The extensive line of fans playing games and mingling with other J.K Rowling enthusiasts sprawled outside the IMAX theatre at the Tech Museum on Thursday, waiting anxiously for admittance into the midnight showing of the highly anticipated film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

This fourth-sequel to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling and directed by Mike Newell (Mona Lisa Smile), was comparably different than the earlier three movies.

The film commences with a spine-crawling scene of a boa constrictor slithering across the grass directly outside of a new hideout of the nefarious Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and several of his Death Eater cronies. Abruptly, the film then cuts to Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) sleeping in the Weasley residence.

In the body of the movie, Newell places his chief emphasis on special effects for the famed Triwizard Tournament. He artfully depicts the intense competitive scenes by using realistic animation blended with sets and actors. Disappointedly, between these action-packed scenes Newell focuses on the facial expressions of characters instead of furthering the plot or character development.

As a result, several minor characters such as obnoxious reporter Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson) are only briefly mentioned in the film. In contrast, Skeeter plays a much larger role as an antagonist to Harry in the book. Professor Albus Dumbledore (Micheal Gambon) also is not at his best, with few instances that advance his character and influence on the young hero. Cho Chang (Katie Leung), Harry’s crush, who has a greater part in influencing Harry’s actions in the novels, is also considerably downplayed in the film. Also notable is the largely downsized roles of Harry’s arch school-boy rivals, Vincent Crabbe (Jamie Waylett), Gregory Goyle (Joshua Herdman), and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton). In contrast, Newell managed to create a larger role for the devious Fred (James Phelps) and George Weasley (Oliver Phelps), who leave the audience joyfully appeased for the lack of development in other characters.

While Newell illustrates his irrefutable talent for computer graphics, he, for the most part, ignores the humanity that Rowling depicts in the books. Where are the moments when Ron, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Harry are just being teenagers? There are a few scenes that detail an argument between Ron and Harry, but Newell focuses primarily on the excitement of the Tournament.

In comparison with the majority of the film, the ball sequences, although short, are a success with laugh-out-loud character-related jokes and dialogue. Besides the magical and mystical events of the Harry Potter series, the primary aspect that draws fans is the realistic social interaction between major and minor characters. Regrettably, Newell made the mistake of not incorporating this charm throughout the entire movie.

The film is overall enjoyable and filled with hair-raising action, however, it is lacking in the plot and character department. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a good choice for epic adventure enthusiasts, but disappointing for most fans of the Harry Potter novels.