Difficult times lie ahead for teenage wizard Harry Potter as he and his friends Ron and Hermione begin their fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Recurring nightmares of arch-nemesis Voldemort's return have left Harry's trademark scar hurting more than usual; and as the trio attends the Quidditch World Cup in late summer, the Death Eaters, sworn servants of Lord Voldemort, resurface to raise hell (no pun intended), igniting the skies with the Dark Mark, an ominous sign that the Dark Lord might be planning a most unwelcome return.

Harry longs to return to the safe confines of Hogwarts, where Professor Dumbledore can protect him. But things are going to be a little different this year. Dumbledore announces that the school will host the prestigious Triwizard Tournament, the wizarding community's version of the Olympics. Despite being underage, Harry is mysteriously chosen by the enchanted Goblet of Fire to represent Hogwarts alongside popular classmate Cedric Diggory, much to everyone's chagrin.

As if the challenge of the Triwizard Tournament, a muckraking journalist writing fabricated stories about him, his studies and, oh yes, the impending return of Voldemort aren't enough to distract him, Harry must also deal with another serious challenge: - finding a date for the Yule Ball.

Director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and returning series screenwriter Steve Kloves are more than up to the task of turning JK Rowling's massive 734-page opus into a single motion picture (the idea of splitting Goblet into two films was briefly considered) that is both workable and faithful to its source material. Approximately 160 pages of the book's opening, including Harry's annual bout with the Dursleys, have been removed (the World Quidditch Match opens the movie, albeit briefly), subplots such as Hermoine freeing the House Elves (No Dobby? Oh...darn) have also been given the boot, while events such as the falling out between Harry and Ron and the antics of the journalist Rita Skeeter have been slimmed down a great bit.

The omissions and trimmings will no doubt raise the ire of some fans. But Newell, Kloves and company make the changes work well. Alfonso Cuaron did a great job examining the beginnings of adolescent anger and awkwardness in Harry and his friends with his 2004 entry, The Prisoner of Azkaban, but Newell manages to delve deeper into the characters, giving the series a welcome change of pace and newfound level of maturity. Much like Rowling's novel, The Goblet of Fire has an emotional reality that makes for some fine moments of drama throughout, especially in its heartfelt concluding scenes.

This is not to say that the Harry Potter series has gone the Bergman route. There are still plenty of sequences of wonder, laughs and excitement to be had: the tasks of the Tournament are three examples of genuinely exciting set pieces, elevated by superb visual effects, Roger Pratt's cinematography and Patrick Doyle's solid music score.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint continue to improve as actors, growing more comfortable in their roles while adding more dimension and nuance to their characters with each passing film. Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Timothy Spall and Alan Rickman, each receiving reduced screen time here, offer typically solid support.

Among the new additions to the cast, Brendan Gleeson is great as this year's Defense of the Dark Arts teacher, "Mad Eye" Moody, while Ralph Fiennes makes for a downright scary Voldemort, whose resurrection and subsequent scenes are a big part of why this entry in the family-friendly series is one that should not be viewed by younger fans. Miranda Richardson makes do with the severely condensed presence of gossip columnist Skeeter.

Dark times may lie ahead for the world's most famous boy wizard, but if The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire are any indication, the film franchise's days are getting brighter and brighter.

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