Video reviews: 'Goblet' quenches thirst for thrills

Mike Pearson, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 10, 2006 at midnight

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Warner. DVD. 157 min. Rated PG-13. Two-disc edition: $30.97.

Grade: B+

When last we encountered Harry Potter, he was just entering puberty and battling all sorts of fiends while trying to maintain a rigorous schedule at Hogwarts Academy. It's tough to be a boy wizard with a full load of classes.

Things get tougher still in Goblet of Fire, the fourth Potter book to be adapted to the screen and the first in which we meet Voldemort, the villain who's been referred to repeatedly in earlier films yet never seen. He's been the elephant in the room that influences so much of the action.

Fire opens with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously being selected to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, a grueling magic competition open only to wizards over 17. Stunned, 14-year-old Harry maneuvers a gauntlet that includes fire-breathing dragons, crazed mermaids and a maze that's more dangerous than it first seems.

He gets plenty of support from longtime pals Hermione and Ron (Emma Watson and Rupert Grint), groundskeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and, of course, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), headmaster at Hogwarts. Plotting against him are agents of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), who seeks Harry's blood to regain mortal form.

Dark? Absolutely, and gripping in spots. Mostly Goblet of Fire traffics in the sort of gee-whiz special effects and boy-in-peril drama that has enthralled tens of millions of readers. Director Mike Newell might have truncated the original book for time, but he delivers J.K. Rowling's spirit in spades. You find yourself transported to another world - which is precisely what the best escapist entertainment does.

It helps, of course, to have a villain who lives up to his reputation. Fiennes has but 15 minutes of screen time, yet his performance fills the entire frame.

The two-disc set includes lots of extras, including deleted scenes, cast interviews and several interactive challenges for viewers.

Personally, I found Goblet of Fire less endearing that its predecessors, thanks to its transitional tone. It's about kids becoming teenagers. There are so many characters popping in and back out, that unless you've read the book you may be slightly lost.

Not for long, however. Ultimately, Goblet of Fire leaves you on the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting the next one.

Howl's Moving Castle

Disney. DVD. 119 min. Rated G. Two-disc edition: $29.99.

Grade: A

Howl's Moving Castle failed to win the Oscar for best animated feature, but in a perfect world it would have.

If you've seen Hayao Miyazaki's early film Spirited Away, you know his genius. He takes a simple story and weaves the most elaborate design, one filled with as much magic as Harry Potter yet often tinged with an extra dollop of wonder.

In Howl's Moving Castle a teenage girl finds herself befriended by the dashing wizard Howl (voiced by Christian Bale). That friendship inspires the wrath of the Witch of the Waste. (She's also smitten with Howl.) She puts a curse on the girl to turn her into an old lady. Not wanting her family to see her wrinkled, Sophie (Emily Mortimer) flees into the hills and signs on at Howl's magic castle as a cleaning lady.

And that's just in the first 20 minutes.

The next 100 minutes bring a colorful pageant of characters and a clash of agendas between sundry wizards, sorceresses and world leaders waging war. Sophie also befriends an apprentice wizard even as she falls in love with Howl. What makes him so mysterious? Why does he take flight whenever he's stressed?

It all plays out beautifully, thanks to shimmering Japanese anime that has the richness of a Disney film yet boasts a delightfully Eastern sense of irony. The skies over an idyllic 19th century town are filled with 22nd century flying machines.

Best of all, Miyazaki makes expert use of his vocal cast, including Jean Simmons, Billy Crystal (as a playful fire), Lauren Bacall and Blythe Danner.

I liked Spirited Away better; it was darker. But Howl's Moving Castle is just as inventive and, in some ways, even more accessible.

Jarhead

Universal. VHS-DVD-PSP. 123 min. rated R. $29.98.

Grade: B-

War is hell. Being a Marine in war is a special kind of hell.

That's the gist of Jarhead, the movie of Anthony Swofford's blistering biography about his time as a soldier in Desert Storm.

Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) dreamed of glory and camaraderie. What he found was a war that lasted four days and a military culture that did as much to divide its soldiers as to unite them. The other soldiers in his platoon ranged from heroic to tragic, while he himself lived in a hallucinogenic twilight. He couldn't wait to get to Iraq. Once there, he couldn't wait to leave.

Director Sam Mendes does a nice job of capturing the endless boredom of military life, punctuated by moments of terror. Gyllenhaal ably communicates Swofford's in-over-his-head mentality, while solid supporting work from Peter Sarsgaard (as a sniper's spotter) and Jamie Foxx as his gung-ho staff sergeant keeps things tense.

Still, you're never quite sure how Jarhead wants you to feel. Is it pro-or anti-war? Is Swofford a good guy or just another angry young man? Sure, it's unnerving at times, but you come away feeling as if you've seen a lot of Swofford's surface and only a fleeting glimpse of his soul.

Mike Pearson is features editor. pearsonm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2592

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