Goblet of Fire out on DVD today!

[Prudence]

So I sent BT out this morning to rent the DVD so I could give my two pfennigs.

First - re: "I love magic" - didn't bother me, and if I hadn't been looking for it I wouldn't have noticed it. If I had to assess it, I'd say that Harry's spent most of his life among muggles or at Hogwarts and doesn't see wizards using magic in every day situations that often, unless he's with the Weaslys. Thus, he's expecting one thing when he sees the tents and it turns out to be magic and wonderful and he's reminded that magic is cool.

Again, that's if I had to assess it and was feeling inclined to defend it. Reality is that I wouldn't have noticed had I not been looking for it.

Second - re: Dumbledore - I agree that his potrayal differs from the prior movies, and I'm not sure it's all the actor's fault. This story was condensed so much and the parts with the outside world were mostly cut out. So we don't see the growing tension in the ministry as they try to pretend everything's under control when dark eater signs are appearing and clearly something is wrong. I'm wondering if the change in the movie Dumbledore is deliberate on the part of the director/screenwriter to substitute for the stress the book attributes to other adults. Since we don't really see the ministers, someone else has to provide the sense of "people in charge are really worried, so we should be worried, too." If this is the case, I think it was a mistake to alter a central figure.

Third: pacing way WAY too fast. It really would have been better as two movies - one covering the events leading up to the cup, and one covering the cup itself. We could have learned more about the characters and the tension could have built more realistically.

Forth - re: the trio - I do think it captured some of the teen angst well - not knowing where you stand with your friends, or even with yourself.

Funniest part: Hagrid dancing with Madame Maxime.

Miscellany: not nearly enough Snape. Boo hiss! Meanwhile, I'm developing a fangirl crush on Lucius Malfoy. What is it with me and the movie villians? Also, thought Rita Skeeter was a hoot, even if I did keep waiting for her to shout "Nursie!"