SPOILERS ABOUND.
Goblet of Fire is actually the second to last favorite of mine. I actually have major problems with all of the films (I'm actually one of those who go into the thought that these films are just other artists' way of interpreting the books, so I tend to try to tolerate more and forgive more than if I kept comparing them to the books).
I always ranked them this way:
1. Prisoner of Azkaban
Pros: They got the atmosphere correct (much more natural look with more natural acting and nuances missing in the first two films), new Dumbledore was a lot more hippy (the way he is in the book), very cinematic to the point where I feel this has the most replay value. Cuaron is clearly more talented than Chris Columbus in that not only did the atmosphere and feeling seem right, but he got the subtext of many of the scenes and not have wooden actors reciting dialogue.
Cons: Butchered adapation. If only they kept the explanation as it was in the book (more or less) the movie would have had a lot less of a divide in fandom. They built up Hermione by totally missing the point of Hermione being on a verge of a nervous breakdown with the whole time-turner ordeal and making her too good to be true. Also, the continuing to dumb Ron down to build up Hermione.
2. Sorcerer's Stone
Pros: Did a great job laying the foundation and introducing us to the world and the characters. Admirable adaptation that is mostly true to the spirit.
Cons: Very wooden and cold at times. Too much of a golden Disney look to Hogwarts. Also, not a very British feel.
3. Goblet of Fire
Pros: Very fun film with hint of a more teenage/adolescent feel. The action scenes done very well. The scene where Harry meets Voldemoret, I felt, was great and I loved how it showed how serious Cedric's death was.
Cons: Too abrupt which is to be expected considering that book 4 has the most action in it than any other book thus far. Sacrifices character development and real underlying subtext of the scenes for action and CGI. Dumbledore takes a VERY wrong turn here and they decide to make him too much of a stern boarding school headmaster who actually physically assaults Harry in one scene.
4. Chamber of Secrets
Pros: Continues on the path of movie 1.
Cons: Chris Columbus shot a VERY awkward movie. The scenes were done horrible with him not even asking more from his child actors. Also, that last action scene was so awkwardly done that it's laughable. Did not understand the main theme of book 2 which was that the wizarding world, like our world, has a serious problem with prejudice and discrimination with tension that can lead to very violent results. That whole mudblood scene where Draco calls Hermione a mudblood for the first time illustrates that perfectly. The way it's staged in the book, it is a VERY big deal for those who grew up in that world and everybody reacts in a very surprised horror. In the movie, Draco says it and no reaction except for "eat slugs" from Ron. Also beginning of building Hermione up and dumbing Ron down.
Now on to book 5
I have to say that I don't understand the complaints about Ron not being there in this film. IMO, this film was the first one since Sorcerer's Stone to get Ron's character right from the book. THey've been dumbing him down since movie 2 and giving all of his best lines to Hermione and butchering his character to the point where people are forgetting what he gives to Harry in terms of support. I absolutely loved how they finally showed little snippets of why Ron was a Gryffindor.
Emma Watson, for the first time since Sorcerer's Stone did not annoy me at all. From movies 2-4 she overacted and chewed up the scenery. The directors and Steve Kloves (the previous screenwriter for movies 1-4) tried making Hermione way too smart and strong (SUPER!Hermione) compared to how she is in the books, and I am for one GLAD that they toned her down a lot for this film. I felt that Hermione was a real person. Very smart and capable, but not so amazing and extraordinary that she becomes the central heroine of the story.
We also got the feel of being angry at Harry for being so angry that we had in the book. I thought it was VERY impressive, and I thought the film looked GORGEOUS. Also, that last scene, I thought was done very well. The way it kept teetering and looking like something was always hiding. Then that last battle with Dumbledore and Voldemort...it built up so well.
I also felt they did do great human touches in this film. Like when the twins comfort the boy after Umbridge's punishment and the Harry/Ron/Hermione have a lot of little moments together that adds to the feeling that they really are close friends.
My complaints would be that I wish we had a lot more McGonagall scenes. McGonagall is a much stronger character in this book than the movie would portray, and she has great banter with Umbridge that we don't see in the film.
Also, the twins leaving scene left much to be desired, and I wish they did the OWLS the way they were done in the book. In the book, Harry, for the first time, has a good time doing a good potion because he no longer has the pressure of Snape waiting for him to fail. I thought that scene in the book was an important message that JKR was showing.
Also, Helena Bonham Carter overdid Bellatrix, IMO. She did her Tim Burton shtick and failed to play a real person. Bellatrix was crazed to be sure, but she was also sane enough to know what she was doing.
Dumbledore was better here than he was in Goblet of Fire, but still not completely right. He was way too self-conscious, IMO.
I'll add more later when I rewatch it to give a much more coherent review than this half-assed one.
"[Gore] was widely perceived as arrogant. If you know something, you're not smart. You're a smarty-pants. It's annoying. People get annoyed with your knowledge. It goes back to high school, to not doing your homework ... 'There's something I should know, I don't know why I should know it but someone knows it and I don't. So I'm going to have to make fun of him now.'"
-Sarah Vowell, The Partly-Cloudy Patriot
Updated On: 7/11/07 at 05:00 AM
), but they seemed to take out more side plots than necessary. They show Fred and George selling their candies, they show them dramatically leaving school- why not include the side comment about their joke shop? Speaking of them leaving school, I also didn't like that it was altered to show them interrupting the OWLs. They could have still used them as the distraction when they went to use the fireplace in Umbridge's office. It didn't seem like there was a logical reason to cut or alter so many of the things that were. 
