MOVIE REVIEW: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Adventure, Fantasy

Directed By: David Yates 

When the final Harry Potter film hit theaters just five years ago many long-time fans of the franchise, like myself, thought we were done seeing the wizarding world on the big screen. Without any more books, it just seemed like an impossibility, so when news broke that J.K. Rowling herself was going to pen the script for a new spin-off series the fandom got excited. There are infinite stories that could be told within this world and starting it off with the tale of famed Wizard Newt Scamander seemed like the perfect place to start.

If you are unfamiliar with the Harry Potter lore, no worries, this film is easy to get into regardless of your history with the franchise. The movie tells the story of famous wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he travels the magical world studying the creatures that inhabit it in preparation for his book, 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. This first movie (as of now there are going to be four more) starts at the beginning of his journey in 1920's New York where his trip collides with a dark force currently threatening the city. With the help of some new friends, he must navigate an area of the wizarding world he is unfamiliar with in order to keep the peace between the magic and non-magic worlds.

It's important to state upfront that this movie is not Harry Potter. What I mean by that is this story, though in the same world, feels quite different in tone than the franchise so many have come to love. There is plenty to remind you that this is once again the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling's mind but they do a great job of allowing this to exist on its own without being bogged down by set-in-stone mythology.

Rather than shape itself into an epic story on the scale of its predecessors, Fantastic Beasts is totally fine with existing as a thrilling adventure tale. Think of Newt Scamander as a kind of Indiana Jones of this world, while the rest of the wizarding community is focusing on "big picture" issues Newt is roaming the streets in search of rare and powerful creatures. This, in turn, introduces us to the true scale of the magic world outside of Hogwarts.

Centering in on Newt and his research proved to be the right move as it was refreshing to follow someone in this world that isn't one of, if not the most powerful wizards alive. Watching a story unfold that isn't all about "the chosen one" was a good change of pace, knowing our main character is rarely the most powerful person in the room added a different level of tension that wasn't there before. In the Potter movies whenever the going got tough we always knew Harry would come out on top, whether because of luck or natural power whereas with Newt the outcome is never certain.

This time it isn't just about the witches and wizards, though, as the title boasts this film is chock full of magical creatures. Upon Newts arrival to New York, a handful of them escapes his nifty briefcase and he must find them all before they wreak havoc on the people living there. The creatures themselves are wonderful and the designs look gorgeous. The CG doesn't hold them back and they all fit seamlessly into the magic world and all add their own charms to the movie. 

Academy Award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne heads the cast as Newt Scamander and owns the part. Some people may be turned off by his quirky shyness and inability to look just about anyone in the eyes but I found it to be an interesting take. After watching eight movies with the "fearless" Harry I thoroughly enjoyed following a lead who was just as unsure of himself all of the time as the people around him were. 

Aside from Newt, who most Potterheads were already familiar enough with, the movie also introduces a handful of new and interesting characters like Graves, played by the always fantastic Colin Farrel, a nasty Auror in the American wizarding world. Maybe the most compelling of those side characters is the muggle Kowalski played by the brilliantly funny Dan Fogler. We rarely get to focus in on the "no-maj" folk in these stories so to see one follow them along the entire movie was a unique treat. 

Katherine Waterson rounds out the main cast of the film as former Auror Tina. She is fighting to do whatever she can to be reinstated and before long she becomes a fine ally to Newt. Her performance is great and I look forward to seeing more of her character in the future. The rest of the cast is populated with all kinds of familiar faces (and voices) like Ezra Miller, Jon Voight, and Ron Perlman each adding their own unique flavor to the mix. These characters help set much of the groundwork needed for future installments in the franchise.

At this point in time, director David Yates (who directed the final four Potter movies) has got more than a handle on this world. The magic battles are visually wonderful and exciting and all of the "magical jargon" works regardless of how ridiculous it sounds. Though it would be interesting to see someone else's take going forward it's hard to complain about him being the guy to helm the entire series.

Going into this movie I think it's safe to say what most of us wanted most was to see the world of magic expanded far beyond the limits of Hogwarts and England and to get an idea of how this society operates all over the known world. Though this movie only takes us to New York, giving us a glimpse into the American side of things, it teases us with the idea of so much more. This is a massive universe with so many things to explore and this movie is only the beginning. Going in I was skeptical of the five movie run Rowling is claiming this will have, but upon leaving the theater I was ready for the next four. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Arrival

Arrival (2016)

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

The idea of how to handle the first contact with an alien race has been one of our favorite "what if" scenarios to explore in science fiction for as long as the idea has been around. Popular movies like Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind implanted the idea that if aliens were to ever come here, how we try to interact with them will be the most important hurdle to overcome. You can't get through an "alien invasion" movies these days without some form of this scene taking place, but what if you dedicated an entire movie to the reality of what that first contact would actually look like? Denis Villeneuve digs deep into this idea with his latest film Arrival, a realistic as can be alien invasion movie that explores the difficulties and importance of intelligent communication. 

