Film Forum
Episode Recap
Episode 7
Films Reviewed: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Zathura
Commentary: The dangers of typecasting
Featurette: Revisiting The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Regarding Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:
Matt: The fourth book from JK Rowling’s imagination is brought to life by new to series director Mike Newell. He may understand how British boarding schools work, but he was given a thankless task of condensing a seven hundred page book to fit in a film that’s slightly over two and a half hours. The actors are fine, the effects are excellent, the story does work, but a lot of the charm present in the first three films is missing here. Yes, these kids are growing up, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Three stars.
Aron: The one thing that this film did was make me want to see the first three again, and sooner rather than later! Newcomers to the series Ralph Feinnes and Brendan Gleeson fit into their roles very well and give the title character a run for his money when it comes to scene stealing. The three actors who play our “Hogwarts Heroes” are growing up nicely. Think seriously about taking anyone under the age of 10 to see this. Three stars.
Average Rating: *** (out of ****)
Regarding Zathura:
Aron: It’s Jumanji in space, folks. The characters basically react to meteor showers, invading aliens and cryogenic sleep chambers without a whole lot of reason. The effects are nice, but you’ve seen this before. Two and a half stars.
Matt: No, it’s not just “Jumanji in space”. It’s a lot better than that. Two brothers discover what the other one has to make them better than the sum of their parts. It also has a lost astronaut that provides great comic relief and some of the best special effects I’ve seen in space in a long time. Jon Favreau has made his best film yet. Three and a half stars!
Average Rating: *** (out of ****)
Commentary: Several actors have fallen into the trap of being cast in one particular role. Three actors we reviewed this evening (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) could be falling into this trap. Aron and Matt had some suggestions on what they could do to avoid this.
Featurette: Revisiting The
Curse of the Were-Rabbit featuring
Wallace and Gromit