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Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire review

We review Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, an edge-of-the-seat and surprisingly gloomy instalment of the Potter story

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Certificate: 12A

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

Release date: 2005

4 out of 5

4

The fourth Harry Potter movie was the first to receive a ‘12’ certificate (the previous three were ‘PG’s) owing to its dark themes and scary bits (young ones may be especially scared of the mermen who appear when Harry has to dive in the lake).

Better than Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but still a little too long for younger viewers at nearly two and a half hours, this is the one in which the evil Voldemort returns in physical form. First, however, our magical hero Harry finds himself mysteriously entered in the Triwizard Tournament, an event in which students from three rival magic schools compete, putting their lives in danger to solve magical puzzles and brave unimaginable danger.

Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Snape (Alan Rickman), and Harry’s Hogwarts friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) all return – and there’s even a hint of future romance for Harry – but it’s the arrival of Voldemort (as played by a very menacing Ralph Fiennes, complete with bizarre fishlike face) that makes this an edge-of-the-seat and surprisingly gloomy instalment of the Potter story.

Is Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...

Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort is extremely creepy and will upset younger viewers.

The mermen in the lake and the Death Eaters are also scary, while girls especially may be upset by the death of a character near the end (perhaps because he is played by an actor who has become something of a heartthrob in another series of films).

If you like this, why not try: Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events, The Wizard Of Oz,