When twelve mysterious UFO's make landing all over the planet the U.S. government enlists renowned linguist Dr. Louis Banks (Amy Adams) to help them create a dialogue with the mysterious aliens to try and find out why they have come here. With the help of theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner)  and a team of other scientists and linguists, they attempt to open a communication that both species can understand in hopes of discovering why they have come here and what their intentions are. 

The film sells itself as an alien invasion movie, which it is, but mostly on the surface. What it turns into by the end is a message to the world about the importance of clear and open communication and how our natural isolationism and nationalism divide us as a race. The film spits in our face, calling us out for all of the truly idiotic tendencies we have all before wrapping it up with a hopeful message that we can still change for the better. 

It's no secret that one of, if not the biggest dividing factors of our people is language. The inability to communicate with someone is a key factor in the division of the world, and it always has been. This proves itself throughout the film as Dr. Banks and her crew is constantly being stonewalled by countries like China and Russia, who have no desire to share information or hear out others opinions on the matter. As you can imagine, this proves to be one of the most difficult obstacles for them to overcome within the movie. 

Villeneuve keeps this film from being a total bummer, however, by keeping the hope alive whenever it all seems lost. Even when the worst happens they somehow find a way back and by the end of the film he has driven home the message he wants us to receive: listen. He begs us to simply just listen to each other and hear out what we all have to say. The sharing of ideas and culture has always been the fastest route to progression for humanity. 

The story, for the most part, revolves around Amy Adams character Dr. Banks and she has never been better. With the movie hinging on her performance it is important her character feels authentic throughout. The way she reacts to first contact and being on an alien spacecraft had to feel real and she sells it in a profound way. Jeremy Renner's Ian Donnelly more or less plays sidekick to Dr. Banks but proves to be the perfect companion for her on this journey. The two leads are also complimented by great performances from Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg as the military men running the show. 

As with all Vllienueve films, we can't get out of here without talking about the gorgeous cinematography on display here. Bradford Young (Selma) captures the massive scale of the film with limited space, as most of it takes place in an open field in Montana, and with just a handful of locations is able to convey worldwide panic. Story aside this is just a gorgeous film to look at for two hours.

Though the story has its twists and turns to make it a compelling and authentic piece of science fiction you shouldn't get too caught up with that as a viewer. Rather than sitting there trying to crack the big twists enjoy what the filmmaker has to say about humanity and how the ideas he puts forth can be used in our actual lives. Focus on all of that and let the clever plot of the story surprise you in the end. If you can do that, I promise you will leave with a ton of ideas and theories to wrap your brain around that focus on much more than just an alien invasion.  

Though you probably won't leave the theater with a smile plastered on your face, Arrival is more or less the movie we need right now. It manages to scare the living hell out of us while also showing us that there is, and always will be, hope for change. What may be broken now doesn't have to be forever and if we can overcome these simple hurdles than we will be far better off as a people. Science fiction is at its best when it holds a mirror up to ourselves in an unlikely situation, showing us how obvious it is that we need to change, and right now we need to change the way we interact with each other.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange (2016)

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Directed By: Scott Derrickson 

When Marvel first announced a Doctor Strange movie I didn't know what to think, I had almost no familiarity with the character besides knowing he dealt in magic, but that was enough to make wonder how they were going to pull it off. Up until this point, the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) has been, for the most part, grounded in as much reality as possible. That was all going to change with this movie as Mordo tells us just twenty minutes into the movie to "forget everything we think we know" because this movie breaks every law of science you've ever learned. 

Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is one of, if not the most prolific neurosurgeon in the world. His hands are literal miracle workers, that is until he gets into a severe car crash that would leave them useless. In an attempt to find any way to fix the one thing that gave him purpose he is led to Kamar-Taj, a temple of mystic arts run by The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton). Here he is taught to manipulate energy and magic before being recruited in the fight against a former student turned evil, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelson) who is attempting to channel dark forces that want to destroy our world.

Directed by acclaimed horror filmmaker Scott Derrickson (Sinister), the film feels like the most standalone story in the MCU to date (with Guardians at a close second) and honestly, it's quite refreshing. Now, fourteen movies into the cinematic universe it felt good to see a story that isn't entirely entrenched in bigger picture implications. We saw a sequence of events that the Avengers will not only never know about, but probably never even had a whiff of concern about. 

The story is an origin, unfortunately, but is also totally necessary for this character. You couldn't just have Doctor Strange show up wielding magic powers without any backstory on how he came to have those abilities. Prior to this point magic hasn't been fully embraced by this universe so they kind of had to walk us through it hand in hand. The film does a fine enough job getting all of this information out in a quick fashion which allows us to enjoy the cerebral aspects of the movie that much more.

When it comes down to it, this movie is all about the cerebral high you get from the insane visuals and out-of-this-world plot. Strange and the other sorcerers are able to manipulate matter, time, energy, and so much more in ways you had never thought of and seeing it manifest on screen is like nothing you have seen before. You get a small glimpse into the visual insanity of the film from the trailers but man, it doesn't do it nearly enough justice. Every time they started manipulating their surrounding my jaw was on the floor, I have never seen visuals like this before. When CGI has become this good, it's hard to complain about its use anymore.

