AT LONG LAST!

Finally, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has arrived on the shores of Australia!!! After having to endure reading emails and blogs raving about the movie, and flaunting the fact that they have watched it a zillion times, Edge and I decided to splurge and spend the $30 (Php 1,200 for two tickets!) para di naman kami masyadong huli sa balita at feeling kawawa. We were going to wait for the discounted ticket day, but this film has been classified as a "no free / discount ticket". Ang daya talaga!

Anyway, just like everyone else I have read, all I can say is, Ang galing! Of course it would be impossible to have all the parts of Book 4 present in the movie. It's a wonder how they were able to come up with this one, although I do think that if you watch this without having read the book, there might be some parts that you wouldn't quite get. It's like going through a "Highlights of Book 4" preview or something like that.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, already feel like old friends. As they parted at the end of the movie, I felt like I was part of their barkada, wanting to hear from them over the summer as well, and looking forward to our return to school. Cedric Diggory is dreamy! The Durmstrang boys look exactly as I pictured them in my head. The girls from Beauxbatons were disappointing. Edge and I agreed that we expected them to be more ethereal, more like Liv Tyler's Arwen in Lord of the Rings -- really beautiful, shiny, shimmery, looking like they were floating on air. They were just a bunch of thin, blonde, feeling pretty girls.


One major complaint I have is the characterization of Dumbledore. He seemed out of sorts, almost in a panic. He did not seem in control, as in the other movies. But as far as I can recall, in all 6 books, Dumbledore has always been calm, always knowing what to do. I can only blame the scriptwriter and the director for wanting Dumbledore to appear as such in this movie.

Edge and I also agree that Alfonso Cuaron (director of HP 3),is the best director of the Harry Potter movies so far. He is the best storyteller, and his treatment of the story was exciting and edgy. Oh yeah. Edge and I also like the light jackets that Harry and Cedric wear throughout the Tri-wizard tournament!

How I miss my MTRCB pass! I'd like to watch this movie at least 5 more times. For now, I'll just have to settle for re-reading Book 4 so that I can remember the millions of other details. But that will have to wait until I finish "Shalimar the Clown" by Salman Rushdie, which I have just borrorwed from the library.