Chapter 120: Ch-113
As soon as the critics watched it, everyone agreed on one thing unanimously—this was the best movie of the franchise so far, even better than the critically acclaimed [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]. The use of long takes, free camera movements, jaw-dropping CGI, and superb acting from the entire cast were some of the points critics took note of.
"Childhood has finally ended for Harry Potter. The movie, with its fantastical elements of dragons, merpeople, sphinxes, and dementors, is quite a thrill ride that takes us into dark territory with screams and a final shudder in a graveyard crowded with tombstones and evil. Troy Armitage, as usual, stole the show with his impeccable talent. Jamie Bell and Emma Watson weren't far behind this time, showing their rapidly growing acting prowess. The three young actors are maturing into powerhouse performers.
Veteran actors like Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, and Timothy Spall were all amazing. Among the new cast members, Henry Cavill as Cedric Diggory is phenomenal. He infuses so much charm and likeability into the role that it makes the ending quite a tragic one. Undoubtedly though, the best addition to the cast was Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. He is not technically a new addition as Fiennes did a cameo in the first film (which goes on to show the long-term vision of the filmmakers all those years ago). Every moment that he is on screen, you can't help but pray for the safety of the good guys. He is quite reminiscent of his negative role in Schindler's List.
Overall, this is the perfect continuation of the series we could have gotten, walking the fine line of adapting a big book by eliminating a few less-important storylines perfectly."
Rating: 9/10
-Manohla Dargis, New York Times
"For the first time, adults might actually enjoy a Harry Potter film as much as children."
-Victoria Segal, New Statesman
"Eric Roth and Steve Kloves have streamlined J.K. Rowling's 700-plus-page opus into cinematic fighting form. And the special effects, which threatened to overwhelm the first two movies, are seamlessly integrated."
-David Ansen, Newsweek
"It's downright scary how good this movie is."
-Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
"Wait a minute. Sequels aren't supposed to get better."
-Roger Moore, Tribune News Service
"Though the special effects in this film are often breathtaking, the real drama here is exactly where it should be: in a young man's frightened but resolute eyes."
-Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, [Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire] opened with an amazing 97% positive rating and an average score of 8.7/10. On Metacritic, it received a weighted average score of 86/100. Meanwhile, on CinemaScore, it became the fourth consecutive film in the series to get an 'A+', continuing to be the only film series in history with a straight 'A+' throughout.
The critical acclaim and the rock-solid fanbase were smoothly converted into box office numbers. The film was widely released on November 5, 2004. Walt Disney, which was set to release the Pixar film [The Incredibles] on the same date, postponed it for two weeks to avoid competition, giving [Goblet of Fire] unrestricted access to the market.
It had a massive opening weekend of $168 million in North America and $405 million worldwide, making it officially the biggest opening weekend ever, breaking the record previously held by [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban].
By the end of its run, it had collected $390 million in the United States, $181 million in Japan, $83 million in the United Kingdom, and $459 million in the rest of the world, taking its total box office receipts to a combined $1.113 billion.
(Break)
November 2004, Kloves Residence, London
Evan entered their home after a hectic day at school. He was so looking forward to hitting the gym with Troy today. Finally, Troy was out of his self-imposed depression and had promised that he would begin working out with Evan again. Initially, Evan hated the very idea of exercise, but when he saw how all the girls at his school were paying more attention to him recently, he was more than enthusiastic to work out and gain some much-needed muscle mass.
BARK
An over-excited husky ran circles around Evan. "Hey, boy!" He bent down and ruffled Loki's grey fur affectionately before planting a kiss on his head. Loki might be Troy's dog officially, but he spent equal time with both of them. And given how Troy was on an extended world tour this last month, Evan had become Loki's favorite human.
His thoughts were interrupted by a beautiful melody coming from the living room. Usually, Troy would practice his music in his dedicated music room, so it was a little strange for him to use the downstairs piano. His room had all sorts of state-of-the-art instruments and even electronic sound devices that were beyond Evan's grasp.
To sate his curiosity, he followed the sound and came across a bizarre scene. Troy was playing the piano while Kathy was sitting on the nearby couch with her eyes closed. She seemed lost in the music, which was quite different from Troy's usual songs.
(Lovely: Billie Eilish, Khalid)
~:Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here
Even if it takes all night or a hundred years
Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near
Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear
Isn't it lovely? All alone
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone
Hello, welcome home :~
"Oh my God!" Evan exclaimed out loud when it became obvious that Troy had finished the song. "Every time I hear you sing, you just keep getting better and better."
