Ok, so most critics didn't enjoy the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them as much as I did. But you know what? I don't care. It was amazing. Forget them.
Last night, I finally got to see the movie I've been waiting years for: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Ok, I wasn't waiting years specifically for this film, just for a continuation of the world of Harry Potter.
Anyways, before I start on my review of the movie, I must state this, because one of my friends kept getting it wrong: THIS IS NOT A CONTINUATION OF HARRY POTTER! Harry Potter and his friends will not be in the movies, and their storyline is different to Fantastic Beasts.
Basically, it'd be like making 8 movies about my high school and college life and then later making a movie over F. Scott Fitzgerald. It would make sense that I would not be in any way affiliated with the last movie, and therefore, it would not be "Lizzy enough". So my point is, the reason rotten tomatoes and other critics don't like the film as much is because they're comparing it to Harry Potter. While it's from the same universe, it is not the same. It's not even similar. It's not like saying Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace is horrible and not representative of the awesome quality of Star Wars. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is not the same as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They're different franchises and different story lines. Yes, they are from the same universe, or world, or whatever, but they are completely different series. The best term for this would be a spin off or pre-prequel. In other words, it would be different and not have the same qualities of Harry Potter.
Now, if you compare this movie to the Harry Potter movies, it is flat, boring, and a let down. If you compare this to movies in general, and mentally separate it from the Harry Potter series, like it's supposed to be, it is a wonderful rendition and continuation of the wizarding world.
Now, if you have yet to see the movie, below here are spoilers.
SPOIL ALERT!!!!!
First off, it's nice to see a Hufflepuff as the main character. I, personally am a Ravenclaw, but both houses are annoyingly left out. Also, Hufflepuffs are known to be great finders, hence the great name for the movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to FIND them. You can see Newt's house scarf in the briefcase when the muggle opens it, and hanging, when Newt goes into the suitcase (WHICH WAS AWESOME, BTW!).
Ilvermonry was mentioned, but not explained or seen. Same goes for Hogwarts. (Twas a funny scene, if you ask me...) Personally, I wished that they went into details about Ilvermorny.
There were many new magical "beasts" in the movie. My favorite one is the Niffler. He kinda looked like a platypus and collected everything shiny. He was cute, mischievous, but loyal, and liked Newt. (Loyalty is another Hufflepuff quality, Btw). There were also Thunderbirds (that could create storms by flapping its' wings, and sense danger), Bowtruckle (Which is a mini stick bug looking creature that is good a picking locks), Demiguise (which to me, look like sloths, but aren't slow, and they're loyal (again, Hufflepuff!) and their fur is used in making invisibility cloaks (except for Harry's), they also have precognantive sight. Which is pretty cool), Eurumpet, (which is an exploding rhino), and more.
In the movie, we also meet Porpentina Goldstein (or Tina, as she's called in the movie), who J.K. Rowling has said is (was? Tense is difficult in this sense lol) his wife. Although, in this movie, they're just now meeting. We do know that eventually they have a son and a grandson, as J.K. Rowling also said that Luna marries Rolf Scamander. We also meet Queenie, Tina's (twin?) sister, who is great at Legilimens (ability to read people's minds).
We meet Jacob Kowalski (the Muggle- sorry No-Maj... I like the Brit's term better. I'm calling him a Muggle from now on... Sorry.) who is played by Comedian Dan Fogler, who is a baker, and his reactions to everything magic are nothing short of hilarious greatness and perfection.
Credence was beaten insistantly and repeatedly every day for one reason: he had magic. The little girl in Africa was imprisioned and tortured daily because she had magic. They also knew they had magic and knew about it. Harry on the other hand was just mistreated because of his relation to his mother, Petunia's sister, and their deadbeat side of the family (Dursley's views). Yes, it was revealed later in the series about why they projected that, and in fact, was about magic, but they kept that away from Harry til his eleventh birthday. Pure and simple: the Obscurus are formed when a) the child is tortured, imprisioned, etc. because of their magic, b) know about their magical powers, and c) want to get rid of or hide their powers for a long time to fit in. Harry Potter does not meet these, and therefore, is the reason why he didn't make an Obscurus. (See, MATT! This is the reason for it, and it's not a plot hole!)
In conclusion, Fantastic Beasts was amazing for the film that it is, and should not be related to as a Harry Potter film. I'd give it an 9 3/4 out of 10.
