Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

This fourth Potter film is qualitatively different from its cinematic forebears: It doesn’t linger on the gothic curlicues of its source material, it moves straightforwardly from place to place, and it emphasizes the emotional development of its characters with dramatic interplay rather than expressionistic, atmospheric gloom. Newell understands that the real thrust of the source material – at least in this particular book – is its characters’ passage into adolescence, so he keeps a tight rein on author J.K. Rowling’s airy digressions into magical whimsy and takes us right into the heart of the beast: teenage hormones, fallings-out with friends, meeting weird kids from other schools, being hated by your schoolmates, fearing your new teacher yet again, and having to slow dance. Parents should be aware that it’s more explicitly violent – hence the PG-13 rating, a first for the series – but really its execution is more adult in a variety of ways, and correctly so.