Note: This review reveals minor details of the movie’s plot.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth film in the series, was recently released in theaters and along with it came the movie’s soundtrack. The previous films were scored by John Williams (Star Warsas well as other various movies), but this time around, composer Patrick Doyle has taken his place.

Though most fans of the Harry Potter soundtracks were dismayed by the switch, I was open to the idea of a new composer handling the soundtrack. Doyle adds a unique twist to many of the tracks, but he still kept a few of William’s reoccurring themes, including Hedwig’s Theme, the music which is now synonymous with the Harry Potter movies.

The album starts off with The Story Continues, a fast paced track full of strings and loud percussion. This song plays during the beginning of the movie, when Voldemort and Wormtail are planning to find Harry and kill him. A bit of the aforementioned Hedwig’s Theme can be heard; the track is a great beginning to the album and does a nice job of setting the tone of the movie.

Quidditch World Cup is a fun track, filled with Irish music which goes along with the team that was competing for the cup in the movie. There are massive drums in the background that eventually fade into the music for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. The music quickens in pace during their theme, which adds to the excitement of the Quidditch game. You can also hear men chanting “Krum”, who happens to be the Seeker of the Bulgarian team.

The Goblet of Fire starts off slowly, and builds in orchestration as it goes along. The track is very dark, and almost scary sounding, which works well with the wonder of the Goblet and the fact that Harry’s name is thrown out of it the cup, even though he didn’t enter. Towards the end, the music fades into light violin and flutes which gives it a beautiful and majestic feeling.

One of the lighter tracks on the album is Rita Skeeter. The song goes perfectly with her character; the strings are bouncy and you can almost see Rita’s quill floating around the room as she works on Harry’s article.

Golden Egg starts off very loudly with a blaring trumpet, and keeps up the momentum with more loud horns and drums. Violins are added and the song has a quick and frantic pace which is perfect for the scene in which the Hungarian Horntail chases Harry around the castle. The track ends with a triumphant fanfare as Harry finally gets his hands on the Golden Egg.

Another fun track is Neville’s Waltz, which is mostly comprised of strings and some light piano work. The song is played in the movie when Neville is caught dancing around the Dormitory in preparation for the Yule Ball, and the song upholds his sweet demeanor, as the strings start off very low and become louder towards the end.

Harry in Winter is one of my favorite songs on the album. Again, it’s made up entirely of strings, and it sounds wonderful. The song is beautiful in a sad sort of way; the strings start off slowly and softly and build towards the end. I can always picture Harry walking by himself around the snowy Hogwart’s grounds; again, the track is very appropriate for his character.

I really love Underwater Secrets, which starts off with a flourish of strings, chimes, and woodwinds. The track really is unique, as it has various instruments in it. After the beginning, it fades into a sort of Latin style sound with more chimes, and then back into the beginning music. The song has the same bouncy, light feeling as Rita Skeeter, and then eventually fades into the Mermaid’s song from the movie. Just as in the movie, the song is a bit eerie and creepy, and I’m glad they included it in the soundtrack.

Hogwart’s March is reminiscent of Quidditch World Cup, though this is the school’s marching song. The use of trumpets is perfect, and Hogwart’s March is the same sort of stuff you’d hear at a high school football game. The track softens a bit with quieter trumpets towards the middle, but picks back up towards the finale.

The strongest track on the album may be Voldemort, which happens to be almost ten minutes long (9:39). It’s appropriately very dark and ominous; as it goes along, more orchestration is added, giving it a climatic ending, just like in the movie.

Death of Cedric is a sad, yet beautiful track. You are presented with a deep sense of mourning as the song starts, using some of the same strings as Harry in Winter, though slower. Some of the dark notes from Voldemort are present underneath the string, which adds to the beauty of the song.

Hogwart’s Hymn marks the end of the classical tracks on the album, and it’s a stunning finale. Some of the more cheerful themes from the previous songs are present, and it’s a great ending to the soundtrack and the movie.

Unlike the previous Harry Potter soundtracks, this one includes non-classical pieces which were used in the Yule Ball scenes. In the movie, the rock group, The Weird Sisters (in real life the group is comprised of the lead singer of Pulp, Jarvis Cocker, as well as members of Radiohead), perform the songs Magic Works, This Is The Night, and Do The Hippogriff.

Magic Works is actually a beautiful ballad, which could probably do well if it was released as a single. Jarvis Cocker sings the song wonderfully, and it’s a nice track to go along with the Yule Ball.

Do The Hippogriff is a fast paced, grunge song with silly lyrics (“Can you dance like a Hippogriff?/Flying off from a cliff/Swoopin’ down to the ground…”) , that younger children will enjoy- though I do admit the song makes me want to dance sometimes!

This Is The Night is a punk-sounding song, which is another fun track. It sounds a bit similar to something by Franz Ferdinand or Modest Mouse. Like with Magic Works, this song could do well as a real single. I must say that I’d probably listen to The Weird Sisters if I lived in Harry’s world. 😉

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a great soundtrack. Patrick Doyle does a fantastic job of capturing the scenes in the movie and recreating them for the album. The addition of The Weird Sisters‘s vocal tracks is also a plus. Fans of the movie should enjoy the soundtrack as much as the previous ones, if not more.

Rating: 

Track Listing
1. Story Continues, The
2. Frank Dies
3. Quidditch World Cup, The
4. Dark Mark, The
5. Foreign Visitors Arrive
6. Goblet Of Fire, The
7. Rita Skeeter
8. Sirius Fire
9. Harry Sees Dragons
10. Golden Egg
11. Neville’s Waltz
12. Harry In Winter
13. Potter Waltz
14. Underwater Secrets
15. Black Lake, The
16. Hogwarts’ March
17. Maze, The
18. Voldemort
19. Death Of Cedric
20. Another Year Ends
21. Hogwarts’ Hymn
22. Do The Hippogriff
23. This Is The Night
24. Magic Works