Youthful Wizard's hormones are raging

 HARRY POTTER 

AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I dismissed the original "Harry Potter" film as devoid of magic and a sense of adventure. Now, after seeing "Chamber of Secrets" and "Prisoner of Azkaban," I find the stories are more gripping and have

a sense of fun and a twinkle of glee. "Goblet of Fire" is the fourth entry in the "Harry Potter" series and it is a startling, scary and atmospheric ride, as stirring as the "Prisoner of Azkaban" (though not

as smoothly directed).

Those of you who are devotees of J.K. Rowling's literary series are well aware of what is in store for "Goblet of Fire." This time, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), the teen wizard, is now the tender age of 14 and his hormones are raging. A ball, known as the Yule Ball, is scheduled for all the students at Hogwarts, though getting a date is harder for Harry and especially Ron (Rupert Grint), the red-headed colleague who certainly has a thing for Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), the know-it-all who

is still smarter than anyone else. An upcoming Tri-Wizard tournament is also scheduled for students around the world, specifically four champions. One of them is a Bulgarian wizard named Vikton Krum

(Stanislav Ianevski), a Quidditch expert, and the other is a blue-clad French girl from the Beauxbaton school. The catch is that the competing wizard has to be aged 17 or older yet Harry Potter's name inadvertently ends up in the goblet of fire, to the dismay of all students and the jealousy of his trusted friend, Ron. Who slipped Harry's name in the goblet? I won't say.

If you want plots and subplots and character details, then you can't find anything better nowadays than Harry Potter. There is so much to keep track of that it is like remembering the names of all the members of the Bush administration since Bush took office. Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is still the illustrated speaker for all Hogwarts students. Ron wants Hermione yet she has her eye on Krum. A new teacher of the Dark Arts is the seemingly alcoholic Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson), who has a false, swiveling eye that comes equipped with a zoom lens! Miranda Richardson appears as a gossip columnist, Rita Skeeter, who's too full of herself as she gathers for the next scoop (she

and Gilderoy Lockhart would make a nice pair). The giant Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), the gamekeeper, finally finds love with Madame Maxine (Frances de la Tour), the headmistress of Beauxbaton.

The evil force known as Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) still presides over the school and Harry wants his revenge since Voldemort killed his parents once upon a time. Along the way, harried Harry has to come against the Death-Eaters, a fearsome dragon (the most convincing I've seen thus far on film), tough underwater trials with monstrous mermaids, an endless maze with unseen forces, the return of Harry's godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) in ember form, and much more.

There is so much to take in that you'll be left bewildered and befuddled (it helps to familiarize oneself with the films or the books). "Goblet of Fire," like the last entry, is not overstuffed though it is supremely detailed. The story still works and moves along briskly enough, and it is getting progressively darker. Brit director Mike Newell infuses the fantasy with touches of whimsy and pure magic, not to mention the feeling of puberty breaking out of these wizards.

Since "Prisoner of Azkaban," Daniel Radcliffe has finally proven to develop a personality that brings the urgency out of Rowling's textual hero, including his doubts, his shyness about girls and the lack of ego about being a celebrity after having defeated a dragon. It is Radcliffe's humanity that makes us care for his plight. The trials and tribulations of our favorite youthful wizard continue.