"Sex, blood and broomsticks"

As lead female Hermione Granger puts it, "Everything's going to change."

Fans loyal to the Harry Potter book and film series should prepare for sudden shocks and pleasant surprises in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." The fourth installment departs unexpectedly from the first three films in the series, and enjoys a good amount of interpretation from new director Mike Newell's ("Mona Lisa Smile").

The film stays accurate to the book: Harry Potter, in his fourth year at Hogwarts, is mysteriously chosen by the Goblet of Fire to participate in a lethal competition against champion wizards from other schools.

Alfonso Cuar??n was still in the process of directing the third film of the series, "Prisoner of Azkaban," when production started for "Goblet," so Newell took up the wand as the first British director the series has seen.

Changes in directing style are immediately noticeable. There's new, heavier use of dim and high-contrast lighting and scare scenes, casting a dark mood early in the story. The elements of darkness and fear persist throughout the entire plot.

Similarly, the introduction of high-tech imagery made at least one viewer do a double take early on. "Predator"-style eye scopes, grim rock bands and electric-looking projection screens made parts of "Goblet" stand out from the rest of the series.

With a budget one-tenth of what Chris Columbus received to explore the brave new world of modern wizardry and direct "The Sorcerer's Stone," Newell works his magic by making use of a well-timed musical score and exploring the social elements of J.K. Rowling's "Goblet of Fire."

The bulk of the movie, for example, revolves around the formal ball held during the weeks-long competition. With the French Beauxbatons and Bulgarian Durmstrang academies visiting Hogwarts for the year, flirtation and gossip abound both between and within the magical communities.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson explore new roles in their familiar characters as Harry, Ron and Hermione respectively. Each hints at the discovery of his or her own sexuality in "Goblet," and Hermione even scores a date with Bulgarian wizard champion Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski).

Sexual themes made a shocking debut in the previously PG-rated wizarding world with a flash of Harry's six-pack. Hermione's suddenly brilliant, nurturing role is interrupted by her embarrassed and awkward assessment of her date to the ball. She describes Krum as "very physical." Ron spies the rear ends of the Beauxbatons girls early in the story, and Harry shares a bathtub scene with his phantasmal friend Moaning Myrtle that's enough to make viewers squirm.

But these interpretations of the book hardly take away from Harry's adventure with the Goblet of Fire. They come accompanied with more violence, death and sorrow than the previous films, showing a clear maturation of both the characters and the endurance test of a plot. Newell didn't change the ambiance for the sake of leaving his mark, but to adapt the story in a way that fits with Rowling's books.

Any marks left will be made by satisfying character performance in a socially dramatic film. As Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall faded into an appropriately colorful background, "Mad Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson of "The Village") showed impressive displays of emotion the whole way through.

The evil of Voldemort's reappearance and the sudden gall of his Death Eaters make the grouchy alchemy teacher look tame (and a series of scenes brimming with good-natured physical abuse towards the protagonists only helps make the transition easier). The old fears like Snape, Filch and even the Forbidden Forest lose a little bit of their potency in "Goblet" and give way to darker threats.

Journalist Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson), accompanied by a smug-sounding theme song, stood alone as a briefly shining jewel in the movie. She adapted to her role so well that Skeeter became almost a cartoon. It was perfect.

"Goblet," compared to the book it's based on, could have afforded to be separated into two movies for time constraints. Newell took Cuar??n's advice in declining the idea, deciding instead to cut from a lengthy plot.

But as a standalone movie, the fourth in the "Harry Potter" series is flawless. Newell presents a brave interpretation that not only gets the job done but also does it in a way that lets Rowling's magic shine. Regardless of whether the film breaks box office records for opening weekend, a legend is well on its way to being made.