My LTTP Thread on the Previous Movie:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488220
You might not click on the link above so here's a brief explanation:
Previous to starting these movies, I had almost zero experience with the Harry Potter universe. I'd read the first book and watched some Harry Potter Puppet Pals. First book didn't draw me in so I put it down and haven't looked back.
That is until a few weeks ago when my SO decided that she was going to force feed me Potter movie after Potter movie via Netflix until I was a fan. Last week I watching Prisoner of Azkaban and this week I watched:
From the first few minutes this movie makes me want to dislike it since it doesn't have the Evil Family in it. They were just about the only thing about the first two movies that I found redeemable and starting this movie without them (in fact, not having them at all) was kind of disappointing. It helps set up the tone of the rest of the movie and is a cute little parallel story that helps you keep Harry's character a bit more grounded. I hope PoA wasn't the last time that we see them.
Instead Harry has a dream staring David Tennant (we've all been there) and Voldemort. Oh and Ron's rat. After that we're treated to the World Quidditch Cup in which they cheer for people that I don't care about and the Irish team is hilariously stereotypical. We also meet Cedric Diggery who is immediately set up as some very important person even though we've never seen him before or heard of him otherwise.
Death-Eaters (what's the proper syntax on the name?) ruin the party by blowing everything up and nobody tries to stop them. Apparently Wizards have no police and roves of angry and evil magic doers can trounce about casting all number of destructive and deadly spells without a thought of punishment or reprisal because everyone will just run around screaming instead of doing anything about it. There's a Gun Control metaphor in here somewhere. It's like a band of roving maniacs shooting up an NRA convention with deadly weapons where every other person also has a loaded and deadly weapon. It's a small thing, but in my Fantasy entertainment I want a bit less realism damnit!
Only after everything is burned to a crisp do they organize a search party to find those responsible and of course Harry is blamed (although only momentarily).
Now we're off to Hogwarts where in spite of the recent terrorist attacks they are going to hold a competition that gathers 2 other great schools and is extremely high profile (and unnecessary... and unprecedented... is it like the Olympics?) We find out that Hogwarts is the only Co-Ed Wizard school as they introduce Lady School and Man School.
Lady School is from the land of French Stereotypes where women are all wispy and during their introduction dance (lol) they attempt make themselves appear as soft and easy to defeat as possible... which kinda turns out to be true. Their Headmistress is a gigantic woman who catches the eye of a randy Hagrid. The Man School is from the land of Russian Stereotypes and are strong jawed silent types who use staves to spark lightning and shoot fire. Their headmaster is a former Death-Eater who dimed on Dr. Who. It's all back to the silly presentation of the first two movies and reminiscent of Professional Wrestling.
The schools are together so they can compete in the Tri-Wizarding cup and inevitably (even though any Wizard under 17 is banned) our Mr. Potter has to compete. The actual challenges in the competition are not interesting in the slightest. (Okay, the Dragon is pretty dope.) They could treat us to a Scooby Doo style mystery in between the events since nobody knows how Harry's name got in the Goblet of Fire to begin with but instead we get a John Hughes film. I'm okay with this. The focus in this side-story is on Harry and Ron as they desperately try to figure out how to ask a Girl to a dance.
I actually like the Dance scenes and the pick of Krum as Hermione's date. You'd think that Harry would be the jealous one when it comes to our heroine dancing about with a Russian dude, but Ron surprised me by positioning himself as the friend who would be more. I like this personal stuff that obviously wasn't possible in the earlier films. The characters really come alive when they're interacting with each other in such mundane ways.
Sadly, the Hughes film ends and we have to go back to the relatively boring fight to the death.
I didn't mention yet the new Dark Arts teacher, Alastor. They try to make him by turns menacing, caring, and funny. He mostly just ends up funny as that stupid prosthetic eyeball of his spins about comically and he chugs back some unknown potion every scene like a Broadway Hobo. Maybe it was the costuming, maybe it was the direction, but I could never take him seriously even when he was trying to be serious. He is the one who is helping and guiding Harry through the Tri-Wizarding challenges and he is present at the last one. A GIANT MAZE! *dramatic music*
The last challenge kicks off the climax of the movie as Harry and Cedric (one of the other contestants) reach the center of the maze and decide they will grab the Goblet of Fire together and win together. Instead of being teleported to the entrance of the maze however, they are transported to the Graveyard from Harry's dreams where Peter "I'd Give My Right Hand for Voldemort" Pettigrew awaits. Ya, Harry really should have just let Sirius kill that guy.
