The Goblet of Fire was a very exciting movie. Probably the best yet. Tournaments are always a load of fun, and I just love stories where the bad guy wins. More importantly, this is just the turn of events I was waiting for. Voldemort revived, and ready to wreak havoc. Who knows what's going to happen next! Whatever it is, it's going to be serious.
"Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy."
So by now it's obvious that the instating of a new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher every year is a recurring theme. Every one of them has either been useless, or an actual follower of Voldemort. Professor Lupin is the exception, but even he wasn't in control of his dark side. I can't help thinking that this is some kind of statement about the futility of trying to fight against the dark side. You're left thinking that there is no effective defense against the dark arts!
I really liked Alastor Moody. It's too bad he turned out to be an impostor. He's a real no-nonsense kind of guy. I guess he's sort of the "criminal profiler" of the wizarding world. He was such a help to Harry, it's a shame it was all done for a most nefarious purpose. And it looks like the Peter Pettigrew character (a.k.a. Wormtong--er, Wormtail) turned out to be a lot more dangerous than I gave him credit for. (Incidentally, I thought he looked so bad in Prisoner of Azkaban because he'd spent 12 years as a rat, but I guess he's just really ugly).
So it turns out that Snape used to be a "Death Eater". Yet this is all in the past, and Dumbledore trusts him fully. But didn't somebody else say, "once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater"? I'm really curious about Snape's story, and what happened in his past, and why he's trustworthy now if he used to be a follower of Lord Voldemort.
"Hermione, you're a girl..."
"Well-spotted."
It's kind of too bad that Ron spent most of the movie either envious of Harry or jealous about Hermione. It's clear there's some romantic tension between Ron and Hermione. My reaction is complicated, because if Ron likes Hermione, I can sympathize, but she deserves no less a partner than Harry Potter himself. But Harry doesn't seem to have any romantic feelings for Hermione, although they are very good friends. And if Ron likes Hermione, I'm in no position to judge him for being afraid to admit it, but the least he could do is treat her a little nicer. I know, boys are supposed to tease the girls they like, but the least he could do is write to her over the summer!
"Is that...Hermione Granger? With Victor Krum?"
"No. Absolutely not."
I felt kind of odd about Hermione hooking up with Viktor Krum. Granted, Krum has the celebrity status Hermione deserves to be associated with, but I just can't see him being her type. He's so...brutish. Neville and Ginny were really cute together, though - I bet they had a good time.
I wonder about the scene at the end of the ball when Hermione proclaims that Ron ruined everything. I wonder if she meant that he ruined her night with Krum, or that he ruined the dance by not having the guts to ask her before Krum did. Because I wonder what Hermione's feelings for Ron are. It's kind of funny, in Chamber of Secrets, after Hermione comes back from being petrified, she hugs Harry, but then awkwardly shakes Ron's hand. Then in Prisoner of Azkaban, she gets scared and jumps right onto Ron without thinking...
"I'm not an owl!"
But in this movie when she was scared for Harry and went to speak with him in the tent just before the dragon contest - when she jumped on Harry, my heart just melted. She's so adorable. You'd think I'd be crazy over her dressing up for the ball ("well-mannered frivolity", ha!), but the truth is, Emma is just so naturally beautiful, that it's like painting a diamond. The diamond is already beautiful to begin with, you don't need to dress it up. That's for the rocks. The diamond shines on its own. But still, it was a very pretty dress that she wore.
Emma Rating: Breathtakingly Beautiful
Alastor Moody... he was great. How about that scene where he turns Malfoy into a ferret? One of my single favorite moments in history. I think I read it over three times last time I read that book. I had a very hard time wrapping my head around his being an impostor. I'm like "seriously? Nah. That's stupid, there's no way." But after repeated readings I concede that it makes sense. Dumbledore and Moody are old friends, the only way to avoid detection was to do a spot on impersonation.
ReplyDeleteI concur with your thoughts about Harry and Hermione. I'm not much a fan of Ron. He's an essential character but he's just... a bit of a goof.
Haha, yeah, that'll teach him to curse someone behind their back!
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of things teachers aren't allowed to do to students, I liked the scene where Snape was chastising Harry for raiding his potions closet (though it wasn't Harry). He was describing the truth potion, and how they're not allowed to use it on students, and he slips the word "regrettably" in there so slyly, and it totally reflects his personality. I thought that was great.