Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (12A)

3:43pm Tuesday 15th November 2005

THE magical extravaganza of Harry Potter is once again fire-bolting its way to the big screen. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth in the series, is a dark thriller in which Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) comes face-to-face with his parents' murderer the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

The young wizard also faces the daunting challenge of competing in the Triwizard Tournament where, among other things, he battles a Hungarian dragon and scary underwater creatures.

This is certainly the darkest of the Harry Potter films but it is mixed with a comical portrayal of teenage hormones and angst. In fact Harry seems more daunted at asking the bewitching Cho Chang (Katie Leung) to the Yule Ball than anything else.

At 157 minutes this is the longest of the Harry Potter films so far, giving it an epic quality.

But it soon becomes clear to fans of JK Rowling's best-selling books filmmakers have made certain cuts to ensure the film maintains its momentum.

With a 12A rating, The Goblet Of Fire is set apart from the first three PG certificate films.

This latest in the series is a nightmarish jaunt which will even have the adults in the audience jumping out of their seats.

The energy is created by the many special effects sequences from wizards on fire-bolting broomsticks at the Quidditch World Cup, to the gruesome transformation of Lord Voldemort into human form at the film's climax.

There are also welcome re-appearances from the likes of Robbie Coltrane, who plays Hagrid, and Alan Rickman as the slithery Professor Snape.

Brendan Gleeson steps effortlessly into the role of new Dark Arts teacher Mad Eye Moody, whose unlikely dress sense and scant regard for Hogwarts' code of conduct results in amusing moments with his colleague Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith).

This film sees Harry's closest pals Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) take a back seat in terms of the action.

Yet Harry's sidekicks still deserve applause for their performances. Watson portrays Hermione with an edge of glamour, while Grint has some funny scenes, including being taught ballroom dancing by Professor McGonagall.

It is apparent the young actors are settling into their roles comfortably, pulling off more convincing and heartfelt performances this time round.

Radcliffe is strongest in the sequences with Fiennes, the fearsome Lord Voldemort.

But the question still remains will the young actors continue to appear in the remaining Potter films to be made, or is somebody else set to take Radcliffe's wand? Only time will tell.