

Thematically, the kids at Hogwarts have certainly grown up. For people who haven't seen the other films, the barrage of literally hundreds of characters may be daunting, as the pace of the film doesn't leave much room for introductions or recaps. The supporting cast is also top notch, although most of the players appear to hit one note in the plot before being whisked off into the background. Each one rings true as a teen lost in a world where they're unable to express their feelings for fear of rejection.

The three teenage leads ground themselves in realistic emotions, despite all of the underlying magical shenanigans. The actors all bring their own personalities to the table and deliver performances that capture the nuances and mild complexity of well-developed children's book characters.

Conspirators have finally manipulated events to re-open the world to Voldemort - a staple, unseen villain in the series, responsible for the deaths of Harry's parents and the scar across his forehead.Īs always, the most engaging aspect of this fourth film in the series is the absolute pitch-perfect casting of each character. But pulsing in the background is the ever-felt presence of evil on the rise. Challengers arrive from other academies across the globe, while budding love seems to spring up at every turn, with Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) all stumbling through the awkwardness of adolescence to sweet and sympathy-inducing results. This fourth film in the series finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) inadvertently selected to be a competitor in the Tri-Wizard tournament, a dangerous competition usually reserved for older students. If that's not magic, I don't know what is. The film franchise itself ranks as highest grossing book-to-film series of all time, having earned (as of this writing) $3.5 billion worldwide, beating even The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (which has grossed $2.9 billion). Rowling has sold over 325 million copies worldwide, spawning the film series, at least five video games and over 400 other Harry Potter-branded products. There’s some interesting HBO titles, including the second season of the very funny How To With John Wilson, the entire Harry Potter franchise (and the new Hogwarts Tournament of Houses), some older titles ( Wild Wild West), and much more.Harry Potter is more than everyone's favorite boy wizard - he's a cultural phenomenon of unmatched proportions. Crave is releasing a brand new slate of movies, shows, and docs just in time for the weekend.
