'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire': A retrospective

As the Harry Potter series draws to a close this month with the release of Deathly Hallows: Part 2 on July 15, we're taking a look back at the previous seven movies in the series to chart the rise of JK Rowling's boy wizard.

Harry and the gang's fourth year at Hogwarts was brought to the big screen by British director Mike Newell. Topping Alonso Cuaron's critically acclaimed Prisoner of Azkaban was a daunting task for the filmmaker, but his influence saw the series take on a new level of scope, with a more complex plotline, stronger script, and mature performances from the leading cast.

Newell wasn't the only newcomer to board the film franchise with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Ralph Fiennes joined the cast as Harry's resurrected nemesis Lord Voldemort, while Brendan Gleeson, Robert Pattinson, Clémence Poésy and Stanislav Ianevski took up supporting roles. There were even cameo appearances by the Tenth Doctor himself David Tennant and members of the rock bands Radiohead and Pulp.

Goblet of Fire centres around the Triwizard Tournament, a prestigious competition in which selected champion from each of the three magical schools compete against one another in a trio of events. Contestants' names are drawn from the titular goblet, but eyebrows are raised when Harry's name emerges alongside the chosen three. What follows is a rollercoaster ride of spectacular set pieces as the young wizard is forced to out-manoeuvre a dragon, infiltrate a village of merpeople, and negotiate a perilous hedge maze. In keeping with the series' increasingly dark tone, the film sees our hero confronted by death in more ways than one, and the result saw it become the first entry to receive a 12A certificate by the BBFC. Harry, Ron and Hermione learn of the Unforgivable Curses, and our protagonist even witnesses the demise of one of his school mates at the hands of the risen Voldemort. A memorable duel between Harry and his nemesis ensures that things end with a bang.



As Goblet was a significantly longer novel than its predecessors, Newell had to apply some shrewd editing to do the story justice. Several scenes were merged, such as Sirius Black's entire contribution and the Death Eater trials Harry witnesses in the Pensieve. The Dursleys were also cut entirely, making this the first film not to feature Harry's embittered relatives. Producer David Heyman expressed disappointment over the need to condense the project, but the end result was a critical and commercial smash.

Goblet Of Fire raked in more than $895 million (£557m) worldwide, making it the highest grossing movie of 2005. The film remains the only Harry Potter offering to earn recognition at the BAFTAs, taking the gong for 'Best Production Design'. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for 'Best Art Direction', losing out to Memoirs of a Geisha. As it stands, Goblet is currently the fifth-highest grossing film in the series, but remains one of the most memorable and important chapters in the wizarding saga.

More Harry Potter retrospectives:
> Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
> Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
> Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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