker who first caught Harry’s eye in a school Quidditch tournament. Or from the romance that seems to be blossoming everywhere. The film could almost be subtitled “Young Wizards in Love.� Even Hagrid the gamekeeper gets into the act.
But a deeper kind of love – “an old magic more powerful� than anything in Harry’s world – is beginning to shine. And the timing couldn’t be better.
In his fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry finds himself caught up in his darkest challenge yet. For the first time in generations, Hogwarts is hosting two other wizarding schools in a competition known as the Triwizard Tournament – a contest that has been fatal for some and whose participants must be at least 17 to face the trials. The name of one contestant from each school is revealed from the Goblet of Fire. But no one is more surprised than 14-year-old Harry when the Goblet spits out his name as a fourth contestant.
Initially, Harry is widely viewed as having rigged his own entry – an allegation even believed by his best friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). “I didn’t ask for this to happen,� Harry says. “I don't want eternal glory.� But, eventually, the pair finds more troublesome things to ponder: finding a date for the Yule Ball.
The Triwizard competitors face dragons, underwater challenges and a deadly maze. Ron battles his own dragons of jealousy as he learns that Hermione (Emma Watson) has already been asked to the Ball by someone else. And both Harry and Ron find themselves less than successful in navigating the maze of adolescent relationships.But in the events surrounding the Triwizard tasks, Harry’s mettle is revealed. He demonstrates fairness, sportsmanship and “moral fiber,� sacrificing his own best interests out of concern for others. Before the film is over, we learn the depth and breadth of what can be achieved through sacrificial love.
The dark Lord Voldemort is back, too. His Death Eaters, the cruel henchmen who spread havoc and fear with his Dark Mark, reveal themselves. They rampage like Ku Klux Klansman at an international competition known as the Quidditch World Cup. Meanwhile, Harry is having dark nightmares and his scar burns with the memory of an ancient pain.
The fourth film in the series is adapted pretty closely from the best of the six Harry Potter books published so far by British author J.K. Rowling. (The seventh and final book is due out sometime in 2006 or 2007.) The action is relentless. Those who haven’t read the books may need to observe closely, turn to multiple viewings or simply be content in allowing themselves to drown in the wave of special effects that are purely magical. It’s the best in the Potter film series, yet still not to surpass the text itself.
As the first film in the series to go beyond the PG rating, Goblet of Fire is definitely too scary for pre-teens. There are several deaths, an aggressive dragon and suddenly hostile mermaids. There’s a different feel to the films as well. After three previous films, we see less of the magical feats to which we’ve grown accustomed, such as swinging staircases and talking portraits. Still, this film introduces us to the Magic Eye of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Alastor “Mad-Eye� Moody (Brendan Gleeson). We learn of “turn keys� – enchanted objects that have the capacity to instantly transport anyone who touches them to another place. And we follow Harry into the memories of Professor Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) by means of a pensive – a bowl-shaped memory-retention device. These memories provide clues about the one whose trying to orchestrate Harry’s life.“Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Harry. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right... and what is easy,� Dumbledore says. And Harry often seems swept up in a fast-moving current of events beyond his control. But the film shows that – even in the most difficult of situations – we still have a choice about how we will respond. Harry’s consistent choice of sacrificial love and on behalf of life models a biblical tradition that provides its own moral fiber for this series. As in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry is never the most powerful wizard. He’s simply the wizard who chooses to tap into the source of the power of Love.
—Overview (multimedia)
—Reviews and Blogs
2 Comments:
For a minute, I thought I'd checked into a John Hughes teen movie by accident. And that's not a bad thing. In fact, that love-infested middle section helped to speed the film along in a good way. Lastly, the fan base of HP started off as young children so, by this time, they're undoubtedly having their first crushes and romances. This film falls right in step with that season of life. I'll definitely be seeing this film again...this time in IMAX!
What a treat to hear encouraging words about Harry from someone who is a Christian. The continuing belittling of the Harry Potter series with comments like “The Harry Potter books promote a very dangerous occult worldview that clouds the minds of children, teenagers and even adults by making witchcraft and spiritualism seem attractive and innocent" while praising the witchcraft in the C.S. Lewis series is pure Poppiecock. They are both books about the same thing, written by two different writers. No one seems to see how the Holy Sprit has been infused in the H.P. series written by a secular person. God uses us all at times to hold up His Holy Word. The claptrap comments about Rawhling’s work being inspired by Satan belies critics who do not have it all together, have not read the complete book, and have no ability to compare accurately. Dr. Jeff Edwards, Ordained Deacon and Elder, PCUSA
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