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!