Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Soundtrack
Goblet of Fire Updates and Reviews
While cruising around NYC I was hoping that I would run into some of the cast from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Though I was unable to see some of the bigger names, I do have a good story just the same. While walking behind a guy that had to be 6' 4" and big in dimensions, I heard a couple young girls shout 'Crab' while looking straight at him. At first, the announcement didn't hit me, but then I realized that the guy who had been continuously cursing right in front of me may have been Jamie Waylett, the young actor who plays Crabbe in the Harry Potter films.
I immediately picked up speed and got in front of the guy and, to my surprise, it was Crabbe! I didn't say anything or approach the guy, but was actually shocked that most pedestrians had not recognized the actor. Anywho, on to a couple new early reviews.
The two new movie reviews for Goblet of Fire are both positive and both admit that this film is the best one yet.
FilmFocus
Newell delivers the first of the five-star Potters, adding a level of boarding-school charm the series was desperately lacking.
As Alfonso Cuaron took Hogwarts by the scruff of the neck and transformed Prisoner of Azkaban into a film worthy of its medium and not just its source, so Mike Newell takes the series one step further. Newell crafts some real moments of genius in Goblet of Fire that just can't be captured with special effects. He gives character to our performers far beyond the simple words they're saying, allowing us time to get inside Harry's head and providing breathing room one would have thought impossible in transforming a 500+ page book. His shot structure, too, shies away from computer wizardry where it simply isn't needed and finds artistry in his environment.
Simply; this Potter film balances its high production value with grounding in reality. Just as the Potter books succeed in finding that balance between the trials and tribulations of average school life with the magic of this particular school, Newell makes Goblet of Fire one of the most magical Potter films yet by finding that personal level we can all identify with underneath the charms and potion-making.
TheHollywoodReporter
For legions of Harry Potter fans, the coming of a new film, the fourth adapted from J.K. Rowling's hugely successful literary series, is all they need to know. For nonfans or parents who accompany children, there is this: The movies keep getting better and better.
Newell achieves the same brilliant production values of his predecessors. Along with the brooding and at times ominous look by designer Stuart Craig and cinematographer Roger Pratt, Patrick Doyle contributes the best musical score of the series, one richly symphonic yet with a pop overlay that reminds us we are in a world of fantasy.
Goblet of Fire Soundtrack
Since the second review above finishes with a note on the soundtrack to Goblet of Fire, I thought I might as well throw in my two cents. Now, I am not entirely in to reviewing a soundtrack before viewing the film, but the flight to NYC gave me more than enough time to give the entire soundtrack a listen more than once.
First, I will admit that my feelings for the new soundtrack are mixed. Before listening to the GOF OST, I had repeatedly mentioned that we should expect to hear a lot of references to the older, John Williams, score. For this, I couldn't have been more wrong. Besides a single track early on, you will not hear any further reference to the previous music.
Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but Patrick Doyle definitely takes a new approach to the Potter music.
The Positives:
-The quality of music seems to be an upgrade from the JW score. While listening to the CD I felt like I was upgraded from a standard cell phone ring tone to polyphonic.
-The tracks are very deep and offer impressive counter-melodies. There are multiple levels of music going on here.
-The new theme is very well done.
The Negatives:
-The music seems slightly out of place. Thanks to the counter-melodies and use of heavy brass and strings, the music seems more akin to concerts, plays and broadway spectacles.
-The new theme for Harry Potter doesn't come into effect until the end of the film. Though we are given a single, and small, taste of the new theme created by Doyle near the beginning of the soundtrack, that theme does not re-emerge till the ending tracks of the film.
This is just my early two cents on the Goblet of Fire soundtrack. I am expecting my opinion of the music to change once I finally see it in full interaction with the film this Friday.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire comes to theatres on November
18th.
For the trailers, movie stills, pics, clips, other reviews and synopsis,
go to the Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire Movie Page.
Stay tuned for updates.
|
Add to Heffee!
