Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in IMAX

Annie and I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with our friends Megan and Yasu at IMAX this weekend.  I told Annie that this was opening weekend, and despite the assurances from the Pacific Science Center that we wouldn’t need to be there more than half an hour before show time, that it would be wise for us to get there by at least 9:30.

Sure enough, there was already a lengthy line by the time we arrived, both for people waiting to get to Will Call, and for those already holding tickets.  I jumped into the ticket holder’s line while Annie got the tickets, and was chatting with people that drove over two hours just to see the movie in IMAX.

The movie was very dark, darker than even I had expected, and I caught myself muttering under my breath “That’s so frickin’ cool” more than once.  What really amazed me is just how many little kids were there, and taking it all in stride.  No crying, no contact talking.  Annie was talking more than the kids were.

The movie was definitely worth seeing in IMAX.  The majestic scope of some of the shots was enhanced by the larger film format and giant screen.  You really feel like you’re there when you have to crane your next to the sides to follow the action.

A great deal of the book was cut out, but it was mostly “B plot”, and nothing that really hurt the experience or made you feel like you were missing anything if you hadn’t read the book.  Annie mentioned that there were a few things that might be problematic if they try to bring them up in future films (the Rita Skeeter/Hermione subplot), but they could be easily excised from the future movies as well.

Speaking of Rita Skeeter, Miranda Richardson was delightful.