The Other Side of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

Kudos to Alexa DeGennaro for a rousing review of the latest Harry Potter movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Director Mike Newell managed to squeeze every vital detail possible into this non-stop, roller coaster tense, ride through a wizard's England. From ghastly cemetery skeletons and murder to world cup soccer stadium-like Quidditch to mass hysteria and barbaric flagration, the first few minutes fairly steal ones breath away. And it doesn't stop for two and a half hours. The sexual innuendos are no more obvious than with any group of teenagers, but dark and dangerous it is to be sure.

Adults who love the books, may miss Ludo Bagman's good natured, yet often misplaced financial ventures, as well as his waspish reminisce about England's Quidditch glory days. Children who love the books, may miss Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the blast-ended skrewts, meeting Padfoot at the cave, and the warm comfort provided by the Weasleys during this most trying of Harry's years at Hogwarts. Empathetic advocates of all ages will miss Hermione's campaign for S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare). Without these lighter moments, the movie oppressively weighs on one's psyche.

It is understandable that Mr. Newell had to leave much of our beloved text out of the movie for the sake of time, presentation, and consistency of story line. He did keep Harry's flirtation with Cho Chang and Hagrid's flirtation with Madame Maxime. Sex and violence sell well in today's video market. Yet, one cannot fail to wonder how much a novice will understand of the story told by the movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".

Sitting in the theatre, frequent exclamations such as, "Well that was convenient," and "Oh, that worked out nicely." Lead one to notice how little background information is provided. Without the secondary story lines and calmer moments of explanation, the movie moves from event to event giving the impression Harry's fourth year consisted of non-stop excitement, when most of it was spent in quite ordinary endeavors, such as teenage angst over the alienation of his best friends and learning to talk to girls.

An ardent fan of J.K. Rowling's writing and devoted movie critic, though partial to lighter fare and not much pleased with the cinematic presentation of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", I am impressed with the choice of content for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". The story will continue with all vital elements in place. One can only hope the next two movies find a way to balance the lighter aspects with the inevitable tragedies in Harry's life. We certainly do not want to provide those skeptics who ban the books based on witchcraft and evil with more fuel for their fight; do we?