Movie review: 'Goblet of Fire' brews a hotter Potter

The fourth time is the charm for Harry Potter. The seven- movie series, based on the phenomenally popular novels by J.K. Rowling, reaches its midpoint with "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," which is the strongest film of the bunch.

Maybe it's a function of time; the series has been around long enough to establish a cinematic identity with which everyone -- filmmakers and filmgoers alike -- can connect quickly.

Or perhaps it's the fact that the British-centric series finally has a British director, Mike Newell ("Four Weddings and a Funeral"). He might be seeing things that the previous directors, American Chris Columbus and Mexican Alfonso Cuarón, missed because of their cultural backgrounds.

Or it could be that, in this movie, Harry finally takes time away from his wizardry to be a person. Sure, he faces challenges appropriate to his apprenticeship, including a fire-breathing dragon. But he also comes face-to-face with something perhaps even more terrifying for a 14-year-old boy: girls.

Most readers consider "Goblet of Fire" to be the scariest of the four books adapted so far. But while some parts are quite disturbing, the movie's overall tone is not nearly as dark as that of its predecessor, "The Prisoner of Azkaban." That movie was relentless in its thriller atmosphere, but this one mixes in a heavy helping of lighter fare, alternating scenes involving danger with ones played for humorous effect.

All of the major players are back, beginning with Daniel Radcliffe as Harry and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as his posse, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Also returning are Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, Maggie Smith as Mrs. McGonagall and Alan Rickman as Snape (although he has only a handful of lines and mostly just hangs around in the background).

As always, new characters are added with each installment. Standing way above the crowd this time is Brendan Gleeson, who appears to be having the time of his life playing "Mad Eye" Moody. Outfitted with an artificial leg and an electronic eye that zooms in and out like a telescope, he's a colorful cross between a pirate and the Six Million Dollar Man.

The book weighs in at a whopping 700-plus pages. Even with a running time pushing 2½ hours (not counting an astonishing 13 minutes for the marathon of closing credits), the movie has had to jettison a lot of things and skim over others. But since the series is largely aimed at people who have read the books, it's likely that most viewers will have no trouble filling in the blanks.

Newell and screenwriter Steven Kloves, who also adapted the first three books, focus on two main narrative lines. The primary one involves the Triwizard Tournament, sort of the Olympics of wizardry. The contestants -- including Harry -- face several dangerous assignments, including securing a magical egg that has been put under the guard of an angry dragon.

The secondary plot concerns the 14-year-old Harry's foray into pubescence. Hogwarts officials declare that it's time for students to start developing social skills to go along with their magical powers. The school is going to host a grand ball that will require the budding teens to learn how to dance and -- gulp! -- attend with a date.

Newell's attempt to inject reality into the fantasy raises the bar for the young stars, but they meet the challenge. In fact, Radcliffe, who has been criticized before for being too shallow, shines in his role's new complexity. He appears to finally have found something in the character to get his teeth into.

When Radcliffe made his debut as Harry in "The Sorcerer's Stone" four years ago this month, the plan was to release an installment every 12 months. Production has fallen behind schedule, with nearly 18 months having passed since the release of the last film. But "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is well worth the wait.

***½ out of four stars

The setup: Harry enters a dangerous competition for wizards.

What works: A subplot involving his first date injects a nice touch of realism amid the fantasy.

What doesn't: In conden-sing the 700-page book, the filmmakers had to skim over some elements so quickly that viewers who haven't read it might struggle to keep up.

Great line: "If chosen, there is no turning back."

Jeff Strickler • 612-673-7392