HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Miranda Richardson, Timothy Spall, David Tennant Tom Felton, Stanislav Ianevski, Katie Leung, Matthew Lewis, Robert Pittinson, Clemence Posey, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Pedja Bjelac and Frances De La Tour. Music by Patrick Doyle. Screenplay by Steve Kloves. Based on the book by J.K. Rowling. Directed by Mike Newell. Rated PG-13. Running time: Approx: 157 mins.

       
Avid readers of the Harry Potter novels may be a little let down by the movie version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

        Not that the film is bad; on the contrary, screenwriter Steve Kloves has done a marvelous job of winnowing down the 700-plus page book into a tidy 2 1/2-hour movie. But to do so, a lot of what made J.K. Rowling's fourth adventure of Harry and his friends at Hogwarts so rich had to be jettisoned.

        Most of what was omitted could be termed character development — for book four in the series is when the hormones of the teen-age students begin to rumble, leading to all kinds of emotional complications.

        And while that is an entertaining read, the main storyline of the book — and film — is the Triwizard Tournament as well as Harry finally coming face-to-face with his greatest challenge.

        For followers of the book, the movie will be like being served a meat dinner without sides of potatoes and vegetables.

        The uninitiated, though, will find Goblet of Fire a fascinating, dark and scary outing. This is the first movie in the series to earn a PG-13 rating, and it is definitely deserved.

        Goblet of Fire is not for the young viewers. It contains frightening images that will send shivers down your spine.

        In this installment, young wizard Harry Potter, plagued by nightmares, must overcome his greatest fear — asking a girl to the annual Yule Ball.

        Forget battling dragons or dealing with mer-people in the dangerous tournament, Goblet of Fire is as much about the angst of young love as it is about wizardry.

        And director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) has done a fine job in balancing the main thrust of the story — Harry's unexpected participation in the event — with the emotional complications that ensues when young boys begin to notice young girls and develop their first crushes.

        Helping set the mood is the score by Patrick Doyle, who replaces John Williams. While retaining some of Williams' themes, Doyle has created rich musical motifs that complement the action.

        The movie hits the ground at full throttle. Gone are establishing scenes of Harry's life with the Muggle Durseys. Newell opens with Harry already visiting his friend Ron Weasley. From there, the film quickly jumps to a very abridged Quidditch World Cup sequence.

        The rest of the movie deals with Harry's participation in the tournament — and the problems it creates for the 14-year-old, who, technically, is too young to take part.

        Newell and his team have created many harrowing sequences, but none so scary as the maze that is the concluding event in the tournament. It comes to life, trying to devour the participants.

        But that is only a prelude to a most disturbing graveyard confrontation between Harry and his mortal enemy, the dread Lord Voldemort, portrayed in a most reptilian manner by Ralph Fiennes. It will give you goosebumps.

        Out of necessity, Kloves' screenplay has greatly condensed many subplots from the book.

        One character not given short shrift is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mad-Eye Moody, wonderfully portrayed by Brendan Gleeson, who walks away with the movie.

        Young Radcliffe's Harry has matured into a semi-hunky young man, but still retains his humility and compassion. Emma Watson's Hermione has grown into a stunning teen-ager, and looks especially beautiful in her ball gown during the Christmas dance.

        Rupert Grint's Ron is still a bit nerdish, but shows some fire as he and Harry have a falling out over Potter's participation in the tournament.

        Even those familiar with the book, will be held spellbound as the movie continually builds to the shocking climax in which Harry experiences a loss and also discovers an inner strength that gives him the courage to battle overwhelming odds.

        Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site: www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom