Went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last night at the lovely Uptown, the last grand movie palace in DC (read a wonderful assessment of DC movie houses here). Both sprite and I went to the theatre immediately after work to queue up. Though we’d bought tickets weeks in advance, it was wise to wait in line to get seats in the balcony.

The movie was a wonderful treat! Mike Newell did a bang-up job directing this film, keeping the action moving and getting the best performances ever from the three young leads. While the script did some judicious editing of the almost 800-page book, the core of the story remained intact: Harry’s adolescence and his finally facing Lord Voldemort face-to-face after 14 years. The whole movie, while dark in overall look-and-feel, didn’t get bogged down by the gloom, and it left me wanting to see the next one.