[innerSpaceman]

Well, 'natch the reason that the evil plot was done convolutedly through the tournament (rather than, say, having one of Harry's socks be a portkey) was that ... wait for it ... there wouldn't be a movie otherwise.

Really, one could have the same criticism for dozens of fantasy/adventure tales. It may be logical, but it's simply not too valid. Suffice it to say that maniacal villains bent on ruling the world have an incurable penchant for diabolically convoluted plots.

Having seen the film again, its flaws are still quite apparent. But the fun and adventure win out for me. It's really the funniest Potter movie, and I enjoyed laughing so very much. Yeah, it's got a choppy structure, the maze sucked tremendously, I didn't like Feinnes as Voldemort, and there was a severe drop in the style, editing, pacing and story departments since the last film. But there were fun characters old and new, some great visuals, and I found it an enjoyable romp.

I happen to agree with almost all of Alex's criticisms, but I just don't think they matter much in the context of Harry Potter movies. I know people who like them and haven't read the books, so I'm not at all convinced that reading the books is a prerequisite for this film series.