This whole climax is actually the best part of the movie. Up to this point nobody has really died except for bad guys and when Cedric is killed the movie finally takes a turn for the dark. Harry is forced to watch as Peter resurrects Voldemort using a bunch of stuff and Harry's blood and the wait for a big bad is finally over. Voldemort is menacing and otherworldly. In stills it's easy to laugh at how silly the character looks but in motion, something about the way he moves and speaks conveys a great sense of evil and danger.
I love this villain.
Like any good villain, he's pretty dumb and releases Harry so that he can defend himself while Voldemort kills him. To be fair, the mocking duel is exactly what I'd expect from a dude who was that full of himself and indeed it seems like Harry is on a one way track to meeting Cedric in the afterlife when their duel is ended by previous Voldemort victims who hold him back just long enough for Harry to grab Cedrics body and teleport back to the maze entrance via the Goblet of Fire.
Everyone claps as Harry cries over the lifeless corpse of Edward Cullen. It's actually pretty evocative. The movie should have ended here to close to here, but instead we get about 10 more minutes of everyone ignoring the fact that Voldemort is back and everyone is about to die.
...
This movie was not as bad as 2, but after Prisoner of Azkaban it looks silly by comparison. Everything up to the final scenes in the Graveyard left me wanting the visual style of PoA (but for the dance) and overall it's not a good movie. If it wasn't for Voldemort floating around and holding his wand like a french cigarette I'd write this movie off entirely, but luckily there is some redemption for the person who sits through to the end.
Also, David Tennant sucks in this movie. I expected more from Dr Who and I really hope the next guy who played Hamlet they cast isn't Mel Gibson.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488220
You might not click on the link above so here's a brief explanation:
Previous to starting these movies, I had almost zero experience with the Harry Potter universe. I'd read the first book and watched some Harry Potter Puppet Pals. First book didn't draw me in so I put it down and haven't looked back.
That is until a few weeks ago when my SO decided that she was going to force feed me Potter movie after Potter movie via Netflix until I was a fan. Last week I watching Prisoner of Azkaban and this week I watched:
From the first few minutes this movie makes me want to dislike it since it doesn't have the Evil Family in it. They were just about the only thing about the first two movies that I found redeemable and starting this movie without them (in fact, not having them at all) was kind of disappointing. It helps set up the tone of the rest of the movie and is a cute little parallel story that helps you keep Harry's character a bit more grounded. I hope PoA wasn't the last time that we see them.
Instead Harry has a dream staring David Tennant (we've all been there) and Voldemort. Oh and Ron's rat. After that we're treated to the World Quidditch Cup in which they cheer for people that I don't care about and the Irish team is hilariously stereotypical. We also meet Cedric Diggery who is immediately set up as some very important person even though we've never seen him before or heard of him otherwise.
Death-Eaters (what's the proper syntax on the name?) ruin the party by blowing everything up and nobody tries to stop them. Apparently Wizards have no police and roves of angry and evil magic doers can trounce about casting all number of destructive and deadly spells without a thought of punishment or reprisal because everyone will just run around screaming instead of doing anything about it. There's a Gun Control metaphor in here somewhere. It's like a band of roving maniacs shooting up an NRA convention with deadly weapons where every other person also has a loaded and deadly weapon. It's a small thing, but in my Fantasy entertainment I want a bit less realism damnit!
Only after everything is burned to a crisp do they organize a search party to find those responsible and of course Harry is blamed (although only momentarily).
Now we're off to Hogwarts where in spite of the recent terrorist attacks they are going to hold a competition that gathers 2 other great schools and is extremely high profile (and unnecessary... and unprecedented... is it like the Olympics?) We find out that Hogwarts is the only Co-Ed Wizard school as they introduce Lady School and Man School.
