As Harry Potter enters his fourth year at Hogwarts School, the cast remains the same, but there has been a changing of the guard in the production crew making the movies about the talented boy wizard. Director Mike Newell replaces Chris Columbus (who directed the first two Potter films) and Alfonso Cuarón (who directed the third), and composer Patrick Doyle replaces John Williams. Understandably, the mood and character of the film has been altered. The cutesy innocence of the first two movies seems banished forever, and Goblet of Fire darkens the already dark tone of the third, The Prisoner of Azkaban. In short, Harry and his friends are growing up, and this is reflected in the PG-13 rating, given for sequences of fantasy violence and frightening images.

Fine by me. One of the endearing things about the Potter series is that we get to watch the main characters, especially the young ones, grow up and mature. Friendships deepen, change, and are even threatened. In Goblet of Fire, puberty rears its head. We are shown that asking a girl to a dance can be just as frightening to young Harry -- if far less threatening -- as outwitting a dragon. The sequence in which Harry and his friends settle on their dates for Hogwarts’ traditional Yule Ball is among the best in the movie. Newell has a canny feeling for young love that makes these coming-of-age segments true to life.

But most folks, especially younger ones, watch the Potter movies for the special effects, and they won’t be disappointed. In this movie, Harry has been reluctantly entered into the Triwizard Tournament -- a mystery, since he’s only 14 and the minimum age is 17. But the Goblet of Fire spits up his name and that is that. As a contestant, Harry must steal a golden egg from a dragon, rescue a friend from vicious water creatures, and find the Triwizard Cup, which is hidden within a contestant-devouring maze. The special effects are gargantuan in scope and brilliant in execution.

Then there is Lord Voldemort, Harry’s archenemy. Voldemort emerges in full this time, played with gusto by Ralph Fiennes. Hairless, with an almost noseless face resembling that of a snake, Voldemort seems evil incarnate, and reason enough for this movie to receive its Parental Guidance rating. His confrontation scene with Harry is one of the movie’s dramatic high points.

The usual character actors are on hand as Harry’s teachers. Maggie Smith is magnificent in her one big speech, using rolling alliteration to provide the students with information about the upcoming Yule Ball. At that point in the movie we need comic relief, and Smith gives us just the right amount at just the right time.

The film has so many pluses that I hate to carp, but two things did bother me a bit. One is that the movie is not only long at 157 minutes, it seemed long. Tighter editing of the first third would have been welcome. And though a good film-music composer, Patrick Doyle is no John Williams. Williams established the character of Harry’s world in the first three movies, and to have it suddenly changed is a bit of a jolt. Imagine what might have happened had Williams passed on the last Star Wars movie. Doyle’s music has less specific character; his music could have been for any number of adventure films, not this one specifically.

That said, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a most enjoyable movie, if not the tour de force the third film proved to be. Old-timers to the series will welcome it for its character development and darker scenes. Newcomers will simply enjoy a good adventure tale well told.

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