HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005). J.K. Rowling's overstuffed and rambling fourth Potter book comes to the screen a few subplots and many digressions lighter. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), now 14, accepts another un-asked-for burden, competing for Hogwarts in the harrowing Triwizard Tournament, a gladiator match crossed with Fear Factor for student wizards. Meanwhile, Voldemort's followers plot to resurrect the Dark Lord (Ralph Fiennes) right under the noses of Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and the Ministry of Magic bureaucrats. And as if that weren't enough, our heroes are preoccupied with the inner struggles of adolescence: Harry is bumblingly infatuated with classmate Cho Chang (Katie Leung) and Hermione (Emma Watson) despairs that Ron (Rupert Grint) can't imagine her as more than a pal. Director Mike Newell and screenwriter Steve Kloves are clever storytellers who pare away all but Rowling's two main strands, and Newell, the first Brit to direct a Potter movie, injects humor ranging from Benny Hill slapstick to Monty Python verbal absurdity. The Quidditch World Cup sequence is visually breathtaking, however, and the Yule Ball is a gorgeous winter dreamscape. In short, a crackling good action thriller that never flags, even at 156 minutes. (156m)

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