The long awaited 4th installment in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” finally came out in theatres Friday. It topped the box-office charts immediately as the most successful of the Harry Potter movies out so far. In fact, it had the fourth-best three day weekend opening ever, behind Spider Man, Star Wars: Episode Three, and Shrek 2. Even the usually very difficult to please critics gave this movie B+’s, and A-‘s, which is far higher then the average rating.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” chronicles Harry’s fourth year in Hogwarts School. It is the turning point in the series and provides a new, more serious and mature atmosphere for the young wizards. In the book, Harry spends most of his summer with the Weasley’s at the Quiddith World Cup, where a group of Death Eaters (Voldemort’s followers) terrorize the fans and the innocent muggles. Later, when Harry returns to Hogwarts, he discovers that the school is participating in an international competition called the Triwizard Tournament that involves three dangerous tasks. Harry, of course, finds himself entered in the tournament without his consent. The book continues through such normal events as the Yule Ball, where Harry has to face his fear of actually asking a girl, and terrifying experiences with dragons, mermaids, and eventually, Lord Voldemort. In the end, Harry has to face death for the first time when he is forced to watch Voldemort murder a fellow student.

In my opinion, the movie was the best by far of all the Harry Potter movies. The special effects were excellent and the actors, especially Emma Watson, grew up enough to be more realistic. The movie managed to stay relatively close to the book, with the occasional exception for dramatic purposes. Also, it had many very funny moments that added interest for the audience, for example, when Ron had to dance with Professor McGonagall. However, it also had some problems. The beginning especially would have been very difficult to follow for those who had not read the book, because many parts had to be removed in order to shorten it. In addition, some of the actors, like Dan Radcliffe, really aren’t particularly talented. But the charm of the Harry Potter series and the whole picture make up for these faults; it’s definitely worth watching.