The Movie Review and Discussion Thread

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Foggy

^^^

Submarine

I really really loved it!

It's awe-inspiringly shot, with a great script to boot. There is something very lighthearted to the film although it loves to portray itself as very gloomy, with very few moments of actual happiness, it's the sort of film you can have on in the background and glance over to see a simple indie film, but if you take a deeper look it's quite brutally realistic.

I disagree with the fact that the acts fail to follow up of the first in terms of quality, I think they are all really good, with the happy moments all in the first act, and then the stuff starting to go down hill in the second act. I don't think the other two acts are quite as fast paced as the first, although that just shows that the good times fly meanwhile the bad times linger.

The characters are very subtle in their portrayal, as throughout the film, they slowly pick away at themselves showing more and more through contact with others. It's wonderfully presented, and characters feel like they have a realistic development and change. The only character who doesn't seem to change for the most part is the main character, who throughout the film is basically picking and choosing what to do next to get what he wants, and this follows through right until the end, where I thought he would learn his lesson, but the epilogue kicks in, and as much as that wrap up felt unnecessary and ruins that end thought, it still so nicely portrayed and presented by Richard Ayoade that I can't ***** about it

I loved Submarine, I think many people on here will love it, probably more Bearcat and Squid than Diesel and Killowertz, but I recommend to anyone and everyone because it is just that damn good!

10/10

I'll check it out.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by tanujdua

Hi guys, just watched Your Highness.

Man what a waste of time, the only remotely funny parts were in the trailer and it was very dull for the rest of it. Seriously disappointed that despite the good cast, all of whom I like, it still turned out so bad! Also the same director as Pineapple Express, which I LOVED!

Ah well, I guess they can't all be good.
1.5/5

I agree, even gave it the exact same score as me (3/10)

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I'll check it out.

[tanujdua]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I agree, even gave it the exact same score as me (3/10)

Great minds think alike, eh .

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Cowboys & Aliens

Film: ?/5

-huh? surf has no rating for the movie? huh?
-let me explain this very simply: i was with this girl on a first date and (deviously) chose the back row, end seats.
-she paid more attention than me.
-if you asked me what it was about, I could only say who was in it , that it has cowboys and aliens in it...nothing more than in the trailer
-lesson learned: only go on dates for films you've already seen!
-WORST PART OF THE NIGHT: her telling me it was a great movie and WHY. My response: "uh....right". If she ONLY KNEW my movie review stature

No second date eh?

Originally Posted by surfdude12

what a great intro to my next great idea:

Ranking of "Hottest Chicks that Go 'oooo you're so swordly' in a 'Dude With a Sword' film"

1. Braveheart chick #2 (queen)
2. Troy chick (?squid name?)
3. Braveheart chick #1 (wife)
4. Gladiator chick #1 (Caesar daughter)
5. 300 CHick (?name?)
6. Kingdom of Heaven a.ka. Casino Royale chick
7. Last Samurai chick (Japanese widow)
8. Gladiator chick #2 (wife)
9. Patriot = no chick = peace and quiet can be nice after a long battle

The Patriot had Heath Ledger's love interest.

Also...the only appropriate place for "Troy chick" is #1.
And Kingdom of Heaven chick needs to be higher

Originally Posted by surfdude12

OMG I don't remember that. I'll have to re-watch it now this weekend!!

It's right near the end.

out of curiosity, did you just find Balian generally repetiive or was there something specific he kept saying?

I typed what he kept saying
"Rise a Knight"
He says it what feels like SO many times after his speech.

wow, so sounds like only Gladiator and KOH have stood up to the "Diesel repeated viewings" test. You seem to like Ridley Scott. Do you like Blade Runner/Alien? Just curious.

The Patriot is on my list of "If its $10 I'll probably buy it" list actually.

Blade Runner...yea...no.

I've never seen Alien. I've seen Aliens. If I stumble across Alien on FX or Spike one day I'll watch it...but I won't go out of my way to see it.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I liked it better when you were AWOL.

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Troy chick FTW...

[Al_The_Strange]

Next greatest blind-buy: “Fast Five,” aka “The Fast and the Furious 5.”

First off, the UK steelbook is gorgeous! Packaging gets an automatic 5/5!

