Fantastic Beasts came out almost a year ago, and it’s a great movie. However, I recently re-watched it, and noticed some things that frustrated me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the concept. The visuals were brilliant and the actors were beautifully cast, but there were a few plot holes that I, personally, couldn’t ignore. Said plot holes don’t detract from the overall experience; they’re just some little details that I thought were kind of off.

Disclaimer:*SPOILERS* I’m a very nit-picky movie-goer, and I like to be frugal with my suspension of disbelief. If you loved the movie, then good on you. I’m not trying to degrade it in any way.

1. The Briefcase

Newt’s briefcase houses his all of his “beasts,” and while it may not look like much from the outside, it’s actually kind of Mary-Poppins-esque. It can fit everything it holds, and more. There are different habitats for all of the different animals, making it seems like Newt is stepping into another world. However, there are very few safety measures put in place to ensure that the animals stay in the briefcase. There doesn’t appear to be some kind of magical barrier that prevents escape, and as we see throughout the movie, if there had been, a lot of trouble could’ve been easily avoided. There isn’t even a fence separating the animals from the exit.

2. The Escape

In the briefcase, there’s only one visible exit. This exit is in a small, cramped room full of various jars and medicines, and the only way out is up a small flight of stairs. In one slap-stick comedy scene, Jacob Kowalski has to squeeze himself into the suitcase, and he only fits after jumping a few times. The movie expects me to believe that a fully-grown erumpent escaped the briefcase, even though it is clearly almost 2 to 3 times as big as Jacob. Plus, how would it have gotten up the stairs? Is there a separate entrance? Is that how Newt got the animals into the briefcase? If there is a separate entrance that’s bigger, why didn’t Newt use that instead?

3. Madame President

In one scene, Tina bursts into a private MACUSA meeting to try to inform President Picquery that Newt had smuggled magical creatures into New York. Picquery promptly dismisses Tina, as MACUSA had more pressing matters to discuss, and she wasn’t even an auror anymore. Later, after the Senator was killed by the Obscurius, Picquery scolds Tina for not informing MACUSA earlier that the creatures were loose. Did she not remember Tina bursting into the meeting to try and inform her?

4. Obliviating NYC

I didn’t have any huge complaints about the scene where Frank the Thunderbird obliviates New York City, but I did have a series of small ones. First, how was that small vial of Swooping Evil venom supposed to wipe the memories of an entire city? How potent is it exactly? Also, how do the people that are inside buildings get affected? We can clearly see the banker who denied Jacob’s loan losing his memory, but he was in the shower during Frank’s flight. Did the venom seep through the roof? How did it affect him?

5. Arbitrary Laws

At the end of the movie, Grindelwald/Graves asks who the “law” protects. The law he’s referring to,The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, forces wizards to sneak around and perform magic only when there aren’t any Muggles or No-Maj’s around. Why is this law in place? Even if the Muggles do try to start a war, it’s glaringly obvious that a single wizard can take on multiple Muggles at a time and still win. Such decimation would surely cause the Muggles to relent and give up the war. Secondly, as we can see in the movie, the wizards repair the damage that the Obscurius caused the city relatively easily, and much faster than No-Maj’s could. Why can’t the wizards educate the No-Maj’s/ Muggles about magic, and then proceed to live in peace and help them? I’m sure plenty of Muggles would pay through the nose to have basic services provided by wizards, thereby eliminating a lot of hassle and work.