Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) Review!!!

Synopsis – The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.

My Take – Weren’t we all sad when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) drew its curtain and ended a franchise running for 10 years. Like me, I am quite sure many Potter fans felt that despite the wonderful end of ‘the boy who lived’ story line, a lot more could be explored in the fantastic magical world built so creatively by author J.K. Rowling. Lucky for us, five years later our prayers have been answered with author J.K. Rowling making her screen writing debut by taking us into the world of wizards & witches and of course no Harry Potter! The inspiration of this is one of Harry Potter’s textbooks at Hogwarts, an essential text which served as a guide to magical animals written by one Newt Scamander. Rowling had written it into a companion piece in 2001, but as those who had read the 128- page book will tell you, there is a lot more that Rowling must have had to add to her first film script even as an adaptation of that earlier book. Perhaps the biggest dilemma you will have before going into this is whether or not it will live up to of the highly successful Harry Potter-franchise. As someone who loved the series and was skeptical about director David Yates (mainly as I kind of hated his recent film The Legend of Tarzan) undertaking this endeavor, I am pleased to say that I’m relieved; As Yates delivers a refreshing and whimsical film. As a Potter fan, I can honestly say that it delivers everything you would dream of. Rowling‘s magical world is as alluring and fun as ever! For me, the best thing about this film is exactly that, exploring this world. Sure, it doesn’t have the characters we’ve come to love, but with the creatures you encounter and with the added humor of J.K. Rowling, you will come to grip with the fact that this film will leave an impression as one of the most incredibly enjoyable films of the year. Set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter films, the story follows magizoologist and former Hogwarts student Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who arrives with a suitcase of magical creatures in New York, 1926. Here to do field work for the titular book that he’s writing, but no thanks to a mix- up involving a klutzy working-class ‘no-maj’ (meaning ‘muggle’ or ordinary, non-magical human) named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a wannabe baker, some of the beasts Newt keeps hidden in his suitcase – which is really a magical device enclosing a massive nature preserve – have escaped. Together with two comely female wizards, the struggling investigator/ auror Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterson) and her mind-reading sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), Newt and Jacob set out to chase down these creatures before they wreak havoc in the city.

And yet their blithe adventure could not have taken place in a more complicated time – not only has the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA) set out strict rules against the revelation of the existence of wizards and/or the wizarding world, its meticulously cautious Madam President (Carmen Ejojo) has outlawed the possession of all beasts. There are perhaps three good reason though – One, the growing support of an American No-Maj named Mary Lou (Samantha Morton), who runs a foster home and is also of Leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society, an anti wizard/witch group and the second is the appearance of a mysterious force purportedly to be that of an Obscurus, that is tearing apart the city. The Obscurus is a dark and uncontrollable power manifested by young wizards/witches who have repressed (rather than being taught to control) their innate powers. Rounding out the third, and much darker, story is a missing dark wizard called Gellert Grindelward (Johnny Depp), which the opening prologue via numerous newspaper reels informs us has gone underground since his dark doings in Europe. Meanwhile, Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), a high-ranking Auror and the Director of Magical Security for MACUSA believes the Obscurus is hiding in Mary Lou’s foster home and enlists the help of her eldest foster child, the abused Credence (Ezra Miller) to find it, while promising him to teach about magic. This film starts quite dark, which immediately sets it apart from the first HP film, with some destruction and lots of zooming in on/twirling around newspaper articles. Given how this needs to set the stage for the beginning of a new franchise, there is understandably yards of exposition and a lot of introductions to do within its run time of 133 minutes. It also means that, aside from its city-shaking cataclysm of a climax, this is pretty much like an origin story, such that like the ‘Harry Potter And The Philosophers’ Stone’ (2001), one gets the distinct sense that it is holding back for bigger and hopefully even more intriguing things down the road. The film is fast paced and constantly dishing out new surprises, in the form of beautifully rendered, inventive CGI “beasts,” and a number of hilarious, imaginative features of this magical world of New York that successfully create the illusion of being in a different world. There is sheer delight in discovering the menagerie of creatures that Newt has hidden in his briefcase – among them a scene-stealing platypus with a penchant for stealing shiny things, a majestic avian which changes shape and size to fill any available space, and a tiny stick-like green insect that can pick locks. Before things get serious, the early scenes with Newt and his unlikely companions pop with escapist fun, not least when he and Jacob get caught in incriminating situations by law enforcement while pursuing their small, furry and oh-so-cute kleptomaniac around bank vaults and jewelry stores. It is also here that we get to savor more fully the effortlessly endearing Newt and Jacob, one quirkily adorable as the shy and slightly awkward boy-man and the other an unassuming bumbler whose wide-eyed wonder upon the world previously hidden from his eyes channels our very own. There are tons of minute little details that delight in the purest sense. Although I felt that there were some parts that were a bit too stretched out (cannot complain though as i enjoyed every minute in the wizarding world). A good thing about this film is that it lives up to its expectations in my opinion. It’s all there, spells, monsters, elves, wizards. There are a whole bunch of Easter eggs for fans too (Albus Dumbledore’s name and the Deathly Hallows symbol to mention a few things that got the audience to whisper excitedly).

