The last time I entered the world of Harry Potter was in 2011. I was 15 years old and had grown up with this series. I was enthralled by every page and every second of every film, and even though I'm now 20, there's no change in my love for these films.
2016 has been an amazing year for Harry Potter fans. We got a new book (of sorts), a new stage play, more information from JK Rowling on her website Pottermore, and now the new film "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." On first impression, the film seemed to be a pretty cut and dry story of famed wizard Newt Scamander as he recovers his beasts after they've been released in New York City, but after watching the movie myself, I've found new information about the world I grew up loving. And though a few plot points seemed obvious, I loved the film nonetheless.
WARNING: Spoilers follow the break
First things first: Let's talk about the special effects.
The last five years have done wonders for special effects in the Harry Potter universe. Each spell cast seemed to have new life breathed into it, and each mystical creature has a touch of new realism where the original octology seemed overly fake. The main villain (a word I'm hesitant to use after the end of the film), Creedence the obscurus/obscurial, was so amazingly well done that you could've told me it was a real creature and I'd probably believe you. (Creedence's haircut, however, is a beast in its own right.)
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Next, let's touch on characters.
Newt Scamander was portrayed brilliantly by Eddie Redmayne. I'm kind of a fanboy of his though since I've loved every role he's played since Marius in Les Miserables. It seems Redmayne's light personality shows through and makes Newt Scamander a very likable character. Katherine Waterson plays a great Tina (who's name I just had to Google). Though this character is a fun 'stick to the rules' kind of girl, she didn't have much personality past that. Her backstory only goes as far as her career in MACUSA, which I feel is a waste. She'd be a great character to explore in future stories and films. Dan Fogler played Jacob Kowalski, who was by far my favorite character. He was basically what I think we all would be if we were thrown into a magical world, and his character was brilliant. It almost broke my heart at the end when he was obliviated by the thunderbird.
The "Fantastic Beasts" were also great characters. I was probably the loudest one laughing during the Erumpet's courting session with Newt and Jacob, and the Niffler was a great comic relief during some high-stress moments. Also, worth noting was the Thunderbird, the creature that is the namesake for an Ilvermorny house. This creature of legend definitely had the whole legend vibe down pat.
Okay, now let's tackle the plot.
Overall, the plot had 3 chains. Newt gathering all of the Fantastic Beasts, Creedence's obscurus/the new Salem, and Grindelwald's reign of terror that was at its peak during the 1920s. They all seemed pretty easy to follow, but the plot I want to focus on is the least of the three, Grindelwald. His plot line was the first one introduced, and then quickly abandoned until the end of the film. However, the reveal of Graves as Grindelwald was absolutely too obvious to me. I mean, let's be real. Same hairstyle, different color. Different name, same first letter. Either Grindelwald was lazy, or the writers were. When they revealed him at the end, I was too focused on the "well duh" factor to even note that it was another role played by Johnny Depp. He did a good job, but I couldn't appreciate it. The other 2 plot lines were great and fun to follow, and my heartstrings were pulled when Creedence died (or seemed to). A tiny piece of Obscurus floating away at the end seems to point to more from our friend with a weird haircut.
Overall, it was an excellent film and a great way to bring back an insanely popular series. I sincerely hope to see more of Newt Scamander, and hope they continue to do a great job bringing justice to a widely loved universe.
