Let me just start out by apologizing for the title of this article, but I really couldn't resist. Also, I may be a little biased as I was already a huge "Harry Potter" and JK Rowling fan before this movie came out. But in my honest opinion, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" was an incredible film, and it was exactly what I wanted it to be. One important thing to remember before seeing this film is that it's not one of the "Harry Potter" movie. While this movie takes place in the wizarding world, it's set in the 1920s with all new characters.
This film follows two storylines at once. It follows Newt Scamander, a mazoologist's journey to New York City, and it also follows the wizarding government, MACUSA's involvement in the war with Grindelwald. These two stories end up combining in strange and interesting ways as the plot plays out. The movie not only introduces us to many new characters, but it also introduces a whole new magical city. Throughout the "Harry Potter" series you never really hear about many places outside of the United Kingdom. So, seeing how America and specifically New York wizards and witches live was really exciting.
One of the other main differences I found in this movie versus the "Harry Potter" franchise was the tone of the film. The "Harry Potter" movies started out more lighthearted and eventually became darker, but this film right from the very first scene shows a darker side of the wizarding world at war. This movie showed death in a different way from the other movies, and you could tell it was meant for a slightly older audience.
From the first second, this film is filled with nostalgia and made the Potter fan in me very, very happy. The score especially did it for me. James Newton Howard, who also did the music for parts of the "Hunger Games" series, really outdid himself with the soundtrack for this film. I haven't been able to stop listening to it since I first saw the movie.
Eddie Redmayne plays the perfect Newt Scamander in my opinion, he pulls off the Hufflepuff aesthetic perfectly. He was clumsy in all the right ways, while also really caring towards every creature and person he came across during his adventure.
I think this movie created an amazing stepping stone for the rest of the series, and I can't wait to watch every single one of them. I can't wait to see more of Newt's adventures and learn more about the terror Grindelwald created throughout the wizarding world.
Rating: 5/5
