J. K. Rowling demonstrates her original and creative writing abilities yet again with a captivating plot and unpredictable creatures in the film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which is sure to please Potterheads. The familiar Warner Brothers logo appears at the beginning and a few bars of “Hedwig’s Theme” can be heard. Nostalgia hits immediately but is soon forgotten as this exciting movie unfolds.
Danger and thrills are around every corner as Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) attempts to re-collect magical creatures that have escaped from his mysterious suitcase. With the help of Tina (Katherine Waterson) and no-maj (the American term for muggles) Jacob (Dan Fogler), Newt finds New York more interesting than he anticipated. However, a lurking dark presence may put him in danger and expose the magical community.
Magic came to life as the cast apparated (using magic to move from one place to another) from scene to scene and cast spells. The effects and setting were so well done they might have once existed. Love was also in the air for Jacob, Newt’s no-maj friend, and Queenie, Tina’s sister, (Alison Sudol) who were secondary characters. Having a strong love connection between anyone but the lead characters is a great way to break from tradition, but keep that element. Sudol and Folger made a funny and sweet on-screen couple.
Despite the rumors, Rowling stood by her statement that the movie series would not be a prequel and it had almost nothing to do with the Harry Potter series. The sole links are Newt Scamander, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald. Their names and legacies are all known in Harry Potter, but their appearance in the film is purely nominal.
There were a few hiccups though. The ending left me full of questions, some that not even the most dedicated Harry Potter fan could accurately answer. With four more Fantastic Beast movies to appear, I hope answers will be given later.
Another issue was with the mob style goblin that hardly resembled a goblin at all. In the Harry Potter movies we see goblins at Gringotts, the wizarding bank. This goblin, in Fantastic Beasts, looked incredibly human and that was bothersome because it seemed inconsistent with goblin traits in both the Harry Potter books and movies. Perhaps he wasn’t a goblin at all, but if not, that should have been made clear.
The movie was really intense, even scary at times, and deserved its PG-13 rating. The scenes involving the obscurus, a dark force of sorts, were almost like scenes of classic possession from horror films. This was, firstly, unexpected as none of the Harry Potter movies reached this level of intensity despite their PG-13 rating. Secondly, it was historically accurate in a way because it makes one realize that that kind of magic is exactly what no-maj’s of the time feared. Colin Farrell’s brooding character Mr. Graves contributed to the dark atmosphere and all makes sense when it’s revealed he is actually Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), a dark wizard who came before Voldemort.
The further development of the wizarding world is a new adventure for Potter fans and this movie is just the beginning. The movie was thrilling and exciting every second, there wasn’t a dull moment.