CNN says that "the boys from Durmstrang all look like throwbacks from a Hitler youth group and the girls from Beauxbatons, devoid of expression, float around like butterflies trying to escape a net." Photo by potter-mania.com
The latest Harry Potter movie, The Goblet of Fire, has received mixed early reviews from critics. It is the fourth film adaptation of JK Rowling's book series and the first to have a UK director - Mike Newell.
Bulgaria is this time following these critics as one of the main stars in the film in Bulgarian Stanislav Ianevski or " the macho Quidditch ace Viktor Krum" as Variety magazine describes him.
Most of the critics, however, are not paying attention to the acting talent of the Bulgarian boy and are concentrating on the way his personage and the rest of the students from the East European Drumstrang Academy Of Magic look. They all say that the name of the magic academy is reminding of the German literature movement "Sturm und drang."
CNN says that "the boys from Durmstrang all look like throwbacks from a Hitler youth group and the girls from Beauxbatons, devoid of expression, float around like butterflies trying to escape a net."
US entertainment magazine Variety said the "excellent" film was "the darkest Potter yet" with "a climactic scene that does not disappoint".
But Screen Daily said the "solid but mostly uninspired" movie only raised "wonder and dread" in its final scenes.
Hollywood Reporter is definite "the movies keep getting better and better." The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt called the film "the best one yet", adding that it "feels much more intimate" than the previous offerings.
Writing for The Times website, James Christopher gave the film a positive review but awarded it only three stars out of five. However, the length of JK Rowling's book meant large chunks of the original story have been omitted from the movie. "The Dursleys are sadly missing," said The Times website, "but one can't have everything."
But Screen Daily reviewer Tim Grierson was unimpressed. "Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire is neither as singular a film as director Alfonso Cuaron's third instalment nor as kid-pleasing as Chris Columbus's first two entries," he said.