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Full Synopsis
Difficult times lie ahead for Harry Potter.
Beset by nightmares that leave his scar hurting
more than usual, Harry (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) is all
too happy to escape his disturbing dreams by attending
the Quidditch World Cup with his friends Ron (RUPERT
GRINT) and Hermione (EMMA WATSON).
But something sinister ignites the skies at the
Quidditch campsite -- the Dark Mark, the sign
of the evil Lord Voldemort. It's conjured by his
followers, the Death Eaters, who haven't dared
to appear in public since Voldemort (RALPH FIENNES)
was last seen thirteen years ago -- the night
he murdered Harry's parents.
Harry longs to get back inside the safe walls
of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
where Professor Dumbledore (MICHAEL GAMBON) can
protect him. But things are going to be a little
different this year.
Dumbledore announces that Hogwarts will host the
Triwizard Tournament, one of the most exciting
and dangerous of the wizarding community's magical
competitions. One champion will be selected from
each of the three largest and most prestigious
wizarding schools to compete in a series of life-threatening
tasks in pursuit of winning the coveted Triwizard
Cup.
The Hogwarts students watch in awe as the elegant
girls of the Beauxbatons Academy and the dark
and brooding boys of Durmstrang Institute fill
the Great Hall, breathlessly awaiting the selection
of their champions.
Ministry of Magic official Barty Crouch (ROGER
LLOYD PACK) and Professor Dumbledore preside over
a candlelit ceremony fraught with anticipation
as the enchanted Goblet of Fire selects one student
from each school to compete. Amidst a hail of
sparks and flames, the cup names Durmstrang's
Quidditch superstar Victor Krum (STANISLAV IANEVSKI),
followed by Beauxbatons' exquisite Fleur Delacour
(CLÉMENCE POÉSY) and finally, Hogwarts' popular
all-around golden boy Cedric Diggory (ROBERT PATTINSON).
But then, inexplicably, the Goblet spits out one
final name: Harry Potter.
At just 14 years old, Harry is three years too
young to enter the grueling competition. He insists
that he didn't put his name in the Goblet and
that he really doesn't want to compete. But the
Goblet's decision is binding, and compete he must.
Suspicion and jealousy abound as muckraking journalist
Rita Skeeter (MIRANDA RICHARDSON) fans the flames
of the Harry Potter backlash with her outrageous
gossip columns. Even Ron begins to believe his
"fame seeking" friend somehow tricked the cup
into selecting him.
Suspecting that whoever did enter Harry's name
in the Tournament deliberately wants to put him
in grave danger, Dumbledore asks Alastor "Mad-Eye"
Moody (BRENDAN GLEESON), the eccentric new Defense
Against the Dark Arts professor, to keep his highly
perceptive and magical eye trained on the teenage
wizard.
Harry prepares for the challenging Triwizard tasks
-- evading a fire-breathing dragon, diving into
the depths of a great lake and navigating a maze
with a life of its own. But nothing is more daunting
than the most terrifying challenge of them all
-- finding a date for the Yule Ball.
For Harry, dealing with dragons, merpeople and
grindylows is a walk in the park compared to asking
the lovely Cho Chang (KATIE LEUNG) to the Yule
Ball. And if Ron weren't so distracted, perhaps
he would acknowledge a change in his feelings
for Hermione.
Events take an ominous turn when someone is murdered
on Hogwarts grounds. Scared and still haunted
by dreams of Voldemort, Harry turns to Dumbledore.
But even the venerable Headmaster admits that
there are no longer any easy answers.
As Harry and the other champions battle through
their last task and the advancing tendrils of
the ominous maze, someone or something is keeping
a watchful eye. Victory is in sight, but as they
edge closer to the Triwizard Cup, all is not as
it seems -- and Harry soon finds himself hurtling
head-first toward an inevitable encounter with
true evil.
Review
By Julian Roman (November 16th, 2005)
"The Goblet of Fire is a more mature story and
its young stars prove they have the acting skills
to grow with their characters."
By J.P. Mangalindan (November 16th, 2005)
"It's disappointing when Goblet of Fire eventually
ends on the unresolved note it does. Ultimately,
Newell's breathtaking film feels like a sensationally
odd intermediate step between one phase of Harry's
life and another. Still, it's a hell of a step."
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