Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

The latest and greatest Harry Potter entry is by far the best all around. The story of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is well rounded and full of wonderful imagery and subtlety as Harry faces the challenge of competing in the Triwizard Tournament, attempts to survive the growing nemesis of Voldemort while juggling the complexity of puberty. This Potter film is by far the most complete and the scariest of the series so far.

The relationships between Potter, Ron and Hermione evolve and grow into natural rivalries as Ron struggles with the financial differences between himself and everyone else, especially Potter. Hermione and Ron's relationship develops and becomes less well defined as the students of Hogwart attend a dance with fellow Triwizard competitors. Insecurities, jealousies and young emotions confront each other as each of the young cast work to fine tune their emotional maturity as much as they attempt to master their magical powers.

The Triwizard tournament is exciting and offers both mental and physical challenges for both the contestants and the audience. And, this time, real lives are on the line and not every attempt to save someone comes out as one would expect.

The film, though over two hours long, moves at a very quick pace and keeps you continually intrigued. And the special effects are truly amazing because they look so realistic. My wife and marveled at how far special effects had come. As the camera moves over the campus castle and mountains and lakes, you would swear you were looking at the real world. Amazing stuff.

Goblet of Fire is a very enjoyable film and shows that this series, so far, has been getting better with age.