Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

So, yet again, the Harry Potter movies never cease to amaze me. I've had a long running battle with whether or not I'm a supporter of this Harry Potter business, considering how important such a thing is to the youth of this country. I think I've decided - I'm a fan.

I won't ramble - just this little paragraph - then back to the GoF.

Harry Potter, as it was pointed out to me by a brilliant guy by the name Ethan Butler (old Huntingdon friend, for those of you that may not know), is not so much an issue on the sorcery and the crazy reasons most people want to attack Rowling's books...but the real issue is the amoral attitude he and his friends have, not to mention their general disregard for most things educational and beneficial to their character. Hermione is the only voice of reason, and she's generally just ignored in favor of more 'scooby-doo' style behavior. (Now THAT's a spinoff waiting to happen! My million dollar idea! Back away!) But I've decide to just let it go...I mean really, it's not that big of a deal. I think that it causes young people to relate to the characters more than it causes them to be influenced into bad behavior, and the general strong character and good nature always prevails in them, which is what is most important.

And Now, (really this time) Goblet of Fire...

When I first read the book, I knew it was destined to be an excellent movie....I think I was right...I think. On some notes it was AMAZING - the beautiful imagery brought to life on the screen, the maturity of the performers I've grown to love from the first three movies, and the intensity of the drama that - for me, perhaps an unimaginative reader - can't be matched by the words on the page alone.

However, there were some things...I really really really hoped for this movie to be darker than the previous ones...the only thing even remotely more mature about the events of this movie was when Moaning-Myrtle makes a few passes at Harry while he's bathing....that, I could have done without...it was awkward and out of place and maybe I'm just a poor reader but I don't remember that coming up (pardon the pun) in the novel. The rest of the story, including the death of a prominent character, fall short, lacking the gritty, gross fear that would accompany death in the mind of a 14 year old.

As with the last three movies, the on screen writing always falls short of the novels....for some reasons the words just don't flow as naturally on screen as they do in the book.

On the Other hand...
Oh my, how they've all grown...the characters were faced with real problems for a change, real social and emotional issues that have grown up along with the kids that are reading the stories. Not to mention the occaisional dragon. It's almost like Rowling expected kids to be growing up reading her books and so they are slightly taylored to each period of a teen's life. That was nice to see. I just know that there are kids out there completely relating to the issues these characters face, and see true friendships and challenges on the screen.

It was nice to see the problems growing and becoming more and more serious, to see the situation become more grim, more demanding of attention, and ever more dangerous.

The Tri-wizard tournament gave me chills...the whole thing was amazing and made me feel like a kid again, the way I used to feel when I saw something amazing on screen for the first time. I was truly 10 years old in the theater, and the fact that some of the elements of the movie struck me as "fairy-talish" and bland are really just reminders that I'm not that young anymore, and those issues for me are non-existent for the viewers that really matter - the kids.

Lastly

This is a great franchise....kids can learn from these movies. They can learn the way I think all people should learn from movies, art, literature, etc... I'm worried, as always, that people might put down their books (and in doing so, their imaginations) in favor of films like these. While a movie is a great thing to watch and be entertained by, nothing compares to the visualizations you can make for yourself. Take for instance, the fact that none of us can get the images of the kids cast for these roles out of our heads when we read the newer books. That's not a good thing. The Harry Potter movies are something that maybe should have happened ten or twenty years from now, but at least they are being done right, and that matters more than timing.