Harry Potter -- all grown up

The charm of the "Harry Potter" series is that they bring to life what so many have read. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is certainly no exception, but as the fourth movie in the series had to pack 734 pages of story into a little more than two and a half hours of film, imagination takes a back seat to sheer plot-driven action. The first 200 pages of the book go by in the first 10 minutes of the film.\nBut for the most part, every minute is so visually stunning and story-soaked the effect is that of grabbing the audience by the lapels and saying, "Let's go. It's Harry Potter time." \nIn this newest installment, we see Harry and company grown up just a little more. Harry gets sucked into competing in the legendary Triwizard Tournament, and meets students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, two other wizarding schools. But remember, this is the first of the Harry Potter films to earn a PG-13 rating. Does it deserve it? I'm saying no. There are allusions to fumbling teenage romance, but other than Moaning Myrtle's rather creepy invasion of Harry's bath time, it's still pretty squeaky clean. \nOnce again, we see solid performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, but it's the secondary cast that really sparkles. Miranda Richardson is delightful as the deliciously slimy reporter Rita Skeeter (and comes off markedly better as a supporting character than Emma Thompson did as Professor Trelawney), and the young actors that tackle Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum and Cedric Diggory spin well-wrought characters. The biggest casting failure is Michael Gambon's recurring role as Albus Dumbledore. He conveys none of the warmth with which author J.K. Rowling infuses the character. I know he's dead, but I miss Richard Harris. \nThe special effects in "Goblet of Fire" are perhaps the most notable thus far, but the story demands them. The Goblet of Fire itself, the Triwizard Tournament events, the Dark Mark shimmering in the sky during the Quiddich World Cup -- all are simply perfect. And while the special effects are simply fabulous, once again, it's the plot that drives the film. This is an incredibly visual film -- Look at the dragons! Check out that Dark Mark! -- but the film is still driven by the story. Harry, who has fought Voldemort three times now, can't seem to muster up the courage to ask a girl to the Yule Ball. They may be wizards, but they're still high schoolers. New director Mike Newell ("Mona Lisa Smile," "Four Weddings and a Funeral") remembers that the fans come for wizardry of the Hogwarts type, not the CGI type. The effect is simply magical.