Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell

Directed by David Yates

The Story:
Set in the roaring 20s in New York City, the worlds of wizards and No-Maj (the American word for Muggle, or "no magic") are in direct conflict with one another, as both are wary of the other.  There's also a powerful dark wizard known as Gellert Grindelwald on the loose, and to top it all off British wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives with a briefcase holding several magical beasts, which is forbidden in the wizarding community.

After he arrives in New York he meets No-Maj Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), and accidentally lets loose several beasts from the suitcase.  He's apprehended by Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), who works for the Magical Congress of the United States of America, but is released after they find his suitcase had been swapped with Jacob's on accident.  They find Jacob and hide out at Tina's place with her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), who is accomplished in Legilimency (a telepathic).  When Newt introduces Jacob inside the suitcase, they meet an Obscurus, which is a dark, dangerous parasite that lives in children who are wizards and who are afraid of their powers.  This is something Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) - the Director of Magical Security - desires.

As they find the beasts that were let loose, Newt and his friends also learn that a child in New York has an Obscurus, and has been responsible for the murder of a No-Maj as well as wreaking destruction in the city.  They set out to find it before they're imprisoned and put to death because the Congress believes that one of Newt's loose beasts is responsible for the carnage.

The Synopsis:
J.K. Rowling is easily this generation's J.R.R. Tolkein, being able to beautifully craft a whole new world of fantasy and wonder for children young and old alike to enjoy.  Her critically popular "Harry Potter" book series spawned a series of equally successful movies, and now she returns (for the first time as screenwriter) with "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," set decades before Harry Potter was ever born, and takes us out of the British wizarding world and delivers us to the American version of wizards.  The result is none less different, as we're once again treated to a brilliant world set in marvelous detail and once again fills our hearts with warmth, wonder and whimsy.

"Fantastic Beasts" is a wholly new creation by Rowling, as it was only mentioned in the "Harry Potter" series as an approved textbook at Hogwarts, written by Newt Scamander, a former student.  It's a book that showcases the different types of beasts in the world, and shows why they're not as dangerous as most wizards think they are, as well as giving instructions for caring for such beasts and where to find them.  This film (and the subsequent films to follow) will focus on Scamander's story and how he managed to collect and care for the beasts.

Longtime Potter director David Yates ("Order of the Phoenix," "Half-Blood Prince" and the two-part "Deathly Hallows") once again returns to the directors' chair to deliver another Potter-approved magic epic filled with dazzling creatures, dizzying action, dynamic performances and divine designs.  When it was first announced, they said "Fantastic Beasts" would be three films, but now Rowling has confirmed that it will in fact be five films - thankfully all directed by Yates.  We had from 2001-2011 to enjoy the exploits of Harry Potter, and now we'll be gifted with even more years of wizarding magic with "Fantastic Beasts."

The most important aspect of any movie is casting, and if it was done wrong, "Fantastic Beasts" would've been a disaster.  Thankfully they chose Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as Newt, and he pulls off the performance flawlessly.  He's naturally an eccentric actor who easily serves as the every-man in film and has a youthful innocence to him that makes him endearing - even if he could be a bit annoying and scatterbrained.  You couldn't help but smile with his performance, as every moment of his characterization is met with a sweet quality, where you can't find any mean bone or evil intent in his body.  In a world filled with self-serving people, Newt is someone that needs to exist.

The supporting actors also play to their roles well.  Relative unknown Katherine Waterston (who will play a prominent role in the upcoming "Alien: Covenant") is brilliant as Tina, who is every way Newt's equal.  She wants to do what's right, but doesn't get the recognition she deserves.  Her sister Queenie - performed to perfection by the beautiful Alison Sudol - is Tina's counterpart.  Where Tina is strict, Queenie is free-spirited.  Where Tina is by-the-books, Queenie is seat-of-your-pants.  The two work well against one another.

Colin Farrell plays a very...Colin Farrell-type...role with Percival Graves, a high-ranking magician who has a secret side of his own.  Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight and Ron Perlman (motion-captured as a typical speakeasy nightclub owner...only a goblin...also add to the story in subtle yet powerful ways.  However, the standout performance goes to No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, played by Dan Fogler.  He's a robust, positive person who only wants to do better than his station in life, and he not only serves as the comedic fodder to Newt, but also as the audiences' eyes and ears, as he's the only character deeply involved in the story who doesn't have magical abilities.  We're living the tale vicariously through him, and he's an excellent conduit. 

The set pieces and costume designs are worthy of Oscar gold, as we're teleported to New York City circa 1926, in the middle of December.  Every building, every car, and every beautifully designed dress takes us back to the Roaring Twenties, to a time of jazz clubs and speakeasies, of flapper girls and debonair men.  It's against this backdrop that we're also gifted with brilliant, beautiful creatures of Rowling's lore, imaginative mixtures of animals such as an elephant-hippo mixture known as a Erumpent, a mischievous Niffler (a mole-platypus mixture), and a twig-like creature known as a Bowtruckle.  This is the type of film that could never have been done in the past, as once again Oscar should take note of the brilliant CGI used to bring these fantastic beasts to life.

If there is one negative thing to say about the film, it's that it tries to tell too many stories in a short amount of time, like if the beasts had resided in the suitcase really lived in the size of an actual suitcase.  There's Newt's adventure in finding the loose beasts ("Pokemon Go!" for the wizard community), trying to clear his name, the struggle between wizards and No-Maj, prejudices against wizards, Graves' plan, an orphanage with mistreated children, dealing with tough social issues concerning wizards, budding romances (the romance between Jacob and Queenie is especially moving, and possibly the most beautiful love story told in recent memory), and the overlying threat of the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.  Thankfully, there will be five films to fully flush out all of these stories, but here it split it up too many times where I was making a mental checklist of what story was going on at the time.

However, that's a very small issue with the movie, as all the stories are truly entertaining and moving, especially the underlying (coincidental or not) connection to the real world.  Let's see if you've heard this before:

Children growing up fearing who they really are suppress their true selves in a way that becomes harmful to themselves and others, and unleash in negative, destructive ways.

I couldn't help but draw connotations to "Fantastic Beasts" and the plight of real children who struggle with their own identities.  In "Fantastic Beasts," the No-Maj have made wizarding almost criminal, and young wizards are fearful of being exposed and treated differently, so they suppress their true nature which results in the creation of an Obscurus, which wreaks havoc in the community.  In the real world, some children struggle with their self-identity, afraid to be themselves because of the negative feedback they'd get from a world that seems to shun them.  Here is why millions of children worldwide love J.K. Rowling, because she understands their struggle and offers a magical, wondrous escape for them to really be themselves.  That, ultimately, is the most beautiful thing about "Fantastic Beasts."

The Summary:
In a world filled with negativity, darkness and despair, "Fantastic Beasts" serves to pull us out of it and places us back in a world of fantasy, wonder and magic, with great performances, amazing set pieces and a dazzling adventure.

The Score: A