When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?

It is my belief that "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was the best one by far. It was not a short film at 2.5 hours, but the time went by very quickly and you actually felt like it needed to be longer, because there were so many storylines they could have gotten into.

The fourth movie picks up at the beginning of the fourth year for our main characters at Hogwarts Academy. Nothing new here, as each film starts with the beginning of the school year, and pretty much ends with the ending of the school year. Most reviews will go into story synopsis and plot lines and give out spoilers. I do not intend to that here. Instead, I will explain the reasons why I liked the film, and talk about a few shortcomings the film had. Don't worry, no major flaws that I saw, but those that read the book might certainly think otherwise.

I enjoyed the film because it had a mixture of elements that make up a good film. It had an engaging storyline, memorable characters, and of course humor. It was also perhaps the darkest of the four films at times (though the third film was certainly a dark film in its own right). Harry and Ron and Hermione are another year older, and being in their early teens they are dealing not only with the issues of being students, but also of becoming young adults. The film touches on the troubles that kids have at that age, and our heroes must cope with these issues as well as the usual bad guys trying to ruin their bid for a fifth movie. Oddly enough, I felt that it was Hermione and Ron that reflected the changes the most of being a year older. Harry was too busy keeping himself alive to really show those changes. Harry does have a few good moments in regards to trying to get a date for a dance, but the relationship between Ron and Hermione takes a different twist, and of course humor follows. Ron's twin older brothers play a bigger role in this film (for comedic purposes) and I truly enjoyed their parts.

A Harry Potter movie would not be complete without special effects and some nifty stunts, and the fourth film does not disappoint. While the first movie played to its audiences the newness of all the magic, the fourth movie had to use a new hook to keep us in. By now we are all used to the oddness of the world and the magic that comes with it. The fourth film doesn't really break any new ground in that regard, but it does introduce the Quiddich World Cup and the Tri-Wizards Challenge, and those storylines were worth watching. We were also introduced to a few new characters that will leave their mark for us Potter movie-goers.

The final aspect that I truly liked about the film was the underlying "coming of age" theme that we see throughout. The tagline of the film is simply "Everything is going to change" and by the end of the film you can see why. Not only have things changed in terms of the main storyline (Potter vs. He we cannot name) as well as the storyline of their lives themselves. The main characters have been together four years, and while they are quite familiar with each other they also realize that as they get older many things about themselves are going to change. It is all pretty much summed up when Hermione utters the movie's tagline during the film that really makes you aware that they are aware of changes to come. Growing up is a very difficult process, whether you be a magician or a muggle, and I liked how we got to see a human side of our characters for a change in this regard.

If I had any complaints about the film, they would be only small ones. The world of Potter has grown enormous, and by the fourth movie we have many characters to deal with, and new ones being added as well. What this means is that, even at 2.5 hours, there is just not enough time to visit with each character properly. In the first film we got a heavy does of Harry and Ron and Hermione, and learned about the other players at Hogwarts. Each successive film added new characters, and by the fourth the screen time was overcrowded. This is where the books have the real advantage over the movie. Hagrid does not have enough screen time, in my own opinion, though the time he is on the screen is a lot of fun. Even Professor Snape needs more time, because he is great whenever we get to see him. That blonde-haired weasel kid? Didn't really get to see much of him in the fourth film at all. There are a handful of new characters introduced, and the movie really does not get into much depth with them at all. Granted, their presence was important to the overall plot, and they will be memorable, but they only served to dilute the screen time for the body of characters in general.

I find myself torn over how I feel about my next issue. Harry Potter, as a character, is a great character. Harry Potter, as a wizard however, leaves a lot to be desired.

On the one hand, Harry Potter hasn't really done too much to impress us as a wizard. We all know that Hermione would kick his wizard butt any day of the week if she had to. It seems that Harry has the fortune of being a living legend and gets out of his troubles through the help of those around him and a lot of good luck. In the fourth film you just kept waiting for Harry to finally do something that makes you say "well there you go, so now he is the Wizard we all thought he was" and he does have a flash of a moment to show that. Still, I found myself sometimes wondering how many times his friends would save him or he would get a lucky turn of events to save him, when it is clear that he should be (by now) more than capable of saving himself.

On the other hand, having Harry not being a blaster in the fourth film shows that he still has much work to do. Harry truly has the Peter Parker syndrome. He wants to be a normal boy and though he may have great power doesn't know really how to use it, and often times stumbles over his own feet because of that. It seems as though Harry is being carefully groomed for that one moment when he finally does break bad, and for as much as people have been anticipating that moment, it should be spectacular. Keeping Harry normal, average even, makes him very much human, and very much a sympathetic character.

One must also point out that this film is rated PG-13. I think that kids overall will not have a problem, but perhaps the truly younger ones might. It does have some very scary moments, and while most of the time the threats, while scary, are not too serious, there are a few times where the threats are very real. Be prepared for some nightmares if you bring young ones to this film. I would say it is still a great family film, and one worthy of kicking off the holiday season. If you have been a fan of the Potter films then no doubt you need to see this.