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Goblet of Fire Article:
Test Screening Report
On July 9, the very first test screening of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
was held in Chicago, Illinois. The following review was posted at OscarWatch.com
by member "Equipoise." The reviewer estimated the movie at 2 hours and
30minutes.
Original post:
I just got back from a test screening, and I thought it was very good! I still
like the third one best, but this was almost as good. It is definitely better
than the first two (I thought both were alright). I haven't read any of the
books except the first one, so I have no idea how faithful it was or whether
fans will be screaming bloody murder.
I got the pass when I went to see Howl's Moving Castle. We weren't told what the
movie would be, just that (as it says on the pass) "This is a new family movie
from a major Hollywood studio, scheduled to be released in theatres some time
later this year."
The music track was temporary, but I thought it sounded just fine. I have no
idea what it might have been from. I'm sure others will pop up with more
information. The special effects weren't anywhere near done, and I thought it
was fascinating to see what was essentially a work print. Many scenes were in
front of green screen, several effects were still in wire frame, colored dots
were on actor's faces, and flying scenes where the wires were not yet digitally
removed.
Without having read the book and knowing nothing about the plot, I was able to
follow it fairly well. It made me want to read the book, to get more detail. The
pace was good, the acting was good, and the 14-year old in me has a terrible
crush on Ron now, who I think is much cuter than Harry. Hermione didn't have
nearly as much to do in this one, which was my only disappointment. I didn't
look at my watch at all, before or after, so I don't know how long it was,
definitely over 2 hours though. It could have definitely been longer because I
find that world interesting.
There were no ending credits.
Passes and the Theatre:
The screening was at Piper's Alley theater (right next door to Second City) in
the big theater there. It was pretty full, but not completely full. I sat in the
third row center and there was only one other person in my row and no one in
front of me. They'd had another screening earlier. When I got given my pass, I
was asked if I had any kids to bring, especially between the ages of 9-12. Those
passes were for 3pm, while ours was at 6pm. The screening was originally
supposed to be at the River East 21, but it was changed to Piper's. I don't know
why. I tried to guess what the movie would be. I thought sure it would be
Chicken Little. I was hoping for Narnia, but figured the special effects weren't
anywhere near done. Harry Potter never even crossed my mind. When a guy went to
the front and said that we were among the first to see Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire, everyone cheered. The fellow who told us the name of the movie
talked about the special effects not being done, and that the soundtrack was
temporary. There was also clapping when it was over, so most people seemed to
like it.
Post-Viewing and Security:
They chose about 20 people to stay for a focus group, but they didn't choose me.
They rushed everybody out of the theater. We did get to fill out forms with our
impressions on characters and scenes we liked and disliked. The security was
intense. They checked everybody's bags (cell phones weren’t even allowed) and
wanded people. They had things set up at the front that were probably infrared
cameras to make sure people weren't recording. There were several big
bouncer-looking guys dressed in black, not the type you'd want to be on the bad
side of.
In regards to Matthew Lewis:
Neville (Matthew Lewis) has some very good scenes. First he is a victim of one
of Professor Moody's spells (a spooky scene, not funny, then he had a charming
scene where he was teaching himself to dance, then it looked like he was having
a blast at the ball. I really liked him. When I go back and watch the other
movies again, which is something I'm planning to do, I'm going to pay special
attention to his character.
In regards to Ralph Fiennes:
Ralph was GREAT! Very scary. I don't know what he'll look like in the end,
because Feinnes had green dots all over his face, so I'm sure they'll CGI
something that looks pretty horrific.
In regards to Pedja Bjelac:
Karkaroff was good, and I wonder if he has a bigger role in upcoming films. I'd
like to see him again. I think he was born to play Rasputin, if he hasn't
already.
In regards to Miranda Richardson:
Miranda Richardson is a hoot as a reporter who keeps getting Harry's age wrong
(she says 12, when he's actually 14). I get the feeling they cut her part down
though. It seemed that she might have had more to do than just interview him
once.
In regards to Brendan Gleeson:
Brendan Gleeson/Moody made a big impression. The scars on his face, his horrific
eye, and just the fact that he taught how to counter Dark Arts, made you know
that his was a deep character who'd been through a lot. There was one point when
he had a run-in with Malfoy and turned him into a ferret. He said something
along the lines of, "I could tell you stories about your father that would curl
your hair" and I thought to myself, “I WANT TO HEAR THOSE STORIES!” One of the
reasons why I said I now wanted to read the book was to hopefully learn more
about his character. Whatever his story is, I'll bet it'd make a great movie by
itself. I want to see this movie the day it opens, not only to see what the
final special effects will be like, but also to see Moody again. I'm a big fan
of Gleeson's anyway (The General is my favorite of his movies). I didn't even
realize it was Gleeson until the middle of the film. I was shocked at myself
because normally I tend to shift for a second when a known actor comes on (oh
look, there's Emma Thompson! Hey, that's Miranda Richardson!) but I didn't do
that with Gleeson, someone I know well.
The Quidditch World Cup:
They showed the beginning of the world cup, with players being introduced. That
was the first you saw of Krum, yes, flying out on his broom. They talked of him
being the best seeker in the world. I'll call him Krum from now on. I don't
remember dancing Leprechauns, but there was mention of an Irish team, and they
conjured up colored clouds in the shape of a giant leprechaun after they flew
out into the stadium. Very little of the game was shown. I don't remember
anything after it being declared open and the headmaster waved his wand and out
of the end of it came a flying red ball. The next scenes I remember are in the
tent with everybody talking. Then, after they're asleep, Ron's father wakes them
up and all hell is breaking loose outside, with the tent village being
destroyed.
