“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” inspired by the published fictional textbook by the same name, is J.K. Rowling’s latest foray into the world of Harry Potter. The film follows Newt Scamander, the author of the “Fantastic Beasts” book, and his journey to 1920s America. Starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (remember that as you watch him perform a mating dance with a magical rhino), the movie takes us back to the Potterverse, albeit a few decades before Voldemort even set foot in Hogwarts.
When Newt arrives in America, he encounters aspiring bakery owner Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), an American if there ever was one. Newt also runs into ex-auror Tina (Katherine Waterston), who brings him to the attention of the Magical Congress of the United States of America and of the extremely untrustworthy Percival Graves (Colin Farrell). Due to an expected, but still amusing, switch-up of Newt’s and Jacob’s brown suitcases a number of Newt’s fantastic magical beasts escape into New York City, and the group must round them all up, like an extreme game of magical Pokémon Go.
The film gives Rowling a chance to explore the American side of the Wizarding World, as well as the expansive history of her world and characters. However, what I wanted and expected from the movie was not what I received. I wanted roaring twenties New York. What I got was a more subdued America, which honestly felt like the darker England eventually seen in the later Harry Potter films, a fact which can likely be attributed to director David Yates, who directed the final four movies of the series.
I expected a fun adventure focused on Redmayne’s awkwardly endearing portrayal of Newt Scamander and his passion for his creatures. The film does deliver this, but only for about half of the movie. The other half is spent exploring a number of B-plots, including the concerns the Magical Congress has about the fate of their world with Grindelwald (Dumbledore’s ex-lover/rival) on the loose, a questionable plot regarding some no-maj politicians and worst of all, a creepy and unsettling side story revolving around an abused boy (Ezra Miller’s Credence). Unfortunately, this is where the movie lost me.
I wanted “Fantastic Beasts” to be good. I grew up waiting for each Harry Potter novel; I went to those midnight premieres. Like all Harry Potter fans, I was excited to return to the Wizarding World, and I was optimistic about the film. But it often felt like I was watching two different movies – one was fun and, let’s just say it, magical, while the other was slow-going and uncomfortable. I’m not saying subject matters such as abuse shouldn’t be explored in film, but I am saying that this film does so in a manner which seems stumbling and out of place. Don’t even get me started on the fact that a film which is trying to condemn abuse cast Johnny Depp as such an important character.
While I’m not sure “Fantastic Beasts” and Newt Scamander are the right tool for the stories that Rowling seems to want to explore, the film ultimately does its job, which is to set the audience up for another series that takes place in the Wizarding World they love. I’m interested to see where the story ends up in the next films. Hopefully, now that the foundation has been laid, Rowling will be able to explore the story in a less disjointed way.
