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  1. #1
    M.P.S.E /AES/SMPTE member Sir Terrence the Terrible's Avatar
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    ****DVD Review Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire****

    This is by far the darkest, most mature of the Harry Potter movies. I did get a chance to read the book, and I can tell you that a lot is missing in the movie when compared to the book, and that can make the story a bit convoluted on film. I am sure the size of the book (some 700+ pages), and the inability to translate much of it in 157 minutes contributes greatly to the missing information.

    During Harry’s (Daniel Radcliffe) fourth year at Hogwarts, there is to be a very special event at the school. Hogwarts has been chosen as the site of the Triwizard Tournament. One of the most significant revelations associated with this event is the existence of sister and brother schools of wizardry located in distant lands, opening up all kinds of interesting possibilities. From France come the young ladies of Beauxbaton, and from some unnamed Eastern European country (I would suspect Russia) come the hearty lads of the Durmstrang School.

    One of the rules of the tournament is that all participants must be at least 17 years old. Mysteriously 14 year old Harry’s name ends up in the goblet of fire and he must compete with the other competitors. The entire school and Harry’s best friend turn against him, and accuse him of cheating. This makes Harry’s plight more difficult. The tournament is very dangerous, and Harry Potter has much to overcome during the course of the game. Did Harry put his name in the goblet of fire? Will he survive the tournament?

    The Picture:

    The Goblet of Fire’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. The transfer is a little strange, not quite as good as the previous offerings, but not as bad as the worse I have seen. There are modest edge halos, fine textures are not as focused and sharp, however there is plenty of picture detail overall. Faces in the background do not look fuzzy, shadow detail is excellent. I would highly recommend that you watch this movie in a dark room, particularly the beginning. I saw some mosquito noise and overall the picture quality seemed inconsistent appearing pristine in one area, and not so great in others.

    The Sound:

    The 448kbps 5.1 soundtrack is excellent. Crowd scenes during the tournament are impressively immersive, placing you right in the center of the action. The surrounds are used effectively with occasional discrete panning smoothly rendered. Bass is deep and powerful in the front three channels and LFE, with rather limited bass in the surrounds.
    Sound effects have a pleasing bite and extended dynamic range. Patrick Doyle’s expansive orchestral score (complete with themes originally written by John Williams) is presented within a vast acoustic space with satisfying fidelity. The dialog remains crystal clear throughout.

    Extras:

    Warner smartly used all the bits on the first disc for the movie only. A second disc contains all of the extras. Extras include Harry vs. the Horntail (6:08) which breaks down the design and development of the dragons in the movie. Also included is Meet the Champions (13:03), In Too Deep (9:48), The Maze (6:48), He who must Not Be Named (11:08). There are several additional scenes that last a total of 10:08

    While this installation of the Harry Potter series has a decidedly more darker tone, it is nicely paced, entertaining, and fun to watch. I wish more of the book is included in this movie, but I think the director did a fine job of getting the point across in 157 minutes. This is a must have for any Harry Potter movie fan.
    Last edited by Sir Terrence the Terrible; 03-16-2006 at 04:46 AM.
    Sir Terrence

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  2. #2
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    Harry Potter

    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible
    This is by far the darkest, most mature of the Harry Potter movies. I did get a chance to read the book, and I can tell you that a lot is missing in the movie when compared to the book, and that can make the story a bit convoluted on film. I am sure the size of the book (some 700+ pages), and the inability to translate much of it in 157 minutes contributes greatly to the missing information.

    During Harry’s (Daniel Radcliffe) fourth year at Hogwarts, there is to be a very special event at the school. Hogwarts has been chosen as the site of the Triwizard Tournament. One of the most significant revelations associated with this event is the existence of sister and brother schools of wizardry located in distant lands, opening up all kinds of interesting possibilities. From France come the young ladies of Beauxbaton, and from some unnamed Eastern European country (I would suspect Russia) come the hearty lads of the Durmstrang School.

    One of the rules of the tournament is that all participants must be at least 17 years old. Mysteriously 14 year old Harry’s name ends up in the goblet of fire and he must compete with the other competitors. The entire school and Harry’s best friend turn against him, and accuse him of cheating. This makes Harry’s plight more difficult. The tournament is very dangerous, and Harry Potter has much to overcome during the course of the game. Did Harry put his name in the goblet of fire? Will he survive the tournament?

    The Picture:

    The Goblet of Fire’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. The transfer is a little strange, not quite as good as the previous offerings, but not as bad as the worse I have seen. There are modest edge halos, fine textures are not as focused and sharp, however there is plenty of picture detail overall. Faces in the background do not look fuzzy, shadow detail is excellent. I would highly recommend that you watch this movie in a dark room, particularly the beginning. I saw some mosquito noise and overall the picture quality seemed inconsistent appearing pristine in one area, and not so great in others.

    The Sound:

    The 448kbps 5.1 soundtrack is excellent. Crowd scenes during the tournament are impressively immersive, placing you right in the center of the action. The surrounds are used effectively with occasional discrete panning smoothly rendered. Bass is deep and powerful in the front three channels and LFE, with rather limited bass in the surrounds.
    Sound effects have a pleasing bite and extended dynamic range. Patrick Doyle’s expansive orchestral score (complete with themes originally written by John Williams) is presented within a vast acoustic space with satisfying fidelity. The dialog remains crystal clear throughout.

    Extras:

    Warner smartly used all the bits on the first disc for the movie only. A second disc contains all of the extras. Extras include Harry vs. the Horntail (6:08) which breaks down the design and development of the dragons in the movie. Also included is Meet the Champions (13:03), In Too Deep (9:48), The Maze (6:48), He who must Not Be Named (11:08). There are several additional scenes that last a total of 10:08

    While this installation of the Harry Potter series has a decidedly more darker tone, it is nicely paced, entertaining, and fun to watch. I wish more of the book is included in this movie, but I think the director did a fine job of getting the point across in 157 minutes. This is a must have for any Harry Potter movie fan.
    Nice review sir terrence, I agree that the picture looked great in some parts of the film and not to good in others, I really like the part with the dragon crawling around on the top of the building, pretty good s- affects there

  3. #3
    Silence of the spam Site Moderator Geoffcin's Avatar
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    Second that

    Quote Originally Posted by s dog
    Nice review sir terrence, I agree that the picture looked great in some parts of the film and not to good in others, I really like the part with the dragon crawling around on the top of the building, pretty good s- affects there
    The sound was spot on in that scene, with the tiles breaking and falling off the roof. They did steal a bit from "Reign of Fire" in the look of the dragons though. CGI just keeps getting better!
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  4. #4
    M.P.S.E /AES/SMPTE member Sir Terrence the Terrible's Avatar
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    CGI is getting very good. If well done (like it was in this movie) you are not able to tell the CGI from the live characters. There are several other movies that have had very good CGI, but because of a bout of senior moment, I cannot remember their titles at the moment.
    Sir Terrence

    Titan Reference 3D 1080p projector
    200" SI Black Diamond II screen
    Oppo BDP-103D
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    9 Onkyo M-510 power amp
    9 Onkyo M-508 power amp
    6 custom CAL amps for subs
    3 custom 3 way horn DSP hybrid monitors
    18 custom 3 way horn DSP hybrid surround/ceiling speakers
    2 custom 15" sealed FFEC servo subs
    4 custom 15" H-PAS FFEC servo subs
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