The Dark Mark:
One special effect that did seem pretty much finished was near the beginning
when a whole wizard camping area is wiped out by demons. A huge part of the sky
is taken up by the Dark Mark which is the face of a ghoul. THAT was scary! (a
little before that was a funny bit...Arthur Weasley, Ginny, Ron’s Brothers, Ron,
Hermione and Harry go into a tent that looks like a tiny pup tent, but from the
inside looks like a palace. Also, the bunk beds there are floating above each
other.)
The First Task:
The tournament was shocking in that the mom side of me kept thinking HOW CAN
THEY PUT THOSE KIDS IN SUCH DANGER?? Not knowing what was coming made me very
empathetic toward Harry, because he had no idea either. There were three parts,
and all three came off very well, but too short (I suppose Warner Brothers
probably wouldn’t want to release the 4-hour movie I'd prefer). There were
miniature versions of the dragons when the four champions reached into a bag to
pick which one they'd face. Those were awesome. The only full-sized dragon you
see is Harry's, and it is terrifying. Harry didn't fight the dragon so much as
hide behind rocks and then fly away on his broomstick, with the dragon chasing
him around the Hogwarts grounds. He then thwarts the dragon with a fancy
maneuver between a cool bridge. That whole scene was exciting. A lot of the
special effects weren't done, and much of it was in wire frame. I can't wait to
see the real thing. I think it will have just about everybody on the edge of
their seats.
The Second Task:
The second part was under water, in the lake, and had them looking for something
that was precious to them. I was shocked again when I saw what those precious
things were! (is there no government agency regulating these schools?!) I assume
they were the same things that were in the book, so you know what I mean. The
mermaid-like creatures who tried to stop the students were in the previews, but
were much scarier in the movie. That whole section could have been longer too. I
was a bit confused as to how Harry got out of the predicament he was in.
The Third Task and the Rebirth:
Harry, Krum, Fleur, and Cedric were in the Third Task of the Tri-Wizard
Tournament. This consisted of finding the Goblet of Fire in a maze. Harry saves
Cedric’s life and they reach for the goblet together. They are both transported
to a graveyard where there are many death eaters, including Lucius Malfoy.
Wormtail is there, holding a thing that looks like a wizened baby. He cut off
his own arm, and took blood from Harry's arm, and mixed them with some other
things, dropped the baby-like thing in and out came Voldemort (these special
effects weren't done yet). Voldemort and Harry duel and his parents appear to
help him get away. He grabs Cedric’s body (who has been killed by Voldemort) and
grabs hold of the goblet, then they appear back in front of the school where
everybody is waiting. Harry is taken away by Mad Eye Moody, who turns out not to
be Moody, but Barty Crouch Jr. who's helping Voldemort (The real Moody is being
held prisoner in a series of locked trunks). Snape, Dumbledore, and McGonagall
show up just in time to keep Bartie Crouch Jr. from killing Harry. Hermione
tells Ron to just ask her to the dance next time.
GoF compared to PoA:
I think Alfonso Cuarón is a genius, so I was predisposed to adore Prisoner of
Azkaban. This one felt more like the third movie than it did the first two, very
dark and foreboding. The whole wizarding world felt more dangerous, like someone
actually could die (and someone did). I was amazed at the dangers the Tri-Wizard
Tournament put these students through. Parents must be very different there.
Fight between Harry and Ron?
They don't physically clash, but they become estranged. Ron (and many other
students) think that Harry put his own name into the Goblet of Fire, even though
the rules had stated that you had to be seventeen or older to take part in the
tournament.
The Twins attempt to enter the Tournament:
There was a very funny scene where the Weasley twins are trying to put their
names (written on pieces of paper) into the Goblet of Fire. There's an "age"
line on the floor around the goblet. Hermione says it was put there by
Dumbledore so he would know if anyone under seventeen tried to put their name in
the goblet. They both drank a potion to try and thwart the age line. They get
through it alright and put the pieces of paper in, but the goblet spits them
out. The twins then turn into little old men.
PG or PG-13?
It's pretty dark, and characters die. I have never understood the Hollywood
rating system, so it's hard to say. I wouldn't be surprised to see it get a
PG-13. Then again, what was Azkaban rated? It's about the same level of
darkness. The more I think about this movie, the more I think it's even darker
than Azkaban, so yeah, it'll probably be PG-13.
Random Details and Things to Note:
- Barty Crouch Jr. does have the Death Eater’s tatoo on his arm. It moves around
and shifts positions. He has very little screen time.
- Hagrid has a very small part. He only shows the dragons to Harry before the
First Task.
- Madame Maxine is very tall, just like the book says.
- Professor McGonagoll has a very small part.
- No sphinx in the Third Task. At least, not yet.
- Ron's mother sends him his outfit to wear at the dance. It's an old worn coat
with frills and lace. Ron is mortified.
- On the train to Hogwarts, Harry tries to pay for something that Ron wants from
the candy lady, but Ron refuses. You can tell he's very proud.
- Herminone is drop-dead gorgeous in her dance outfit. It's obvious that Ron
does have a thing for her, but doesn't want to admit it.
- The “Potter Stinks” buttons are in the movie.
- Mrs. Weasley does not appear in the movie.
Source: OscarWatch.
July 9, 2005.
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