“Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them” Movie Review

Potheads of the world, rejoice (that is what Harry Potter fans are called, isn’t it? J). With Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, the rich mythology of the series is tapped into to deliver a movie that lets the viewers relive the magic of the Harry Potter series, yet still manages to feel original and not a lazy exercise to print money.

The plot of the movie is quite complex – Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is a wizard from London who arrives to New York City with a suitcase full of magical creatures, at a time when the wizard world is facing the threat of exposure and facing a lot of negative propaganda. Trouble ensues when the suitcase opens and the creatures are let loose into the city. Newt has to rescue these creatures with the help of a hapless No-Maj (muggle) Jacob Kowalski (a brilliant Dan Fogler), a witch FBI-ish agent Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterson) and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol). In the middle of all of this is the mysterious Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), who seems to have a hidden agenda.

The movie touches upon themes that feel especially relevant to today’s day and age; but still manages to keep a tone that is light and breezy. It moves at breakneck speed, and there’s hardly a dull moment in its runtime. J.K. Rowling’s writing is jam packed with content, and there is honestly a lot to process here. 

This, funnily enough, is also the problem with the movie. There is so much happening with the characters in the movie that there is hardly any screen time for the titular fantastic beasts. This feeling is accentuated because the scenes with the creatures are beautifully executed – the scene where Newt and Kowalski visit the creatures for the first time in particular gives the viewer a feeling of childlike wonder and awe – it helps that it is visually stunning and the 3D is amazing. It actually made me wish there was a little less plot and more time spent on such scenes.  

The acting is really good, but none of the characters are really endearing and leave an impression – with the exception of Jacob Kowalski. You’re invested in the character from the first scene he is introduced, thanks in no small part to the portrayal by Dan Fogler. The major disappointment was the woefully underwritten character of Percival Graves.

On the whole, of course, the movie has a lot going for it – the box office numbers speak for itself. There’s lots on offer here, thanks to the strong script and excellent execution helmed by David Yates, no stranger to the Potter franchise. But, all things aside, the movie definitely entertains, and is a good movie experience for Potheads and non-fans alike. The commendable thing here is that the movie is able to stand on its own two feet and the promise of a successful new franchise is there. This is a great example of a spinoff done right.