[Show spoiler]

As far as the movie goes…

I’ve never been the biggest “F&F” fan; to date I must have graded each and every movie prior to this one a meager 3/5. The first film had its moments, but not enough of them to make me care about the story or characters. The second film was moderately fun, but also slappy and weak. The third film was just, like, whatever. And the fourth film manages to put the series back on track, but was severely lacking in action. And of course, the original 1950s film sucked royal.

So, now there’s five of these suckers, and I probably wouldn’t have given this a chance if it wasn’t for the glowing reviews (and the beautiful steelbook! ). The film starts off on the same footing as its predecessors, with its focus on the same old characters and the same old drama. A few solid action scenes keep it from being dull, and are themselves quite awesome. But once everybody gets to Rio and kicks off the main heist, the story manages to stay interesting and entertaining throughout, on a level no different than “The Italian Job.” It’s quite fun and amusing to watch these characters (

[Show spoiler]coming together from all the other “F&F” films nonetheless, even the most off-shoot ones, to tie up the franchise in a solid fashion

) come together to plot and pull off some tricky moves. And of course, the action scenes are still plentiful, culminating in an epic chase scene

[Show spoiler]where the cars are pulling a huge freaking vault and using it as a weapon of mass carnage! How cool is that?

! The finale ought to rank up there in my list of favorite car chase scenes, and the movie overall is hardly dull (a vast improvement over its predecessors, imo).

The story for this is pretty solid. The conflict established might be a little contrived, serving little more than a vehicle for all the action scenes, but the characters manage to tie in some strong emotional resonance and a slight theme about family to keep it above-average. Characters are as strong as ever, and at this point (if you’re following the franchise from the beginning), you come to relate to them. Altogether, this story offers better solid structure and conflict, which also exceeds the predeceasing films.

This film is very slick, with plenty of gorgeous photography and interesting editing. There is some shakey-ness to some action scenes, and some of the editing is a little choppy, but it’s still bearable. I’m probably a little more concerned about the tight angles and fast-moving cameras used in the chase scenes, to make the cars look faster than they really are…but whatever. There are some slick moves with the subtitles when foreign characters talk; they slip and slide all over the screen. It’s thankfully not as distasteful as “Man on Fire” or “Domino,” and I think it’s actually fitting here; I just wish they didn’t zip by so fast. Acting and writing are okay for the most part; I initially feared that Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson might have been overplaying the tough-guy act, but as the movie went on, I came to enjoy their performances. Vin Diesel is the man. Production value features excellent sets, props, costumes, locales, and cars. The songs used in the film are alright, but the music score is pretty darn cool.

4/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)

Recommendation: Sure, why not?

Currently ranking it as my favorite of the series, but I intend on re-watching the other four sometime to re-evaluate.

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near perfect!

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 5/5

This edition is region-free.

A few more notes:

• I was surprised that there was no obligatory race scene, like all the other films.
  [Show spoiler]There were even at a race, but they never showed the racing
  . WTF?
• I seriously don't think
  [Show spoiler]they could have driven that vault all across the road. The weight in itself would have been too much for the two dinky cars, regardless of their horsepower. The friction between the metal vault and the concrete road would have made it impossible. But hell, it's still fun watching that thing bounce around like it's on ice or something
  .
• I also don't think
  [Show spoiler]those dudes in the police station restroom could have drilled into the wall without drawing attention.
• Is it me, or did the opening cliff-jumping scene seem a little too similar to the scene in "xXx?"

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by DjMethod

Obrigado! Nice to see you've enjoyed your summer. And you have a good point about how a shift in perspective can change your opinion on films. Some of my personal favorites just don't hit home anymore.

I found a cool bumper sticker the other day that says "Change is the only constant" I'm gonna be home this winter before I go to Europe next year so I'll have time to peruse my collection. It'll be interesting to revisit some of my old favorites

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Welcome back, and what a decent line-up!

Thanks man, there's more to come

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Sounds fun.

Yup.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Next greatest blind-buy: “Fast Five,” aka “The Fast and the Furious 5.”

First off, the UK steelbook is gorgeous! Packaging gets an automatic 5/5!

[Show spoiler]

That...is...beautiful.

As far as the movie goes…

[Show spoiler]I’ve never been the biggest “F&F” fan; to date I must have graded each and every movie prior to this one a meager 3/5. The first film had its moments, but not enough of them to make me care about the story or characters. The second film was moderately fun, but also slappy and weak. The third film was just, like, whatever. And the fourth film manages to put the series back on track, but was severely lacking in action. And of course, the original 1950s film sucked royal.

