Harry Potter and the land of me being creeped out

There isn't much one can say about the Harry Potter movies. You probably fall into one of three categories: 1) You loved the books and love the movies, 2) You loved the books and hate the movies or 3) You are often found to be saying "Harry Who?". I found myself enchanted by the early books and now sucked in like a heroin junkie, I can't escape no matter that the books just don't give me that same high that they once did. In truth even with a fix as it were, I am still irritable at how annoying the Harry Potter character truly is. And luckily for those who can't read or have no desire to read, we have Hollywood, ever ready to make a few hundred million from an established franchise.

The first two Potter films were faithfully adaptions that although I enjoyed wore down my patience awaiting the climax of the film. The third film took a less verbatim approach and had a darkness and humanism that I enjoyed very much. So now enter the fourth film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Again, the filmmakers have decided not to show us everthing from the book. And for this I thank them immensely because at two and a half hours the film is already far to long. Because of a need to show all of the action filled scenes, the film has all but forgone any notion that these kids are in school. Which makes me wonder why it is exactly that Harry is considered so great a wizard. Unless luck is magic.

But what stuck with me most about this film and truly began to bother me is when the school dance was to take place. Suddenly 14 year old characters were being asked out by 17/18 year olds. I thought seniors dating freshman was creepy when i was in high school and here I find it no less creepy. Should age matter? For mature adults? No. For adulescents? Yes! Mike Newell, the new director, tries for the same sort of tone that Alfonso Cuaron so marvelously achieved in the previous film and failed. Whereas Cuaron seemed to understand kids, Newell seems uncomfortable and so almost all the scenes were uncomfortable.

So although I will no doubt read the last book in the series and see the remaining films that are made, I can not in any real way endorse this film as good. It was ultimately forgettable.