"Thanks, bro," Troy smiled before getting up from the piano and walking over to his mother.
"Dad suggested I make a full music album for my songs, and now I'm just finalizing the tracks that will go into it. This one is definitely going in there."
"It would be a travesty if this isn't there," Evan said seriously.
Kathy got up and hugged Troy. "Thank you for that song. Evan is correct. That was the most beautiful thing I've heard in a long time. Not just yours, it was the very best, like no other song ever was."
Troy chuckled after separating from her. "Don't go on quoting the Pokémon theme song to me."
Evan laughed at the accidental reference, but Kathy seemed oblivious to the joke, so he changed the topic. "It's good I found you here, we need to work out. You've been bailing on me long enough during your moping days."
"My moping days?" Troy asked incredulously. "Not you too after dad!"
"With the type of songs you've been writing the last few months, plus your isolationist behavior, can you blame me?" Evan asked challengingly.
"Ooh," Troy said dramatically. "Evan's using some long words today. Has Nadia been teaching you?"
"At least I'm going out of the house for more than just work or study," Evan shot back. "You hermit."
"You—" Troy began, likely with some insult ready, but he was stopped.
"Boys," Kathy said sharply. "Cut it out."
When Troy didn't continue their little spat, Evan didn't either.
"Good," Kathy nodded. "Now, Troy, didn't you say you had to ask Evan something important?"
Troy's eyes lit up, forgetting their prior animosity. "Oh yes! I had this idea I wanted to run by you first. I don't know if it's any good or even feasible, but I really want to try it out."
"And what is it?" Evan asked.
"What if," Troy began slowly unraveling his idea, "when I release my album, I release all of the songs as singles too, with a full-length music video for each. And I was hoping you could direct a few of them for experience."
Evan waited for a few moments, expecting Troy to say something like, "Gotcha!" But when he didn't, Evan blurted the first thing that came to mind. "That's a terrible idea."
Troy didn't get mad this time and asked calmly, "Why?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Evan groaned. "We don't know if your songs will be as big a hit as you're expecting. They're really good, sure, but even top artists only release full videos and singles for selected songs—the best ones. If you release too many videos at once, you'll be competing against yourself for a time slot on music and radio channels."
Troy pondered Evan's words before nodding. "You're not wrong. So what do you suggest I do?"
Evan smiled. He had an idea, but he'd need to see the songs Troy had chosen for his debut. "Have you finalized the list of songs for your album?"
"I have," Troy nodded. "I've even recorded a basic version of them and sent them for copyrighting."
"Perfect," Evan nodded. "Give me all your recorded songs on a flash drive, and I'll come up with a good idea for your album."
Troy squinted. "What's your idea exactly?"
"Give me the songs first, and then I'll tell you in a day," Evan said firmly. There was no point in giving out a half-baked idea only to discard it later.
"Fine," Troy relented.
"Boys," Kathy said suddenly, reminding them that they were not alone there. "I have some work to do, so I'll be in my study if you need anything."
"Okay, Mum," Troy smiled before turning to Evan. "Come on now. It's time for our workout and sparring session."
Evan stopped suddenly in his tracks. "Sparring?" he asked nervously. Combat sessions with Troy were always painful.
"Of course," Troy grinned once they were alone. "I'm going to wipe the floor with you today and show you just how much of an isolationist I am."
"Fuck!" Evan groaned. "Fine, I'll do it, but only after some cardio and weightlifting."
"Agreed," Troy nodded, and together they walked to their home gym.
After some light stretching, they got on their treadmills, and Troy turned on the TV in front of them to an entertainment news channel.
"Why do you even watch this piece of shit?" Evan asked, irritated.
Troy shrugged. "It's kinda fun to see what the fuck they're saying about other celebs. Sometimes even me. I consider it to be a comedy show of sorts."
Evan shook his head but didn't say anything else. Suddenly, the news changed, and both boys stumbled on their respective treadmills after seeing what it was.
"Emma Watson was recently seen showing some major PDA with a mysterious boy, who is said to be her real boyfriend. Earlier, when photos of her with Troy Armitage appeared, they had both rebuffed claims of a relationship as on-set photos. People were suspicious of the claim, but now it's clear—Emma is dating someone else. We don't know yet who this young man is, but we'll find out soon enough."