The story is good and exciting too, especially the second half which has some great tension to it. David Yates directs this film effortlessly. There couldn’t be a better choice for the wizarding world since his style works best with it. The film felt focused overall on what it wanted to deliver. There weren’t many scenes or sequences that felt entirely unique though. And if there were, they were overshadowed by the overuse of CGI, which is always a necessity for films of this type. J.K. Rowling‘s first screenplay exceeded my expectations. It had everything a screenplay of this kind should have, a well rounded plot, a conflict, and rich characters, smart and witty dialogue. And most importantly in this case, establish and introduce a franchise. Like how she did with Harry, Ron and Hermoine, Rowling gets a strong character dynamic going around the four cohorts, including a budding attraction between Newt and his Auror-turned-ally Tina as well as a gentle romance between Jacob and Queenie. It is these characters that anchor the busy plotting in the second hour with heartfelt emotion. Even so, the beautifully ornate production design shines through every frame, whether a seedy underground jazz club with all manner of peculiar (if slightly grotesque) creatures to Manhattan’s old City Hall subway station where the climax unfolds. However there are some problems with this film. For one it has way too many side characters. A lot of them feel completely underdeveloped and add basically nothing to the overall story for example Henry Shaw, Sr played by the excellent Jon Voight. Plus, many of the names of the beasts are mumbled or said quickly with a heavy accent, which makes it very challenging to know what the heck to actually call the multitudes of creatures. More care should have been taken to ensure that the audience could actually comprehend and recall the names of the creatures. However, the set of new faces are very agreeable. All four actors instantly gel and got me invested in them. You know they work when towards the end there’s a deeply emotional scene involving one character’s departure from the group and it’s actually very effective, as already you’ve grown attached to them, the most likable being Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne. He is alternately charming and annoying. The character of Newt Scamander is one fully realized by Rowling’s script. . He plays a very clearly British, endearing and slightly awkward Newt, but the character’s kindness is obvious by the loving and friendly way that he treats his magical creatures. Katherine Waterston is equally brilliant as the film’s female lead. She has a rather difficult role, as it would’ve been quite easy for her to come across as rather a ‘stick-in-the-mud’ character type who only causes problems for the two male characters. Thankfully, that’s not the case. Waterston‘s performance gets across Tina’s warmth/kindness/likability where other actresses may not have been able to achieve, also her character’s sister, Queenie, which is played perfectly by Alison Sudol who is instantly likable in the role. It’s not hard to see why Jacob is so taken with her upon their first meeting (which is one of the first particularly memorable scenes in the film). Dan Fogler, whose bumbling “non – magi” is a welcome addition. He elevates sometimes silly jokes with expert comedic timing and facial expressions. He brings a breath of fresh air into an otherwise grim film. Colin Farrell‘s acting had me convinced that he is a wizard. Such is the flair with which he has performed this role. Ezra Miller on the other hand had a difficult role to play and has done justice to his role. Samantha Morton & Carmen Ejogo play their parts well, while Ron Perlman in a CGI role is awesome. It’s no secret that Grindelward and by extension, Johnny Depp, whom we see only briefly at the end of the film, along with Zoe Kravitz’s Leta Lestrange (who appears in a photo frame only) will take up proper roles in the rest of the four films that Yates and Rowling have planned. On the whole, ’Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is a solid film that is thrilling, suspenseful & as fun & fantastic as any Harry Potter film. This film stands perfect on its own and doesn’t need Harry Potter or any of the planned films to get you invested in its story and yet it is an obligation for every J.K. Rowling wizarding world-fan to go see this film, especially on a big screen, where it looks positively beautiful.