"Harry Potter and the Hormones on Fire" is a possible alternate title for the latest installment in the formerly pubescent, now full-tilt adolescent adventures of everybody's favorite magical lad.

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" Rating: PG-13 for violence and frightening images Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes Director: Mike Newell Post-Gazette Family Film Guide: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" Web site Related articles The dark ages of 'Harry Potter': Perils of puberty finish first among challenges of PG-13 film A 'Goblet' full of Harry Potter movie tie-ins

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth and darkest of J.K. Rowlings' deliriously popular adventures transferred to film, is a long way from Harry 101. For this advanced material, prior knowledge of the cult cosmology is a prerequisite. Heaven help those hellishly handicapped by not having read the books. And heaven help me in the following attempt to synopsize:

At the outset, a fine fierce Quidditch World Cup match dazzles Harry (and us) but turns horrific when interrupted by a sudden invasion of Death Eaters, who haven't reared their ugly heads since the murder of Harry's parents 13 years ago. Making up for lost time, they shock-and-awe or slash-and-burn everything in sight, confirming Harry's scar-and-spine-tingling nightmare: Uber-villain Voldemort, their leader, is returning to finish the job left undone on Harry.

But not just yet. Put Voldy on hold for two hours, while life goes on back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is hosting the epic Triwizard Tournament. That invitational event occurs every 100 years, like clockwork, and begins with a majestic assembly around the Goblet of Fire, whose blue flame will pick one champion to compete from each of the Big Three magic schools -- Hogwarts, Beauxbatons (all foxy French girls) and Durmstrang (all macho East-Euro guys). The Goblet spits out the three contestants' names: Hogwarts BMOC Cedric Diggory, the 'Batons' Fleur Delacour and Bulgarian Quidditch star Viktor Krum.

But wait! Harry Potter's name also pops forth from the fire, much to everyone's (including his own and best-bud Ron Weasley's) chagrin. It's not fair. Competitors must be 17. Harry's only 14. This is against the rules.

Never mind: All decisions by the G. of F. are final.

Potentially final, in the sense of fatal, are the three treacherous tasks comprising this tournament: a land-and-air dragon battle, an underwater rescue-mission and a reality-show survival exercise inside an amazing maze: shrubbery with attitude.

If Harry is to survive -- let alone win -- he's going to need serious coaching in serious magic, not to be confused with Sirius Black (Gary Oldman is largely absent this time around). Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), a wizened old wizard-catcher, is the mentor assigned to prepare and protect our boy for his grueling challenges ahead.

No one, however, can prepare hormonal Harry for the challenges of the Yule Ball, Hogwarts' rough equivalent of senior prom. How do you prepare for pairing up and preening, for parading and promenading, for approach-avoiding your peers of the opposite sex?

Awkwardly, at best. But our heroes are at their best -- even with voices and bodies changing before our eyes. Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, called upon to emote much more than previously, answers that call by shedding some of his stiffness and taking a (slightly daring) dip in a semi-nude scene. Rupert Grint (my favorite of the trio) does a suspiciously and convincingly good job of making Ron sullen while still staying funny. Emma Watson's ever-faithful Hermione hasn't too much to do but blossom, which she does nicely, especially when the music moves from ballroom stock to rock at that gorgeously photographed ice-palace dance.

For that matter, this "HP" -- like its predecessors -- is full of terrific images, from the Quidditch opening (I wanted more snitch!) through all the critter creations, especially those awful face-seeking insects conjured by the demented Mad-Eye. Harry's fire-breathing dragon test is breathtaking in its airborne exhilaration (the bat-winged monster itself is a work of high art). Harry's subsequent development of fins, gills and webbing to fight the assorted merpersons and Loch Nessies underwater is likewise impressive.

A few clunkers are inevitable: Moody's bulging blue mechanical eye looks like a cheesy send-up of Marty Feldman on a bad day. And that allegedly terrifying topiary maze is a lame anticlimax to the dragons and water demons.

Best effect -- worth a long wait -- is the frightening realization of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), brought back to hideous, noseless, reptilian life. Darth Vader's visage and villainy pale by comparison with this guy's.

But where have all the serendipitous surprise and delightful details gone? In "HP4," only Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter, the gossip-journalist-from-hell, really comes through in that department. There's nothing to which she won't stoop for a scoop, with her cute self-actualizing quill pen that scribbles down the quotes Rita wants (rather than gets) from hapless interviewees. Otherwise, for the most part, the F/X here have gone the conventional way of "Star Wars" and the Tolkien "Ring" films: devoted to combats and competitions rather than enchantment.

We save the most serious problem for last: Director Mike Newell has excellent credentials ("Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Donnie Brasco," "Dance With a Stranger") but they do not necessarily or perfectly suit him to follow in Chris Columbus (or even Alfonso Cuaron's) shoes. He has made and aimed "Goblet of Fire" for the cult of old, not for cultivating new, Potter fans. Take me, for instance -- please. I'm somewhere in between. Read some but not all of the books. Saw and liked all three previous films. Thought I knew what was going on.

Not always. Got lost at times and, like many others in the preview audience, left debating why Newell didn't sufficiently recap the old -- and clarify the new -- elements. Most of all, left wondering why there was virtually no connection between the initial motivational mayhem (setting up Voldemort's second coming) and the vast bulk of the film before a fast-and-loose return to tie up the V-Man menace's loose ends.

The first three books, of course, were in the 300-400-page range. The glandular "Goblet" is more than 700 -- too much material for one digestible movie, especially when the makers are trying to be faithful to it with a reverence reserved for the Bible. The cuts are the rub. Artful transitions are needed to compensate for them. Newell and screenwriter Steve Kloves seem to have been in deathly fear of making (or of contractual clauses forbidding) creative changes to Rowling's original. They made a fun fantasy with a key failure: We needed a script, not a liturgy.

This one's for heavy-duty Harryheads, not passing putterers in Potter.