All the while, the footage showed Emma with her arm looped around another boy, kissing his cheek affectionately. The boy's cap was covering his eyes, so his face wasn't clear, but Evan knew for sure that it wasn't Troy.
He turned to Troy, who looked murderous. "Are you okay, bro?"
"Enough warm-up," Troy said angrily. "I need to fight. Right now."
(Break)
Emma sighed in defeat for the umpteenth time. She wasn't having a great year. Somewhere deep down, she still regretted breaking up with Troy, but everyone in her life had told her staying with him was bad for her mental health. Even the rumors of her dating Troy had created a media frenzy. People online lost their minds, saying all kinds of hurtful things. In the end, breaking up had been the right decision for her, at least in the short term. Her only regret was how she treated Troy afterward.
Her mother had bought her a new phone and made it clear she shouldn't give the new number to Troy, at least until they were back on set for the next film. This would give them both time to get used to being apart. Emma thought her mum was being excessive, but given the older woman didn't grow up with phones, it made sense she wouldn't understand their importance in a modern relationship. Her old phone was still with her mother because sometimes she got work related calls from people who didn't have her new number.
And then the worst thing happened: her mother hired a PR team for her.
"You need people to maintain your image, love," Jackie had said softly. "People are judging you right now. They don't judge boys as harshly for their life decisions as they do girls. Troy has a very dedicated fanbase, many of whom will jump to hate on you if they find out you broke up with him. Didn't you say Troy has a dedicated team?"
"Yeah, but he's… Troy."
Jackie shook her head. "You're no less than anyone. We need someone to paint you a better image, and Shauna is one of the best in London."
After a lot of cajoling, Emma agreed to meet this Shauna woman. They didn't give her the full history of her and Troy—just that they weren't dating. Shauna's solution was a unique one.
"We need everyone to forget about that rumor," Shauna suggested confidently. "All you need is arm candy. A sexy boy your age, preferably an aspiring actor, who will take you out a few times—conveniently when paparazzi are around. He'll get free fame, and he'll sign an NDA, so he won't spill the beans. You can officially break up whenever you are in a real relationship."
The plan looked solid on paper, but Emma didn't want to go through with it without talking to Troy first. The problem was, he wasn't ready to talk to her at all. She'd tried several times during their promotional tour, but he wouldn't listen.
Partly in exasperation, partly in anger, she'd said yes to Shauna's plan. That's how she met her fake boyfriend, Nicholas Hoult, who'd been in a couple of films as well.
(Break)
Evan limped into Troy's room. It was much better than yesterday, but he was still a little sore.
"Stop walking like that," Troy noted idly while lying on his bed. "Someone might think you've been up to something naughty with Nadia."
"Stop dragging her into every conversation," Evan said hotly, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed. "We haven't even kissed yet."
Troy scoffed. "At the rate you're going, your grandchildren will lose their virginities before you do."
"Says the ladies' man," Evan retorted. "How many girls have you been with, huh?"
"Not for lack of willingness on their end," Troy said smugly. "No joke—lots of girls begged me to take them on this promotional tour. It's just… too soon after Emma."
And there went the playful mood.
"Are you okay, Troy?" Evan asked again.
"I'm not gonna break that easily," Troy shot back. "I'm over her. I don't care who she spends her time with now."
"My bruises say otherwise," Evan muttered. Troy heard it but didn't pursue the conversation.
"So, you have an idea for my album?" Troy changed the topic and sat up in his bed.
"Yes," Evan nodded eagerly. "It's a bit of a random idea, but it's the only way you can release music videos for all your songs in one go."
Troy motioned for him to continue.
"What if we create a musical film that's mostly your songs? Imagine all the tracks you've written being part of a movie centered around two characters. You'll play the lead, obviously, and we'll hire a good actress for the female role."
Troy thought about it for a moment before saying, "We'd need to write a script. Maybe Mum and Dad can help us out? I'm not saying yes to this wild idea just like that."
"It's not that wild," Evan said, grinning. "I've been working on a script for the past year. I didn't tell anyone. That's why I asked for your songs, to see if they'd fit. Now I can confidently say they do—with a few tweaks. You might have to write a couple of happy ones, though. Most of your songs are a bit... melancholic. But even if you don't, I'll make it work."
Troy looked genuinely surprised by Evan's suggestion.
"So what do you think of it?" Evan asked.
"Tell me the story and then I'll decide," Troy said with finality, and Evan launched into the story.
_____________________________________
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