MOVIE: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (SPOILERS) - Page 3

RIDance · 12-15-2005, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fov

About Cedric - although he may not have been in the other movies, I'm pretty sure he was in the other books. (Isn't he one of the Quidditch players, maybe from another team?)

Yep! He was in the other books as Ravenclaw Qudditch captain. Since he does have such a big part in the fourth book, it would have been awesome to see him in the previous movies- perhaps they were waiting so they didn't cast someone who couldn't grow up to do the part - but even if he was just in the third.

Jeysie · 12-15-2005, 06:22 AM

Off-topic for a moment: I guess I'm in the minority that thinks the third movie is still the weakest out of all the movies.

Sure, the first half of the movie was good, with some great scenes (I thought the DADA boggart scene actually was a bit *better* than the book...). But IMHO it all came to a screeching halt in the Shrieking Shack scene/sequence, which was a big disappointment to me. Considering that's the keystone of the book (where most of the book's threads come together), not to mention one of my favorite scenes, it kind of shot the whole movie for me. Oh, and let's not forget the dorky forest chase scene added in that wasn't in the book (with the lamest-looking werewolf ever...)

But anyhoo, back to the topic at hand.

On a Harry Potter forum that I post at, one person commented she thought the movie played like a "highlights reel", and I think that's as good a description as any.

Sure, they did manage to cram all the important plot elements in there this time, and I think they even did a good job, and a great job in some parts (Gleeson as Moody was just brilliant, for instance). But in doing so they left out most of the "character bits".

One of the things I like about JKR's books is that it feels like most of the plot elements spring out of the characters actions, rather than the other way around. So by cutting out most of the character parts you may still have a blow-by-blow of what happened in the book, but you lose a lot of the *why* it happened.

For instance, I don't mind the casting for Krum, because there's no time in the movie to establish him as anything other than a "jock star". We don't have the scenes in the book where we (by my reading, anyway) get more of an impression of Krum as someone who may be brilliant at Quidditch, but is a normal teen in most other aspects, including being kind of sullen and a bit tired of all the pomp and circumstance of being a star and of being chased by twittering teenyboppers.

In the book he fixates on Hermione because she is intelligent, doesn't twitter around him, and is interested in other things about him besides his Quidditch playing. Furthermore she is a Muggle-born, and Muggle-borns aren't allowed to attend Durmstrang (and Karkaroff isn't entirely pleased Krum ends up hanging out with one, another plus for dating Hermione). In the movie he asks Hermione to the dance because... well... I dunno, actually.

Furthermore the bit with Krum being suspicious of Harry's alleged romance with Hermione is cut out as well. (That's another thing, Rita was decidedly underused...)

Another instance is Cedric. As others have said, he was the Quidditch Captain/seeker in the Hufflepuff/Gryffindor match that got cut short by Harry getting his soul sucked by Dementors. (Which solves Ninth's complaint.)

More relevant is the fact that once Cedric realizes why he caught the Snitch and won that match, he wants to call a rematch because he thought it was unfair what happened to keep Harry from a shot at winning.

There are several other scenes like that in the fourth book proper, where we actually see Cedric's fair play and common decency. Example, in the portkey scene, his father in the book actually starts bragging loudly about how his boy beat "the famous Harry Potter", and Cedric gets embarrassed and starts trying to set the record straight with him (it was really the Dementors, et al). Several scenes like that.

It makes the scene where Cedric gets killed all that more painful, since we *see* him as a friendly, fair-minded, upstanding boy, whereas we only get *told* that in the movie. (In fact, IMHO Cedric came off as a bit of a condescending snob in the movie.)

I could go on a fair bit longer... like discussing how in the movie Barty Jr. is just a nutter slimeball (albeit one that's fun to watch) while in the books there's a more complex issue of parental neglect that drives him to follow Voldemort, or some of the stuff they left out that might be relevant in later books, but I have no time right now, and I'd like to think I made some kind of point already...

I think perhaps one of the problems is that the movies are getting treated as mostly stand-alone affairs, whereas the books tie into each other a fair bit, setting each other up. I suppose I'll just dream of the day after the seventh book is released and they make a miniseries...

Peace & Luv, Liz

***fov*** · 12-15-2005, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninth

As in which movie?

This one.

*swoons*

Quote:

I mean, you'd think they would select only powerful sorcerer/sorceress for this life endangering tournament.

I agree that she came off as a bit of a dolt in the movie. I don't remember her being that helpless in the book. She is supposed to be beautiful and kind of vapid, though. (She shows up again in Book 6.)

Once A Villain · 12-15-2005, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fov

This one.

*swoons*

Yeah...handsome and dangerous until

Spoiler:
he got his head cracked open by an American.