So, now there’s five of these suckers, and I probably wouldn’t have given this a chance if it wasn’t for the glowing reviews (and the beautiful steelbook! ). The film starts off on the same footing as its predecessors, with its focus on the same old characters and the same old drama. A few solid action scenes keep it from being dull, and are themselves quite awesome. But once everybody gets to Rio and kicks off the main heist, the story manages to stay interesting and entertaining throughout, on a level no different than “The Italian Job.” It’s quite fun and amusing to watch these characters (

[Show spoiler]coming together from all the other “F&F” films nonetheless, even the most off-shoot ones, to tie up the franchise in a solid fashion

) come together to plot and pull off some tricky moves. And of course, the action scenes are still plentiful, culminating in an epic chase scene

[Show spoiler]where the cars are pulling a huge freaking vault and using it as a weapon of mass carnage! How cool is that?

! The finale ought to rank up there in my list of favorite car chase scenes, and the movie overall is hardly dull (a vast improvement over its predecessors, imo).

The story for this is pretty solid. The conflict established might be a little contrived, serving little more than a vehicle for all the action scenes, but the characters manage to tie in some strong emotional resonance and a slight theme about family to keep it above-average. Characters are as strong as ever, and at this point (if you’re following the franchise from the beginning), you come to relate to them. Altogether, this story offers better solid structure and conflict, which also exceeds the predeceasing films.

This film is very slick, with plenty of gorgeous photography and interesting editing. There is some shakey-ness to some action scenes, and some of the editing is a little choppy, but it’s still bearable. I’m probably a little more concerned about the tight angles and fast-moving cameras used in the chase scenes, to make the cars look faster than they really are…but whatever. There are some slick moves with the subtitles when foreign characters talk; they slip and slide all over the screen. It’s thankfully not as distasteful as “Man on Fire” or “Domino,” and I think it’s actually fitting here; I just wish they didn’t zip by so fast. Acting and writing are okay for the most part; I initially feared that Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson might have been overplaying the tough-guy act, but as the movie went on, I came to enjoy their performances. Vin Diesel is the man. Production value features excellent sets, props, costumes, locales, and cars. The songs used in the film are alright, but the music score is pretty darn cool.

4/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)

Recommendation: Sure, why not?

Currently ranking it as my favorite of the series, but I intend on re-watching the other four sometime to re-evaluate.

Glad you enjoyed it for the most part....now you just have to go back and give 1 and 4 the correct scores

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]Very detailed critique of Vin's acting

This Blu-Ray looks and sounds darn near perfect!

PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 5/5

This edition is region-free.

The US one isn't out until Oct. 4

A few more notes:

[*]I was surprised that there was no obligatory race scene, like all the other films.

[Show spoiler]There were even at a race, but they never showed the racing

. WTF?

Yea...that was quite disappointing. Was hoping the Extended Edition would include it...but apparently not. And apparently the Extended Edition is about 1.5 minutes longer

[*]I seriously don't think

[Show spoiler]they could have driven that vault all across the road. The weight in itself would have been too much for the two dinky cars, regardless of their horsepower. The friction between the metal vault and the concrete road would have made it impossible. But hell, it's still fun watching that thing bounce around like it's on ice or something

.

Yea...that was ridiculous. Fun to watch...but ridiculous.

From my review back in May:

I do have to say though, that I wish they had found a better way to

[Show spoiler]get the money than by pulling the entire freaking vault out and around the city for several miles...

It was a blast to watch, but the sheer amount of implausibility made it wear on me. Stuff like the

[Show spoiler]cliff dive

and the

[Show spoiler]bus

that are instant, "No way" moments are over quickly...we spend much more time with

[Show spoiler]the vault being drug around

and it becomes more and more ridiculous. I would have enjoyed it more if they had maybe gotten the money into their cars and had to each get away while being chased down.
In the end though, it was fun to watch like I said, and that is the point of this movie, so I'm not taking much credit off for that. Plus when

[Show spoiler]Hobbs opens the decoy that smile on his face is priceless

[*]I also don't think

[Show spoiler]those dudes in the police station restroom could have drilled into the wall without drawing attention.

[*]Is it me, or did the opening cliff-jumping scene seem a little too similar to the scene in "xXx?"

Well there's a difference...this happened in a MUCH better movie

[tbizzle]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

tbizzle in the house!

wow dude, sounds like you almost pulled an "Into The Wild"...glad you didn't eat the berries Seriously though, sounds a cool trip and experience you've been on. I can relate to the "different path in life" and how movie ratings change as we change (its the same movie, just a different movie viewer)

Wut wut!

