Why Myrtle moans

The first two Potter films were a good way to kill a couple of hours but, frankly, unnecessary -- they were just picture books of the stories that Rowling told so much better in print. The third film made a valiant effort to be a better film, with a redesigned Hogwarts and a greater use of imagery and mood. Unfortunately its rejiggery of the story led to a few key omissions that made the actions of the characters unintelligible if you didn't already know them.

But the fourth film ... ah, the fourth film gets it right. It's the first Potter flick I can honestly recommend. The closing scenes of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire are pivotal to the entire series -- the point at which both Harry and the story come of age, the point of no return. If the film didn't get them right then the previous 2 hours would have just been a waste of space. And the film gets them exactly right.

This was the first book where everyone was saying that someone died. I remember getting to that point and thinking, "is that it??" I couldn't even remember who the victim in question was from previous books. But it grew on me -- even if he was just a supporting character, I found that the casual brutality of Voldemort said more about sheer evil than any kind of speechifying. Death leaves raw bleeding gashes in people's lives -- which is what Rowling was trying to show, and which is what the film does so well too. It also helps that young Radcliffe really is quite a good actor. This is the most emotion he's had to show yet and he does it well.

I'm also certain that no one, four years ago, would have expected a scene of Moaning Myrtle lap dancing Harry in the bath ... And did anyone else spot a slight inconsistency in that Harry valiantly tries to conceal his modesty with bubbles, but at one point they both duck under the surface where presumably everything on offer is on view?