That was a pretty decent movie by the way...I liked the ambiguous ending.

AFGNCAAP · 12-15-2005, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Once A Villain

That was a pretty decent movie by the way...I liked the ambiguous ending.

I agree. Also, Diane Lane was really convincing. And the opening credits sequence was nice.

(Hope you don't mind me hiding that spoiler?

)

Wormsie · 12-18-2005, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIDance

Yep! He was in the other books as Ravenclaw Qudditch captain.

He was a Hufflepuff, thus being the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain.

Once A Villain · 12-18-2005, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

(Hope you don't mind me hiding that spoiler?

)

Don't mind at all.

12-15-2005, 06:22 AM	#42
Jeysie Diva of Death Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 1,402	Off-topic for a moment: I guess I'm in the minority that thinks the third movie is still the weakest out of all the movies. Sure, the first half of the movie was good, with some great scenes (I thought the DADA boggart scene actually was a bit better than the book...). But IMHO it all came to a screeching halt in the Shrieking Shack scene/sequence, which was a big disappointment to me. Considering that's the keystone of the book (where most of the book's threads come together), not to mention one of my favorite scenes, it kind of shot the whole movie for me. Oh, and let's not forget the dorky forest chase scene added in that wasn't in the book (with the lamest-looking werewolf ever...) But anyhoo, back to the topic at hand. On a Harry Potter forum that I post at, one person commented she thought the movie played like a "highlights reel", and I think that's as good a description as any. Sure, they did manage to cram all the important plot elements in there this time, and I think they even did a good job, and a great job in some parts (Gleeson as Moody was just brilliant, for instance). But in doing so they left out most of the "character bits". One of the things I like about JKR's books is that it feels like most of the plot elements spring out of the characters actions, rather than the other way around. So by cutting out most of the character parts you may still have a blow-by-blow of what happened in the book, but you lose a lot of the why it happened. For instance, I don't mind the casting for Krum, because there's no time in the movie to establish him as anything other than a "jock star". We don't have the scenes in the book where we (by my reading, anyway) get more of an impression of Krum as someone who may be brilliant at Quidditch, but is a normal teen in most other aspects, including being kind of sullen and a bit tired of all the pomp and circumstance of being a star and of being chased by twittering teenyboppers. In the book he fixates on Hermione because she is intelligent, doesn't twitter around him, and is interested in other things about him besides his Quidditch playing. Furthermore she is a Muggle-born, and Muggle-borns aren't allowed to attend Durmstrang (and Karkaroff isn't entirely pleased Krum ends up hanging out with one, another plus for dating Hermione). In the movie he asks Hermione to the dance because... well... I dunno, actually. Furthermore the bit with Krum being suspicious of Harry's alleged romance with Hermione is cut out as well. (That's another thing, Rita was decidedly underused...) Another instance is Cedric. As others have said, he was the Quidditch Captain/seeker in the Hufflepuff/Gryffindor match that got cut short by Harry getting his soul sucked by Dementors. (Which solves Ninth's complaint.) More relevant is the fact that once Cedric realizes why he caught the Snitch and won that match, he wants to call a rematch because he thought it was unfair what happened to keep Harry from a shot at winning. There are several other scenes like that in the fourth book proper, where we actually see Cedric's fair play and common decency. Example, in the portkey scene, his father in the book actually starts bragging loudly about how his boy beat "the famous Harry Potter", and Cedric gets embarrassed and starts trying to set the record straight with him (it was really the Dementors, et al). Several scenes like that. It makes the scene where Cedric gets killed all that more painful, since we see him as a friendly, fair-minded, upstanding boy, whereas we only get told that in the movie. (In fact, IMHO Cedric came off as a bit of a condescending snob in the movie.) I could go on a fair bit longer... like discussing how in the movie Barty Jr. is just a nutter slimeball (albeit one that's fun to watch) while in the books there's a more complex issue of parental neglect that drives him to follow Voldemort, or some of the stuff they left out that might be relevant in later books, but I have no time right now, and I'd like to think I made some kind of point already... I think perhaps one of the problems is that the movies are getting treated as mostly stand-alone affairs, whereas the books tie into each other a fair bit, setting each other up. I suppose I'll just dream of the day after the seventh book is released and they make a miniseries... Peace & Luv, Liz Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Adventures in Roleplaying (Nov. 19): "Maybe it's still in the Elemental Plane of Candy." "Is the Elemental Plane of Candy anything like Willy Wonka's factory?" "If it is, would that mean Oompa Loompas are Candy Elementals?" "Actually, I'm thinking more like the Candyland board game. But, I like this idea better." "I like the idea of Oompa Loompa Elementals."

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