Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Rated PG-13, 2 hr 30 min
Critics' Rating: B+
Miles's Rating: A
Brooklynne's Rating: A

Last night, I surprised Brooklynne after our small group with tickets to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Now I'm paying for it (we got in bed well after 3 am), but the loss of sleep was rewarded by a great movie that continues the run of well-done adaptations of the books.

The weakest aspect of the film was the way it deals with the building attraction between certain characters, and Harry's new crush. I didn't really like the ball scenes, which I didn't think added anything to the story besides doing a poor job of developing this love subplot. Also, I thought they could have made the death-eaters more spooky and menacing from the beginning.

Otherwise, the movie was great. The new characters are well cast and well imagined. The story gives just enough clues to keep you guessing (ha! One reason to watch the movie before reading the book like I did!). The screen writers did a good job of drawing out more of the backstory without giving anything away, and the renewal of the battle between Harry and the guy whose name we won't mention (or try to spell) is a good return after the third movie focused less on that conflict in order to introduce Black's character. The movie has tons of action and plenty of comic relief as in the previous installments.

With all this said, the PG-13 rating is appropriate. One of my professors was debating whether to take his young kids to the new release, and my initial reaction would be to encourage him to wait a few years. But now that I'm thinking about it, I can't remember why I feel this way. Possibly a suggestive bathtub scene, more intense situations, and the murder of a child? Whatever the reason, I'd encourage readers to do their homework before taking a young child to see this movie.

The worst part of seeing the movie on the first night is that now we have longer to wait on the fifth addition. But maybe that gives me time to read the other books by then... maybe.

Also, I'll pose this question for debate: How would you rank each of the HP movies so far? Here's my order--1) Sorcerer's Stone, 2)Goblet of Fire, 3) Prisoner of Azkaban, 4) Chamber of Secrets. Even though Rowling has said that the second two movies (after the change in directors) are closer to her vision of the books, I still like the original film the best. What do you think?