Blockbuster.co.uk - DVD - Rent 'Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire'

"What's life without a few dragons?"

Dark and difficult times lie ahead for J.K. Rowling's speccy hero in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a thrilling adventure full of magic and mystery that fans of the series will adore. From the many-varied perils of the Triwizard Tournament and the shocking return of Lord Voldemort to the epic teenage awkwardness of the Yule Ball, Harry's fourth exciting year of Wizard training is packed to the gills with danger, intrigue and teenage angst.

"This is one of the most challenging of all the films," notes David Heyman, producer of the Harry Potter films. "We needed someone who could direct a dark and suspenseful thriller, drive exhilarating action sequences and yet at the same time, be intuitive and sensitive to the comic angst of being a teenager. You've only got to look at films as diverse as Dance with a Stranger, Donnie Brasco and Four Weddings and a Funeral to appreciate that there are very few directors as skilled and multi-talented as Mike Newell."

"For me, the essence of this story is a thriller," Newell says. "There are wonderful set pieces, from the excitement of the Triwizard Tournament to the humor and heartbreak of the Yule Ball, but driving the story is this marvelous thriller in which something truly evil is out to get Harry – and only he has the power to do something about it."

Heyman and the cast credit Newell with infusing the film with his distinctly British sensibility. "Mike's been to a British public school and can totally empathize with boarding school life, and he has a keen sense of the youthful anarchy you often find in these institutions," says Heyman. "He's done a fantastic job of bringing the discomfort and awkwardness of school life to the film. Hogwarts feels more alive – and more British – than it ever has before."

Faced with surprise inclusion in the perilous Triwizard Tournament, Harry's first outrageous challenge is to take on a dragon. "We've taken the dragon chase well beyond the book," elaborates visual effects supervisor Jimmy Mitchell. "We really show Harry's prowess on a broom as the Horntail Dragon chases him out of the arena and up through mountains, viaducts and rooftops, and all across the school grounds."

Harry's epic battle with the Horntail required Daniel Radcliffe to be hurled around and dangled off of rooftops as his alter ego is pursued by the relentless reptile. "The dragon battle was very physical and even terrifying at times!" says Radcliffe. "When we were doing the stunt where Harry falls down the roof, I found myself literally dangled by my ankles, hanging upside down 40 feet in the air. Then I was dropped suddenly and hurtled head first toward the ground. I knew it was safe because our stunt team is so brilliant. But I did see my life flashing before my eyes for a second!"

Harry's second challenge is to navigate the murky depths of the treacherous Black Lake. "The Black Lake is filled with plant life, rocks and creatures you imagine could exist for hundreds of years deep in a Scottish loch without being discovered or disturbed," says production designer Stuart Craig of the mythical underwater environment.

Stunt co-ordinator Greg Powell was responsible for overseeing the training and safety of Radcliffe and the others. "Not only did Daniel have to swim, act, speak lines and respond to creatures that would be added by a computer in post-production," Powell reminds, "but he had to perform with webbed hands and feet. He accomplished all of this while 20 feet under water in total darkness – before he ran out of air and gave the signal for one of the stunt team to swim in and give him back his oxygen mask. It really was an incredible achievement."

Harry's third and final task requires the teen wizard to navigate a dense and foreboding maze formed by tall, thick hedges and shadowy pathways choked with mist. "We endeavored to make the maze taller and bigger than any you've ever seen," says Craig. "It's disorienting, disturbing and altogether intense!"

"The maze is really creepy, like being in a cemetery at night," Newell comments. "The fact that the contestants are exploring the biggest maze imaginable is scary enough, but it has a malevolent personality, and one of the ways it operates is to make all who enter doubt their sanity. You become increasingly vulnerable, unhinged and inhuman. Each time you're badly frightened in the maze, it strips another layer away until you're raw."

"The maze has a heavy steel substructure, which could literally crush the actors if something went wrong," reveals special effects whiz John Richardson. "We had various failsafe devices in place to ensure that this never happened, but when you see the fear on the actors' faces, I'm pretty sure it's genuine!"

Scarier still is Harry's evil arch enemy, Lord Voldemort, played with eerie style and genuine menace by Ralph Fiennes. "Voldemort is someone who knows no love," notes Heyman. "He thinks of love as a flaw. He is the embodiment of pure evil. Someone who is powerful and attractive. Ralph is an actor of great depth, and he captures the complexity of Voldemort's charisma and darkness brilliantly."

"Mike was very keen to explore Voldemort's unexpected mood swings, his explosive rage," comments Fiennes. "There are moments when anger spits out of him at Harry and other moments when he can be almost pleasant. You never quite know what he's going to do. "People are incredibly scary when they're charming but you suspect they might suddenly do something very violent," he continues. "If you sit across the table from someone who offers you a glass of wine and a present, but you know that he stabbed his wife to death, it's quite unnerving."

Exciting, surprising and full of fun with lots of wonderful edge-of-the-seat moments and some seriously eye-popping visual effects, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is epic family entertainment. It doesn't take a wizard to know it belongs on your list.

© 2006 Warner Bros. Ent. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Harry Potter characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Ent. All rights reserved.