A blistering 'Goblet of Fire'

New York Daily News ^ | Jami Bernard

[js1138]

I'll be leaving in half an hour for a preview showing, free tickets and all.

[dead]

Hey! Didn't you used to be in the anti-Potter gang?

Powerful wizards, those guys.

[Tanniker Smith]

Good thing you saved the money. That trailer was a yawn. Fade-in-fade-out-fade-in-fade-out. You don't see anything, you just hear echoes of a long-dead voice speaking to Kal-El -- I don't mean Jor-El, I mean Brando.

As they say in Brooklyn, "What's up with that?"

[Tanniker Smith]

Well, Jami Bernard (the writer) is female, so maybe you are. Then again, maybe not.

[AppyPappy]

Nah, I thought the books were superflous. I still do. Unlike some of the Anti-Potter group, I read the books. I did think Order of the Phoenix was very anti-PC.

I love the movies though.

[who knows what evil?]

Good thing you saved the money.

No kidding...better stills around on the net.

[js1138]

I'm back. It's easily the best of the four. Great dragon scene, much longer than in the book.

[Tanniker Smith]

I would hope so. It's very visual. And if you're spending that much money on effects, you want to get your money's worth (without sucking the energy out of the rest of the film).

[onja]

What do you mean? You are talking about Harry Potter, right? What's wrong with him?

He's more masculine than Frodo or Peter (absolutely no offense to Frodo or Peter- I love all these fantasy stories). He stars in a sport much rougher than football, has many dangerous duels, fights many gigantic monsters, shows overwhelming courage, and does all this while being humble and pleasant.

[BibChr]

My four-word review:

Saw it.

Loved it.

Dan

[grellis]

I saw it last night with my 8-year old. We left the movie, at his request, just after LV returned, but then we came back in and saw the last few minutes. It was fun to watch but I was disappointed in how some of the plot went awry. I always expect some changes, but the fact that Barty Jr. remained alive seems to indicate--to me, at least--that the next two movies are going to diverge even further from the books.

[grellis]

So where are you on the books?

[js1138]

Barty Jr. is gone. I don't worry about stuff like that. The movies are a clue to what's improtant to Rowling, and most details are not important. Killing off a major character would have added another five minutes to the film without improving it.

[BibChr]

About 180 pages into Goblet -- which is to say about the first fifteen minutes of the movie!

(c8

Dan

[grellis]

I'm just hoping that Crouch really IS gone. I'd hate for him to show up in the next movies--the way the plot went in GoF, he could easily take the place of Bellatrix LeStrange, and I'd hate that. She's a perfectly twisted, evil character.

[js1138]

No chance. Barty Jr. was last seen in the company of Snape. He's gone. The movies delete characters, but they do not change any characters who are important to the plot.