For those hoping for the first truly great, interesting villain in the MCU... you may leave this film disappointed. Mads Mikkelson puts in a fine performance as always but the character is once again a one-note villain given a by-the-book's story arc that sets up the epic finale. I'd like to see Marvel figure out a more interesting and complicated villain going forward but Kaecilius works just fine for this film. This movie is about Strange discovering his powers and how to use them and Kaecilius works great as another tool to get him there.

What the film lacks in story and villain is more than made up for in the crazy visuals and a great cast of core characters. Benedict Cumberbatch owns the role of Strange and totally becomes the part, the cape just looks like it belongs on his shoulders. Tilda Swinton proves to be the perfect casting for The Ancient One, adding a certain gravitas missing from many Marvel films. Chiwetel Ejiofor is there to class things up as well as Mordo, who proves to be one of the most complex characters, not only in this movie but the entire MCU. Benedict Wong is also wonderful as Wong, pulling some the biggest laughs of the film and Rachel McAdams is amazing as always, I just wish she was given more to do.

Though improvements could be made to the story and the villain, Doctor Strange still manages to be one of the most entertaining movies in their entire lineup. From the opening scene to the last you will be kept in a state of wonder and amazement as you watch things you know to be impossible be made a reality right in front of your eyes. If you are like me and adore the trippy and the weird, then this movie is most definitely for you. Go in with a completlely opened mind and come out stunned at the visual mastery put on display here. See this movie as big and as loud as possible and preferably in 3-D, you won't regret it. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Directed By: Taika Waititi

Film is often at its best when you can tell the cast and crew had as much fun making the thing as we as an audience did watching it. That is constantly the case with the work of writer/director Taika Waititi, who is making some of the most entertaining, fun, and straight up lovable movies today. The New Zealand native has a knack for telling authentic human stories in a goofy, heartwarming setting and his latest is certainly no exception. 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople tells the story of a young orphan named Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) who has bounced from foster home to foster home due to his bad attitude and reckless behavior. His troubled path leads him to his last hope before juvenile prison, a loving foster parent name Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and her rugged husband Hec (Sam Neill). Bella's untimely death threatens to send Ricky back into foster care however so he makes the insane decision to fake his death and run away into the New Zealand bush.  Hec chases him in and when an unfortunate accident immobilizes him they find themselves stuck in the bush for the next six weeks. A massive manhunt ensues while the two slowly find their way out of the wilderness. 

It's a clever plot and the way it all unfolds is a true testament to the writing powers of Waititi but the movie finds its true purpose in the character interactions between Ricky and his new foster parents Bella and Hec. Bella gets Ricky to come out of his shell in the first act of the film so we can see how much of a goof he is and the way they interact will melt your heart. The performance of Rima Te Wiata as Bella sells their entire relationship early on and the few major scenes she's in make a big splash.

The story really opens up in the second half when Ricky and Hec are stuck in the bush, before then the only real interactions we saw between the two were Hec telling Ricky to leave him alone. But once they are stuck in the wilderness together Hec is forced to learn who Ricky actually is and by the time his ankle has healed the two are seemingly great pals. So much so that Ricky is able to convince him to let him stay out there with him instead of going back to foster care.

This relationship is almost entirely sold by the performances of the two main actors. We all already know Sam Neill is a powerhouse talent but we haven't seen much like this from him before. It is a much more understated performance with significantly less dialogue than we are used to seeing from him. He is playing an uneducated man with a dark past and he makes us feel it in his performance. 

Then there is Ricky, played by the young and wonderfully talented Julian Dennison, who is the crutch of it all. He is hilarious, loveable, and sort of a bastard but it all feels real because of Dennison. This could have easily turned into a one-note cartoon character who constantly gets them into difficult situations but instead is an authentically troubled child with a lot to unravel beneath his colorful outfits. 

Though Waititi is telling a fairly serious story revolving around a missing child with legitimate issues, it never gets too heavy in its approach. He is known for making light-hearted, mostly comedic films and that certainly isn't lost here. To lighten the mood, for example, he turns the child services worker that is on the hunt for Ricky into a highly over exaggerated character who treats the manhunt, and her job, like a life or death scenario at all times. 

It's the little quirks and slight character adjustments like these that turn any one of his films into something wildly different than what you'd expect it to be. He manages to make each piece of his work a little slice of his home country as well, constantly showing us sides of New Zealand we weren't aware of and making us all fall in love with the place without ever having been there. 

Though they typically lean more towards the comedic side, his films are able to take us through the entire gamut of emotions so by the end of the story you have taken a truly satisfying ride through his mind. It may sound cliched but at the end of the day Hunt for the Wilderpeople will make you laugh hysterically, it will make you cry tears of both joy and sadness, and it will actually make you feel good about humanity, if only for a little while. In a crazy year such as this one, it is the exact kind of feel-good movie we all need to help forget about life for a while. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. Find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!