I attended an early screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Wednesday evening after months and months of anticipation build-up. Since I hadn't formerly reviewed the Harry Potter films and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fit into J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, I thought it would be fun to re-read each novel, rewatch the corresponding film and then review them here on my blog over the course of the previous four months. If you happened to miss any of my previous Harry Potter reviews you can find them at the subsequent hyperlinks: Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 & Part 2.
'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' Review
Nominated For: Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
Won: Best Costume Design.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them follows Newt Scamander, a Magizoologist (an expert on magical beasts) with a case filled with magical creatures, and the insane shenanigans that ensue once he reaches New York City in 1926 and an accident leads to the escape of a few creatures. Scamander winds up teaming up with a M.A.C.U.S.A. Auror (American magic detective), a Legilimens (mind reader), and a No-Maj (American for Muggle or non-magical folk) to round up his escaped beasts and prevent the wizarding and No-Maj worlds from colliding and overturning the International Statute of Secrecy (legislation intended to keeps the magical community hidden from the non-magical).
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the first Wizarding World spin-off that will supposedly be the first in a series of five Fantastic Beasts films and likely spawn other spin-off franchises under the Wizarding World umbrella if all are successful. It's connections to the Harry Potter series are few but intriguing to say the least. The first thing you should probably know is that Newt Scamander is the author of one of Harry Potter's textbooks also titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, that's the primary connection but there are some other threads fans will pick up on.
David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter films, returns to explore a new corner of the Wizarding World crafted up by J.K. Rowling in her screenwriting debut. Yates brings the same energy and enchantment to Fantastic Beasts as he did in his Harry Potter films, conjuring thrilling sequences and maintaining a sense of wonder. The technical crew behind Fantastic Beasts also ought to be commended as the cinematographer, costumers, visual effects artists, and production design team work together seamlessly to produce 1920's New York City and the underlying magical community. Composer James Newton Howard effectively blends John Williams' classic theme with some original Jazz-like compositions into a fabulous score that serves as a nice undercurrent to the ongoing adventure.
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, treads new ground as a screenwriter and her first foray into screenwriting wasn't bad but she still shows room for improvement. Rowling's script finds itself to be a little bloated thanks to extraneous plot lines solely included to lay the groundwork for future installments. I was much more interested in the quartet of heroes and the beasts then the avenues Rowling explored and was slightly disappointed the film didn't center around finding the beasts as I was hoping it would have.
It's almost as though Fantastic Beasts is two films morphed together, one about Newt Scamander and his beasts and the other about Gellert Grindelwald, so it wasn't quite what I expected but enjoyable nonetheless. The film suffers from some pacing issues throughout as it must cut from one superfluous sequence about the Second Salemers to the adventurous quest to find Newt's beasts. However with all that being said, Rowling shines in exploring the magical mythology and simply creating an enchanting atmosphere for her characters to thrive in.
The beasts themselves are the real stars, stealing the spotlight for either a laugh or look of amazement. Some beasts are adorable while others will just leave the viewer awe-struck. The CGI made some very convincing likable creatures, so much so that when the film shifts away from the beast storyline it will likely annoy the viewer and wear their patience since the other storylines are slower paced.
The cast bring about many new characters the viewer will likely latch onto through some solid performances. Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander made for a charming and simultaneously awkward lead character and his compassion towards his characters is one of the character's strengths. My only issue was that Redmayne's accent was so thick I had difficulty understanding a some of his dialogue when his character mumbles.
Dan Fogler plays Jacob Kowalski and will likely be an audience favorite as his character is very endearing. Fogler plays Kowalski as the comedic relief, humorously reacting to the wizarding world through a No-Maj's eyes, and also manages to be grounded in the film's emotional core for the more touching moments. The friendship between he and Newt is one of the better developed character relationships in the film and also the most entertaining one for they make a very odd pairing.
Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol portry a pair of magical sisters Tina and Queenie, Waterston imbues confidence, dedication, and loyalty in Tina while Sudol brings a kindred spirit to Queenie. The quartet have a natural chemistry about them and are delightful group of heroes I hope to follow in subsequent installments.
Ezra Miller's Credence is painted to be a pathetic wimp who's scared of showing the world what he truly is and cowers from any sign of danger, Miller dedicates himself to the role but I found that the characterization crippled the character.
Colin Farrell carries forth gravitas and an air of confidence to Percival Graves, proving to be a formidable foe with murky motivations. For those of you that are kept up with the news cycle it's likely been spoiled for you that Johnny Depp was cast in the franchise and I won't divulge his role to ensure I don't ruin the surprise, but be aware he's in the film for a quick minute with minuscule dialogue if any at all.
At the end of it all I can say that I'm very curious to see where Newt will be headed next as Rowling has stated she has plans for at least five Fantastic Beast films, but can say this was a sufficient setup for them should Warner Bros. choose to carry forward. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a charming and spellbinding return to the Wizarding World that doesn't have to hold the scrutiny of being measured to any source material and is simply a delightful filmgoing experience.
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