Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Movie Review

Released: 18th November 2016 (UK and United States)

Length: 133 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, Ezra Miller and Ron Perlman

Five years after the original series concluded, David Yates and JK Rowling have returned one of the most popular fictional works of all time to the big screen with Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, a spin-off prequel that delivers plenty of enjoyment but sits below the older films.

Taking place in the 1920s, Fantastic Beasts follows magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), who arrives in New York to document and track down creatures in the city. Things get off to a tricky start as mishaps involving aspiring baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) at a bank cause several of his creatures to be released, risking the ordinary muggle world (or no-Maj as they’re referred to in the States) finding out about magic. Newt is apprehended by demoted Auror Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and from here a darker situation unfolds as a deadly black mass threatens to consume everything in the bustling settlement. The film certainly doesn’t stray far from its predecessors; it moves along at a suitable pace, giving plenty of wonder, light-hearted comedy and rapid action sequences. It doesn’t come without some speed bumps though; the final act is quite predictable, once again falling into the same cliché of a monster about to destroy the city. There are also several scenes that don’t really contribute anything to the overall plot and many of the themes touched upon end up feeling superficial at best. The most glaring of these is the Magical Congress of the United States, an equivalent to the Ministry of Magic in previous films, which has a minimalistic role; playing this off with the political undertones from Jon Voight’s role as the father of a US Senator could have provided much more depth. Considering the film’s efforts to set up a new universe across the pond from Hogwarts, this is quite the missed opportunity.

All four central characters in Fantastic Beasts are very well-realised, with subtle, yet intriguing hints pertaining to their pasts that occasionally creep into the narrative. Redmayne plays Newt incredibly well; there’s an intense curiosity about him that wraps the audience up into his work, particularly in a scene concerning the inside of his briefcase. Kowalski is always capably amusing as he discovers the wizarding world and the opposite approach taken with Goldstein and her ditsy sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) is worked to solid effect. However, problems creep their way into the side characters. Colin Farrell (as high ranking Auror Percival Graves), Carmen Ejogo (as the Magical Congress President) and Jon Voight go by underused and so too do many of the non-majis outside of Kowalski. The villains are incredibly weak too with relatively basic characteristics that fail to add to the film’s setting; in the film’s opening moments we learn that a dark wizard known as Grindlewald is on the loose, but his build-up just can’t manage to instil a foreboding presence in the audience. It’s something else that the film is no doubt keeping back for future entries.

The new outing for the Harry Potter series continues the franchise’s proficiency in special effects; creative imagination is at an all-time high here as a variety of wacky, fascinating creatures come alive; combine this with an increased scale on magic use and you have one of the more visually extravagant films in the series to date. Buildings are trashed, sparks fly in magic duels and more sinister elements, especially in the film’s final moments, feel appropriately dangerous. Pulling and twisting through the action deftly, the camerawork is always on point while the music keeps in line with previous entries with a more delicate touch; at times, it reminded me of 2005’sThe Polar Express with its emphasis on wonder and discovery. As a period piece, Fantastic Beasts is no slouch either; detailed costume work and set design work in tandem to transport the audience into its setting, something ripe for expanding upon.

Fantastic Beasts is ultimately very well produced, marking it as an accessible prequel. You don’t need to get into the previous works to understand it and everything you loved about the original film series is still here; likeable characters, superb special effects and extensive intrigue, sprinkled with a helping of adult sensibilities. It’s burdened by a set of odd scenes, characters and themes that never quite manage to slot nicely into the overall plot; perhaps over the next four films we’ll see this rectified.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)