Yeah it's become a necessary part of life for me, to take off and get out of babylon for a weekend, a few months, whatever. Next year I'm grabbing my pack and setting off for Spain. Dunno where I'll end up or how long I'll be gone... guess as long as my cash flow takes me.

I like how you phrased that "Same movie, different viewer."

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Yes, I felt that. On the other hand, he is a grown man and doesn't have to answer to anyone. But he could have

[Show spoiler]at least said goodbye before he left. didn't he just leave without saying goodbye? if i remember correctly?

Yeah, he took off without a goodbye and basically didn't stay in contact.

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Forgot to review this blu. WOW!! Great PQ/AQ for a 1976 flick. I watched the extras where the screenwriter (Paul ?) discussed some awesome themes , such as how he conceived of the taxi cab idea:

[Show spoiler]a moving metal coffin carrying a corpse. obviously, he means emotionally/spirtually dead.

. he then said the most powerful words of the extras, which solidfy Travis BIckle:

[Show spoiler]: "that idea - of not getting what you want and not wanting what you have - is the lonely man. but he doesn't just become lonely, he makes himself lonely. Travis makes himself lonely."

. epic epic stuff.

best scene: deniro taking cybil to the porn theater, and when she says "this a dirty movie!!", deniro's epic response: "oh no, lots of couples come here. its great."

bickle = the effin man.

That's some great insight on Travis making himself lonely. He definitely created his own world and seemed to stay stuck in it. I love the scene where he breaks his TV.

Travis is crazy but he's a funny guy... tryin to take the chick to a porno

Originally Posted by surfdude12

DONT YOU F&CKING LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to the blu release so I can watch this again, Dennis Hopper was the man.

Originally Posted by surfdude12

check our Rear Window! (if you haven't)

Been on my list for a while, I'll get to it someday

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Glad you enjoyed it for the most part....now you just have to go back and give 1 and 4 the correct scores

[Show spoiler]

Marathon time!!!

Originally Posted by Diesel

[Show spoiler]Very detailed critique of Vin's acting

I actually meant to mention, this is probably his best role.

Originally Posted by Diesel

The US one isn't out until Oct. 4

I didn't even realize that. Bummer.

Originally Posted by Diesel

Yea...that was quite disappointing. Was hoping the Extended Edition would include it...but apparently not. And apparently the Extended Edition is about 1.5 minutes longer

I was watching the EE. It wouldn't surprise me if the few added f-words are what's different. But still no racing.

Originally Posted by Diesel

Well there's a difference...this happened in a MUCH better movie

Can't blame you there.

It was cooler-looking in this one, and has a better context.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Marathon time!!!

Woo!

I actually meant to mention, this is probably his best role.

Maybe the Academy won't snub him this year

[Show spoiler]

I didn't even realize that. Bummer.

The window for this one is about a month more than the one for Fast & Furious

And it comes out on the same day as Lion King. I'm conflicted on which to watch first

I was watching the EE. It wouldn't surprise me if the few added f-words are what's different. But still no racing.

To keep the PG-13, the only F-bomb in the theatrical cut is when it is listed as one of Dwayne Johnson's two things he needs the cop to do

Can't blame you there.

It was cooler-looking in this one, and has a better context.

Definitely.

[Foggy]

Fright Night

The new one, I watched the old one many years ago and loved it, will be revisiting it soon.

I think I'll do this review in brief bullet points, as it is late, and I don't think I really need to delve into detail into my thoughts, after all it's a straight forward enough film.

