Harry Potter’s movie adaptations were a big undertaking at the time, with eight movies covering seven books, each releasing only a few years after their source’s publication. The movies fetched big names like Chris Columbus and Alfonso Cuarón to direct and amassed huge audiences and critical praise. But there’s one movie, released 20 years ago, that’s clearly the standout. Directed by a dyed-in-the-wool British filmmaker, it’s the story that turned the Harry Potter saga from the story of a boy in a wizardry school to a fantasy saga that rivaled Lord of the Rings. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’s story is unlike any of the three previous books. It follows Harry Potter (his hair now overgrown into a very 2000s mop) as he returns to Hogwarts for an unusual year: he not only becomes an unprecedented part of a big wizarding event, but he also experiences some of the hallmarks of his teenage years, including crushes. The movie, directed by Four Weddings and a Funeral’s Mike Newell, begins with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) having a mysterious nightmare. But the tone quickly shifts when he attends the Quidditch World Cup alongside the Weasleys, the biggest magical sporting event, where he learns about bigger-on-the-inside tents and Portkeys, items that transport whoever touches them. When the Hogwarts school year starts, he learns of another big event: the Triwizard Tournament, a massive competition between the three wizarding schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. But the Triwizard Tournament turns into a quadwizard tournament when Harry is selected to compete despite not meeting the age specifications. And it becomes abundantly clear that there’s more afoot than just school spirit, that as it’s revealed the tournament is hiding the return of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). The Quidditch World Cup and Triwizard Tournament are perfect examples of what makes this movie different. Instead of just experiencing Hogwarts before returning to the Muggle world, Goblet of Fire depicts the entire wizarding world, including the rich diversity of cultures even outside of the U.K. Granted, that worldbuilding is often steeped in stereotype — the French Beauxbatons are depicted as graceful and feminine, and the Eastern European Durmstrang students are seen as cold and intimidating, but each new glimpse at the wizarding world still widens the scope of the story itself. Goblet of Fire depicted its characters as teenagers developing crushes and undergoing awkward rites of passage. | Murray Close/Moviepix/Getty ImagesHarry’s personal life also opens up to more, as he meets and befriends fellow Hogwarts competitor Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) and his girlfriend Cho Chang (Katie Leung). Hermione also has a budding romance with Durmstrang contestant Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski), much to the chagrin of Ron (Rupert Grint). But the part of Goblet of Fire that changed the Harry Potter franchise forever was the central mystery. Mysterious Defense Against Dark Arts professor Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) is hiding a dark secret, and when Harry discovers it, it turns the final act into a political thriller with a body count — something the previous movies never dared to touch. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was the movie where Harry Potter, the character, grew up, but it’s also the one where Harry Potter, the franchise, grew up. This was the turning point where the movie series matured from a young adult franchise into a fantasy behemoth. Now, in 2025, J.K. Rowling’s name stands for much more than just her books and Harry Potter will soon be remade into a TV series. But for one movie, it was fantasy perfection. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is now streaming on HBO Max.