Lady School is from the land of French Stereotypes where women are all wispy and during their introduction dance (lol) they attempt make themselves appear as soft and easy to defeat as possible... which kinda turns out to be true. Their Headmistress is a gigantic woman who catches the eye of a randy Hagrid. The Man School is from the land of Russian Stereotypes and are strong jawed silent types who use staves to spark lightning and shoot fire. Their headmaster is a former Death-Eater who dimed on Dr. Who. It's all back to the silly presentation of the first two movies and reminiscent of Professional Wrestling.
The schools are together so they can compete in the Tri-Wizarding cup and inevitably (even though any Wizard under 17 is banned) our Mr. Potter has to compete. The actual challenges in the competition are not interesting in the slightest. (Okay, the Dragon is pretty dope.) They could treat us to a Scooby Doo style mystery in between the events since nobody knows how Harry's name got in the Goblet of Fire to begin with but instead we get a John Hughes film. I'm okay with this. The focus in this side-story is on Harry and Ron as they desperately try to figure out how to ask a Girl to a dance.
I actually like the Dance scenes and the pick of Krum as Hermione's date. You'd think that Harry would be the jealous one when it comes to our heroine dancing about with a Russian dude, but Ron surprised me by positioning himself as the friend who would be more. I like this personal stuff that obviously wasn't possible in the earlier films. The characters really come alive when they're interacting with each other in such mundane ways.
Sadly, the Hughes film ends and we have to go back to the relatively boring fight to the death.
I didn't mention yet the new Dark Arts teacher, Alastor. They try to make him by turns menacing, caring, and funny. He mostly just ends up funny as that stupid prosthetic eyeball of his spins about comically and he chugs back some unknown potion every scene like a Broadway Hobo. Maybe it was the costuming, maybe it was the direction, but I could never take him seriously even when he was trying to be serious. He is the one who is helping and guiding Harry through the Tri-Wizarding challenges and he is present at the last one. A GIANT MAZE! *dramatic music*
The last challenge kicks off the climax of the movie as Harry and Cedric (one of the other contestants) reach the center of the maze and decide they will grab the Goblet of Fire together and win together. Instead of being teleported to the entrance of the maze however, they are transported to the Graveyard from Harry's dreams where Peter "I'd Give My Right Hand for Voldemort" Pettigrew awaits. Ya, Harry really should have just let Sirius kill that guy.
This whole climax is actually the best part of the movie. Up to this point nobody has really died except for bad guys and when Cedric is killed the movie finally takes a turn for the dark. Harry is forced to watch as Peter resurrects Voldemort using a bunch of stuff and Harry's blood and the wait for a big bad is finally over. Voldemort is menacing and otherworldly. In stills it's easy to laugh at how silly the character looks but in motion, something about the way he moves and speaks conveys a great sense of evil and danger.
I love this villain.
Like any good villain, he's pretty dumb and releases Harry so that he can defend himself while Voldemort kills him. To be fair, the mocking duel is exactly what I'd expect from a dude who was that full of himself and indeed it seems like Harry is on a one way track to meeting Cedric in the afterlife when their duel is ended by previous Voldemort victims who hold him back just long enough for Harry to grab Cedrics body and teleport back to the maze entrance via the Goblet of Fire.
Everyone claps as Harry cries over the lifeless corpse of Edward Cullen. It's actually pretty evocative. The movie should have ended here to close to here, but instead we get about 10 more minutes of everyone ignoring the fact that Voldemort is back and everyone is about to die.
...
This movie was not as bad as 2, but after Prisoner of Azkaban it looks silly by comparison. Everything up to the final scenes in the Graveyard left me wanting the visual style of PoA (but for the dance) and overall it's not a good movie. If it wasn't for Voldemort floating around and holding his wand like a french cigarette I'd write this movie off entirely, but luckily there is some redemption for the person who sits through to the end.
Also, David Tennant sucks in this movie. I expected more from Dr Who and I really hope the next guy who played Hamlet they cast isn't Mel Gibson.
