mitchy | Harry Potter Squeee! (Spoilers)

Woah.

OK, this is how to get a big, bloated book onto the screen, keep the movie taut, ticking over and yet STILL tell the story. Huge props to Mike Newell and screenwriter Steven Kloves for an outstanding job. Please, please, Oscar people, at least give them a nomination for their work here, because it was the hardest book to adapt of the first four.

First of all, I read that Mike Newell insisted on an extensive acting workshop before the movie started, in order to get his young actors "to actually act". It's paid off, because I think all three leads are infinitely better this time around, particularly Dan Radcliffe, who has a lot of very difficult scenes to carry and does so well. Emma Watson is still the most natural actor of the three and Rupert Grint - well he's better, I'll say that for him.

Much was made of this movie being darker than the previous ones. It is and it had to be, or the last quarter of the film wouldn't have packed the punch it did. I don't think I breathed much during the maze scene, and I've read the book, I knew what was coming. Cedric being so effortlessly blown away was done well and was the kick in the chest it should be. Ralph Fiennes's Voldemort was barking mad and scary as hell, at least during the duel. Prior to that, he was Exposition Monster, which was something of a shame but given how much had to be trimmed from the book, and how much will surface in Order of the Phoenix, some Exposition was necessary. Some things were toned down a smidgen - Timothy Spall managed to chop a hand off without spraying blood everywhere, bleeding out or showing too much agony and I'm sure the underwater sequences were even nastier in the book - but a line had to be drawn somewhere or it would have been an 18 certificate.

The plot was ruthlessly trimmed down and, frankly, if JKR ever did the same to the book, it would be better for it. However, I do think there were some scenes that could have been padded just a leetle, for clarity's sake. The whole business of Barty Crouch Jnr and Snr, for instance, really wasn't explained - in the movie, there is no real reason for Harry to see the scene in the pensieve, beyond recognising Junior and telling Dumbledore, in order to compress several revelations into a shortish scene. My memory of that from the book is a bit fuzzy, but I'm damn sure there was a whole hell of a lot more to the Crouch's role than we see here and that Harry doesn't see Junior in the original dream/Riddle House scene. However, the ruthless trimming meant farewell to ninety per cent of Rita Skeeter, all of the bloody irritating subplot about the House Elves and Hermione's do-gooding campaign (god, that irritated me in the book) and far less male teenage angst about girls, although the whole "Who do we ask out to the Ball?" thread was handled very well.

Supporting cast - huge applause for Brendan Gleeson as Mad Eye Moody and Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter, both excellent in their roles. I was also impressed with newcomer Stanislav Ianevski (yes, I did have to look that up on imdb). He didn't have much to say as Krum, but what he did, he did very well. Waggle of the finger at David Tennant - he was goodish, but the whole tongue flicking thing didn't make him look crazy, just stupid. And I thought Robert Pattison did a good job as the doomed *sniff* Cedric Diggory. Yes, yes, I did sniffle when Harry brings the body back as promised. Hush, you, I freely admit I'm a sap.

The CGI special effects were generally excellent. I was particularly blown away by the dragons, the underwater sequences and the Quiddich World Cup Stadium - that would put the new Wembley to shame any day of the week! The snake at the beginning of the movie was a lot less impressive and just didn't look as good as the other effects. The mark of the Death Eaters, on the other hand, was also excellent and well done.

Oh and the Draco the amazing bouncing ferret scene is hilarious!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the two hours went by really fast. I don't think it was as good as PoA, but in terms of bringing the book to the screen, it's the best of the bunch. Here's to the next one. Hurrah!

And now I must sleep *topples over*