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Wait a minute. Sequels aren’t supposed to get better. They sputter and stutter and run out of gas long before the studio stops spending money on them.

But darned if this Harry Potter franchise isn’t sharpening, expanding, growing into itself as it progresses. The fourth film in the series, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, has a couple of those great out-of-body popcorn movie moments that popcorn movies have been missing this year. It’s better acted, more beautiful, with the most dazzling effects yet, and lighter on its feet when it needs to be, more brooding and depressing when that’s called for.

‘Goblet of Fire’ is good enough that if they’d chosen to end this series at this film’s climax, it would’ve worked, would’ve felt right and few would have felt cheated.

We leap right into the trouble here, as Harry dreams the murder of a caretaker and the plotting of a sub-human ‘dark lord’ and his minions. The obligatory Quidditch match is dispensed with early. It’s the Quidditch World Cup, which ends the way all World Cups do, with a riot. Masked Death Eaters are hunting for the boy with the scar.

Harry’s 14, and a new teacher at Hogwarts, Mad-Eye Moody (Gleeson), is ready to teach him the art of self-defence, dark-arts style. And Harry can use that training, because he’s getting warnings and premonitions about Lord Voldemort’s return.

A big Triwizard tourney is scheduled, including life-threatening fights with a dragon and an underwater quest. And Harry, being the Chosen One, is picked to compete.

To top it off, our intrepid trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione (Emma Watson) are hitting puberty. Darned if there isn’t a Yule Ball (a coming-out party for wizards and witches) on Christmas Eve, and hard feelings over who will go with whom.

The finale is darker than dark, and the movie goes on too long just before that climax, and just after it. And the whole thing ends rather meekly.

But ‘Goblet of Fire’ makes you wish director Newell had the chance to go back and remake the tedious first two films in the Potter canon. If he could manage that bit of magic, he’d be the real wizard.[[In-content Ad]]

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