The basic overview is that I'm really surprised how much I enjoyed it

• It starts of pretty bad (other than the really great opening scene) Anton Yelchin is really annoying, the script is trying very hard to be hip and cool, and it doesn't work.
• Random stuff being said about shoes and coffee, I really struggle to find the joke in whats being said.
• Good thing is they drop this FAST, the vampire stuff kicks in about 10 mins, although there is zero mystery to the thing, although, you have the basic premises already in your head as you walk in
• Colin Farrell is crazy sleazy in the film, he comes in and he just looks like he's had sex with the scenery, which is pretty nasty when David Tennant walks in and chews it all up
• And McLovin is really sinister here
• Although, the mother drags the whole film down, her house is blown up, a bike is thrown into the car, Farrell drive at high speed into her car, pulls up ahead and stops in the middle of the road, you run him over and he's still alive poking his hand through the bottom of the car! And she only believes he's vampire when he starts sucking guys blood, Christ! And then once that happens, she falls unconscious and is not used in the film ever again.
• They really use the Vampire gimmick really well, with them not being able to be seen through cameras and what not, it's fantastic.
• They really OVER use the 3D gimmick, I wouldn't mind, but my theatre didn't even bother showing it in 3D At least it was done in a way where it could feel like a stylistic choice over "3D coming at you!"
• Also CGI is very over used here, there are almost zero practical effects, and it really ruins the fact of horror when you know it's fake. Also, there is a Children of Men like shot, where they are in the car and it's goes on and on, but it made all the less effective when it's all green screen and CGI!

Conclusion, Fright Night is one of the few horror films, which actually manages to combine a good mixture of Goofy Campy Horror and make it genuinely scary (Film is very intense!), like the original did before, but actually sucsessfully revamps it, it's great to actually see a remake be able to stand aside it original and be equally as entertaining, albit slightly more flawwed (although I still need to watch the original again, so many year have passed)

8.5/10

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Diesel

And Kingdom of Heaven chick needs to be higher

Yes, yes she does.

[iam1bearcat]

Originally Posted by killowertz

Same here. I haven't been in the thread for The Dark Knight Rises since the picture of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman came out and the only thing I have looked at recently in the Avengers thread was the pictures of the guys "looking" at Scarlett's ass.

WHAT?! great. now i gotta search through a bunch of pages of geeks whining about geeky stuff to find this picture...

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Troy chick FTW...

WTF is she wearing? "hey, i'm super attractive.. but i'll where an outfit that's better suited for a man". good choice.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Fright Night

[Show spoiler]
The new one, I watched the old one many years ago and loved it, will be revisiting it soon.

I think I'll do this review in brief bullet points, as it is late, and I don't think I really need to delve into detail into my thoughts, after all it's a straight forward enough film.

The basic overview is that I'm really surprised how much I enjoyed it

• It starts of pretty bad (other than the really great opening scene) Anton Yelchin is really annoying, the script is trying very hard to be hip and cool, and it doesn't work.
• Random stuff being said about shoes and coffee, I really struggle to find the joke in whats being said.
• Good thing is they drop this FAST, the vampire stuff kicks in about 10 mins, although there is zero mystery to the thing, although, you have the basic premises already in your head as you walk in
• Colin Farrell is crazy sleazy in the film, he comes in and he just looks like he's had sex with the scenery, which is pretty nasty when David Tennant walks in and chews it all up
• And McLovin is really sinister here
• Although, the mother drags the whole film down, her house is blown up, a bike is thrown into the car, Farrell drive at high speed into her car, pulls up ahead and stops in the middle of the road, you run him over and he's still alive poking his hand through the bottom of the car! And she only believes he's vampire when he starts sucking guys blood, Christ! And then once that happens, she falls unconscious and is not used in the film ever again.
• They really use the Vampire gimmick really well, with them not being able to be seen through cameras and what not, it's fantastic.
• They really OVER use the 3D gimmick, I wouldn't mind, but my theatre didn't even bother showing it in 3D At least it was done in a way where it could feel like a stylistic choice over "3D coming at you!"
• Also CGI is very over used here, there are almost zero practical effects, and it really ruins the fact of horror when you know it's fake. Also, there is a Children of Men like shot, where they are in the car and it's goes on and on, but it made all the less effective when it's all green screen and CGI!

Conclusion, Fright Night is one of the few horror films, which actually manages to combine a good mixture of Goofy Campy Horror and make it genuinely scary (Film is very intense!), like the original did before, but actually sucsessfully revamps it, it's great to actually see a remake be able to stand aside it original and be equally as entertaining, albit slightly more flawwed (although I still need to watch the original again, so many year have passed)

8.5/10

We hopefully will disagree in Hanna, but we agree on Fright Night score wise. I gave it a 4/5, which is close enough to your score. It actually surprised me when I saw it in the theater. My brother and I decided to go see it on opening night while on vacation. I wasn't in any real hurry to see it and didn't plan on seeing it until it came out on Blu-ray, but we figured "why not?". I ended up being glad we decided to see Fright Night of course. It's pretty entertaining as long as you don't take the whole thing seriously.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

WHAT?! great. now i gotta search through a bunch of pages of geeks whining about geeky stuff to find this picture...





