Goblet of Fire impressions Posted November 29, 2005 at 6:25 pm

I had an opportunity while on holiday in Auburn to see the latest Harry Potter film: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. First, let me start by saying that I think all of the H.P. films have done a pretty good job of adapting the books to feature-length films. The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets were particularly faithful, but I also felt like these were the easiest books to adapt because they are the simplest. With The Prisoner of Azkaban, I felt like Rowling started to imbue the books with a wealth of subplots and character development that was largely lost upon transition to film. For example, the book establishes a complex relationship and history between James Potter, Sirius Black, Lupin, Wormtail, and Severus Snape. In the movie, their ties are vastly simplified and, unfortunately, depersonalized.

The Goblet of Fire seems even more ungainly in motion picture form. My biggest gripe is that the film feels rushed; and I don’t mean in production values. The pacing feels off, particularly through the beginning of the movie. The viewer is sped through scenes leading up to and following the Quidditch World Cup and the beginning of the new year at Hogwarts. My other complaint follows from the Prisoner of Azkaban examples (i.e., what was left out). There are some important plot threads like the Ministry of Magic cover-up and Dumbledore’s subsequent call to arms that are only lightly touched. Some less significant subplots like the house elves and Hermione’s S.P.E.W. are removed entirely.

Still, I understand and accept that only a certain amount of material can be fit into a 2.5 hour movie. I consider the material that did make it into The Goblet of Fire pretty essential, so I think that the production crew succeeded in making another faithfully adapted Harry Potter film given their constraints.