Fridae

Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire is expected to cast
such a spell on the box-office that no other major
movie has dared to open this week.



The Goblet Of Fire, the fourth title in the Harry

Potter series, is 630 pages long - twice the length of
its previous titles. But because no kid could survive
a four-hour film - very few adults could too - the
latest film had to condense a hell of a lot of
incidents and plot twists into 2 ½ hours.  As such,
the film moves at a very swift pace so as to cover all
its major plot points. But, as obsessive fans will
note, many details have been omitted.



The story begins with Harry having a nightmare at home
about Lord Voldemort. Voldemort is the sorcerer that
had murdered Harry's parents years ago, making Harry a
poor orphan. Harry is shaken but unbowed by the dream,
and subsequently goes back to the Hogwarts' School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry for his fourth year of wizard
training. There, he is selected to represent his
school in an inter-school challenge. Little does he
know, however, that the tasks will spring some
unpleasant surprises.



Compared to the first three films, The Goblet Of Firefocuses even more of its attention on Harry.
Thankfully, actor Daniel Radcliffe has really matured
as a performer. Not only is he leaner, taller and more
attractive than ever before, he has learnt to
cultivate a real presence on screen. He is so handsome
and heroic that most gay men would find him utterly
irresistible - even if he is 16.



With a superb supporting cast and solid production
values, the film feels like another slick, well-made,
big-budget production in the vein of the previous
films. The special effects, in particular, have gone
up a few notches. Though this movie is worth watching, the franchise is perhaps losing its novelty and
fickle audiences might think twice about watching the
next three Harry Potter films.