Just got back from
Goblet of Fire. OMG BEST HP MOVIE EVER! Part of my enjoyment may have derived from my low expectations, but still. BRILLIANT. The pacing was breakneck and the transitions were choppy, but it was uproariously funny, and althought I knew there was a great deal being left out, it didn't feel like we were missing much. I just hope they don't wreck the Percy storyline in the fifth movie.
I loved:
Running commentary from the Weasley twins. You can never have too much of them.
Shippers of all flavors, rejoice! Especially Hermione/Krum. Even though the movie was PG-13, I'm shocked and delighted that her comment on Krum's "physicality" made it past the censors. And Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom! Goes to show that just because you're dead doesn't mean you can't be a RANDY SEX KITTEN. Or something. Then:
GOOD LORD THE SLASH. Krum and his boyfriend (come on, don't tell me you didn't see it!), Ferret!Malfoy and Crabbe... it was truly a beautiful thing.
The tenth Doctor David Tennant as Barty Crouch. He and Brendan Gleeson as Moody were fantastic. I loved the tongue thing. Also, a friend pointed out that the two main times we see Crouch Jr is at the World Cup, surrounded by tents that are small on the outside and enormous on the inside, and in his office with the chest, which is also small on the outside and huge on the inside. TARDIS, anyone?
Mr. Weasley, Mr. Crouch, and Cedric alighting from the portkey. That visual kills me DEAD. I was still giggling about it ten minutes later, long after the focus had shifted.
Krum's totally perplexed look, especially when he's flying in front of that giant screen thing. He looks so confused!
Krum's harem at the lake. DIED laughing. Mmm, fangirls.
Flitwick crowd surfing! Male Weird Sisters! Neville dancing!
I want one of those "Support Cedric Diggory" badges. I wish magic was real.
Voldemort was SPOT-ON. I loved all the unearthly magic whispies and his rebirth. WOW. And the Priori Incantatem was awesome! If only someone had explained for the benefit of the illiterate what "priori incantatem" was. :D
I disliked:
Gambon's Dumbledore. The only thing that felt remotely like my Dumbledore was the comment about once setting fire to the curtains. This Dumbledore wasn't even remotely mentor-ish, and was overly aggressive, unsympathetic, and without a hint of whimsy. I didn't feel like there was any kind of connection between Harry and Dumbledore.
They glossed over Neville's parents. We had that big setup with the Unforgivable Curses class, then a bizarrely anticlimactic payoff with the pensieve. Neville was never singled out in the book to watch the Cruciatus curse. That was just evil, plain and simple. In the book, Moody was actually quite kind to Neville. Also, it's interesting that they chose to pronounce it "pen-SEEV", rather than live "pensive." I guess they just want to emphasize the pun, even though "sieve" is pronounced like "pensive."
Snape as comic relief? The study hall bit was fun, but where's the moral ambiguity? Even after Harry learns Snape was a Death Eater, we don't see any difference in the way Harry reacts to Snape. Our only insight into Snape is his "kicking booty and taking names" treatment of Barty Crouch Jr.
Three cheers for Mike Newell and his cast of violent, dirty, corrupt anarchists!
