By now, nearly everybody in America has heard of the famous Harry Potter series, written by J. K. Rowling. As with almost every work of literature that reaches pop culture status, the series was quickly transferred onto the silver screen and is still running strong. On November 18, 2005, the fourth installment of the series was released in American theaters and fans flocked to the movies to satiate their inner Potter cravings. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire went on to become one of the most well-received films in the series, its reception trailing after the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by only a minute percent.
It has received its flood of praise and popularity, but as with all films, not everybody was thrilled with what it delivered. Among the negative points garnered from reviewers, several areas stand out. The Arizona Republic, Arizona’s largest and most prominent newspaper described the film as "far too episodic." CNN.com described the film as “trying to do too much with too little.” Also mentioned in their review was how the three themes of the film, thriller, action flick, and romance story didn’t “mesh together” and felt "clunky and disjointed." Another criticism took issue with the relative absence of much of the familiar supporting cast. Fan favorites such as Draco Malfoy, his father Lucius, and professors Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall all received the short end of the stick in terms of screen time. The relationship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione was weak and rarely played upon, something very strange in a film that is trying to combine adventure with character development. Other criticism stemmed from fans accusing the film of changing and leaving out too much source material. Of particular interest, these dropped parts were instrumental in developing characters and setting up events for later occurrences in the series.
This just goes to prove that when stories have been written, their transition to the big screen usually isn’t a smooth one. Very rarely will everything get transcribed perfectly, undoubtedly upsetting purists and fans alike.
Till next time,
Richard Jicha
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