I finally saw Goblet of Fire this afternoon - loved it!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

It really needed another hour, though.

[NV Whino]

1. Best of the bunch so far

(Get the DVD when it comes out. You can add at least an hour with the special features.) :)

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. That's a tough decision as to whether it's the best or not -

in most ways, I think you're right - the acting is great, the special effects are fantastic, and the story (though this is not the fault of the movie, since the story was written long ago) is much more compelling with every book she writes.

But on the other hand, as a movie standing on its own, it moves almost too fast, making a lot of assumptions that the audience knows what's going on (which, for 99% of people, is true), and it doesn't really develop the story in an organic, movie-telling way. Of course, much of that is that the book was so fucking long there's no way to do a full telling in less than probably 5 hours. So give the restraint of trying to tell the story in 2.5 hours, I think it was incredibly well done - but as a movie, some of the earlier ones work better just in terms of telling a story more coherently and offering us a movie that stands nicely on its own.

[NV Whino]

4. The main problem with the movies

is exactly as you stated--trying to condense a long complex book into 2-2.5 hours. I think the movie makers have done an amazing job despite the fact that I don't like the treatment in the third movie. The director focused too much on the marvelous Scottish scenery deflecting the focus from the characters, and these are character-driven stories. I abhor dialog floating in the ether, beautiful as the ether may be, while little tiny characters trudge down a hillside. And I hated the talking head in the bus--totally uncalled for. That, by the way, was the director's invention. This last director did a good job of integrating the magical Scottish scenery, special effects and the characters to produce a powerful, beautiful and captivating movie.

[XemaSab]

3. Come join us

in the fantasy literature group! :D

[gollygee]

5. I loved it too

but I wish they had like 2 movies per book or something.

[ET Awful]

6. I'll probably go see it this weekend.

I have some movie passes sitting around unused.

[gizmo1979]

7. Who's goblet

and why is it on fire?