YSL.com review of
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

YSL.com reviewer Eddie Szewczyk of Belleville, Ill., attended a advance showing of the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" movie. He then filed this review before the movie opened to the general public on Friday, Nov. 18.

By Eddie Szewczyk
(Exclusive to Young Saint Louis.com)

ATTENTION HARRY POTTER FANS!…..The Ministry of Magic has an important announcement.

All Muggles and their Muggle parents: Please be advised that Harry and his classmates at the legendary Hogwarts Academy are in for an extremely sinister and dark school year.

New challenges for Harry and his friends are lurking around every portal and please to cautious if you choose to embark on this adventure. Especially for younger Muggles. Some events could be disturbing to view.

As you know, this is Harry's 4th year at the Academy and the evil that awaits him is getting stronger and less forgiving. This adventure is becoming less and less for the weak at heart.

That being said, if you're still powerfully curious, grab onto the start of Harry's 4th year. You'll find him cheering his favorite team at the World Cup Quiddich tournament with the Weasley clan and others, when who should arrive to spoil the day?

Well, of course, it's those let's-put-a-damper-on-everyone's-fun demons, the Death Eaters. They are omens of big trouble to come.

Back to Hogwarts at warp speed.

We soon find a major selection process going on to determine the three competitors that will represent Hogwarts at the prestigious Tri-Wizard Tournament. That is sort of the Olympics of Wizardry.

The winner of the competition has nothing but fame, fortune and prestige to gain in this world-class event.

Tension mounts as the crème-de-la-crème of athletes from the biggest and best wizardry schools gather in the Great Hall. They drop their names into the enchanted goblet of fire.

Breathlessly, they wait as Dumbledore and the other tournament officials receive, one by one, the selection of winning candidates, amid a puff of sparks from the goblet. The three candidates are chosen.

But, mysteriously, the goblet spits out one additional name, that of Harry Potter.

Harry is three years too young to compete. The officials reluctantly determine that the magic of the goblet is binding. Harry must be allowed to compete.

An atmosphere of jealousy spreads throughout the school against Harry. He insists he didn't put his name in the goblet but he is a contestant.

The competition begins with the young wizards facing spectacularly daunting tasks. Competitors are required to utilize every aspect of their wizardry training.

Death has been, will be and is a consequence if one is not careful and up to the task.

Also included for Harry are foreboding dreams about the nightmarish resurrection of Lord Voldemort.

Harry realizes in this epic installment that the safety of Hogwarts and security of Professor Dumbledore are slipping away. He also sees that preserving this safety and security is his responsibility.

The movie has a lighter aspect: the portrayal of the annual Yule Ball. This formal dance requires the boys to learn ballroom dancing and to ask a female classmate to the dance.

Boy-girl attractions and jealousies are touched upon as is the anxiety of teenage insecurity. Harry and Ron would rather face a multitude of demons rather than face possible rejection at the hands of an attractive classmate.

Demons, dragons, living mazes, mermen and mermaids are all dramatically used in this movie. The director, Mike Newell, makes use of all the glittering special effects and exceptional cinematography that moviegoers love about the Harry Potter tales.

Author J.K. Rowling has taken into account the advancing age of the characters by putting them into more threatening plots and vulnerable positions.

I loved this movie.

It definitely has its dark side, more so than any of the previous Harry Potter movies. This movie is rated PG-13, probably for the dangerous and scary episodes. Young children may be scared during certain scenes.

But, if you've followed the Harry Potter series, you should be able to anticipate what's ahead.

All in all, this is another fantastic glimpse into Harry's life. Despite the length of the film (almost 2½ hours) you'll be enchantingly spellbound by how quickly the time passes.