A charming introduction to a wizarding world "Pre Harry Potter" exists within "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Author J.K. Rowling's first dive into screenwriting proves that she can breathe new life into this world, and provide an adventure that's both dark and fun.
"Fantastic Beasts" is set in 1920's New York, and follows a young British wizard by the name of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). He is a zoologist in the magical world, and studies and cares for magical creatures in the hopes of preserving them. He keeps these creatures in an enchanted suitcase, which is accidentally opened while he's visiting New York. Along the way he meets a no-maj ( also known as a muggle, to us Harry Potter veterans) named Jacob (Dan Fogler) who gets mixed into this magical situation unwillingly. The two are also acquainted to a pair of witches, Tina (Katherine Waterston) and Queenie (Alison Sudol). The two sisters and Jacob all help Newt chase down his creatures to protect the inhabitants of New York City.
This story makes for some fun moments while the group explores the city in search of the beasts. The cutest of the bunch is the Niffler, a small fluffy creature who loves anything shiny. There's a fun scene towards the beginning that involves the Niffler being hunted down while he cleans through a bank. There's plenty of awesome beasts introduced, plenty of which have been referenced in Harry Potter but never seen in action. While it's neat to see them, much of the animation fell short in my opinion. I can only imagine what could have been achieved if a team of VFX artists, such as the ones who worked on "The Jungle Book", could have taken a crack at these beasts. Though I understand why it didn't turn out wonderfully, it just couldn't be feasible with the amount of beasts featured in the film.
The film makes for a nice balance of light fun and dark moments. One of the highlights of this film is Jacob's character. He's a simple New Yorker who is sick of working in a factory. He has a love for baking, and is trying to open his own bakery. I think "Fantastic Beasts" needed this kind of character to give a new perspective to this world. He's the comedic relief and his romantic connection with Queenie pulls the film together. He's also great fun on screen with Newt, who was also near perfect in my opinion. Newt is not this great hero like Harry Potter. He's quirky, socially awkward, and charming all at once. He even tells Jacob that people find him annoying, which shows just how much of a different character Newt is to the traditional hero.
The villain of this film isn't one singular character, it's partially a cult of people who fear magical beings. The Second Salemers are devoted to exposing the magical community, and the children of the group are treated brutally. One such child, Credence (Ezra Miller), is taken advantage of by a man named Percival Graves (Colin Farrell). Graves works for MACUSA, America's form of wizard government. There's lots to learn here in terms of differences between the British and American wizarding communities. I hope that's expanded on in following movies.
"Fantastic Beasts" is a different and enjoyable ride while it lasts, but I do worry that the series going forward might not be able to carry its weight. It doesn't have the same sense of wonder and charm as the first time I saw "Harry Potter," but I fear nothing ever quite will.
