Cinerant

Magic Works

It’s amazing what one actor or one scene or one song can do to a movie—whether amp it up a notch or completely ruin it.  There are multiple cases of both happening, but easily the most obvious case of it this year is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  The moment the third act begins and Ralph Fiennes appears onscreen, the movie ratchets up two or three notches.  What had been an entertaining movie suddenly becomes an enthralling movie that chills and terrifies to the bone.  If Judi Dench can earn an Oscar nomination for eight minutes in Shakespeare in Love, Fiennes at least deserves a nomination for his ten minutes worth of work here, though it will never happen.  

Otherwise, the movie is good.  Not as great as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but good nevertheless.  The film definitely misses John Williams’ scoring, but there are some pretty impressive set pieces.  The special effects here are stronger and more impressive than the previous Potter movies.  Now it’s just time to sit and wait for Order of the Phoenix.    

posted by cinegod @ 12:31 PM