WTF is she wearing? "hey, i'm super attractive.. but i'll where an outfit that's better suited for a man". good choice.

Or I can provide this one...that has captions!

http://roflrazzi.files.wordpress.com...f7bb34db67.jpg

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Yes, yes she does.

Once more I say to you...

[KilloWertz]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd put Diane Kruger at the top and possibly Eva Green right below.

[Show spoiler]Yes, I am "cool enough" to use actual names.

[volcomsocal]

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 2005

Finally, a HP movie I can really get on board with. To be honest, I was starting to lose faith with the HP movies after watching HP2 and HP3. Both were letdowns after watching HP1.

Well, well, well.... here comes HP4 to save the day. They did away with the prototypical start at the uncle and aunt's house. That was a refreshing change of pace and scenery. I knew that as the series went on, it was going to get darker, more mature, and scarier. That part was delivered to me just as I suspected. Just as the lead characters grow up and get wiser, the stories that surround them get more in depth, take on a darker tone, and lose their innocent "family-friendly" charm that HP1 had. And I like it.

Even though I was enjoying HP4 as I was watching it, I noticed that it was missing a key ingredient that the 3 previous HP's had in them. Kids go off to Hogwarts, they learn, compete in sports activities, and then some "bad-guy" ends up showing up at the school, so Potter himself must save the day. This formula was missing from this movie. So I was trying to figure out where this one was going with its story. While I was fully expecting something (or someone) bad to happen, it wasn't unfolding like the 3 previous HP's. In this movie, here we have these kids perform in a competition, once again... 3 rounds, winner take all. Ok, cool. But what about the "evil presence creeping up on the school" formula? It had to show up eventually!

Well, it ended up unravelling very nicely... but in a much different way, and for the good. I felt that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire did an excellent job of character development, character story lines, and overall plot lines... better so than the previous HP movies. I also witnessed the maturation of the 3 main characters. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are starting to become more adult and more complex. I like where all this is going and has brought fresh life into the series. HP4 had a much tighter storyline than HP2 and HP3 did. It was also directed better, in my opinion.

Now I'm really looking forward to watching the rest of the movies.

PQ - 3.5/5
AQ - 4/5

4/5

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by volcomsocal

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 2005

[Show spoiler]
Finally, a HP movie I can really get on board with. To be honest, I was starting to lose faith with the HP movies after watching HP2 and HP3. Both were letdowns after watching HP1.

Well, well, well.... here comes HP4 to save the day. They did away with the prototypical start at the uncle and aunt's house. That was a refreshing change of pace and scenery. I knew that as the series went on, it was going to get darker, more mature, and scarier. That part was delivered to me just as I suspected. Just as the lead characters grow up and get wiser, the stories that surround them get more in depth, take on a darker tone, and lose their innocent "family-friendly" charm that HP1 had. And I like it.

Even though I was enjoying HP4 as I was watching it, I noticed that it was missing a key ingredient that the 3 previous HP's had in them. Kids go off to Hogwarts, they learn, compete in sports activities, and then some "bad-guy" ends up showing up at the school, so Potter himself must save the day. This formula was missing from this movie. So I was trying to figure out where this one was going with its story. While I was fully expecting something (or someone) bad to happen, it wasn't unfolding like the 3 previous HP's. In this movie, here we have these kids perform in a competition, once again... 3 rounds, winner take all. Ok, cool. But what about the "evil presence creeping up on the school" formula? It had to show up eventually!

Well, it ended up unravelling very nicely... but in a much different way, and for the good. I felt that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire did an excellent job of character development, character story lines, and overall plot lines... better so than the previous HP movies. I also witnessed the maturation of the 3 main characters. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are starting to become more adult and more complex. I like where all this is going and has brought fresh life into the series. HP4 had a much tighter storyline than HP2 and HP3 did. It was also directed better, in my opinion.

Now I'm really looking forward to watching the rest of the movies.

PQ - 3.5/5
AQ - 4/5

4/5

And to think, this is the one most people hate for some reason.

I got a feeling that #5, #6, #7, and #7 will satisfy you.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

And to think, this is the one most people hate for some reason.

I got a feeling that #5, #6, #7, and #7 will satisfy you.

I hate it, it sucks, it's dumb and too long and has dancing in it

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

WTF is she wearing?

WTF does it matter?????????