At 5:40pm on Thursday evening my sister called me, and her words "what are you doing at 6:05?" rang through. I had nothing planned that evening except eating some leftover tortellini alfredo, so when she asked if I wanted to come watch the premiere of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" I of course, being the Potterhead I am, agreed.
Sitting in the theater the anticipation crept along until the lights dimmed, and then it seemed like that same anticipation decided to pick up speed. My mother sat next to me, and even she squealed with delight.
The movie started, and Eddie Redmayne's ridiculously a-dork-able face came upon the screen. Within seconds you could tell he truly belonged to the Harry Potter universe as Newton "Newt" Scamander. Welcome to the Harry Potter family, Mr. Redmayne!
The movie took off relatively quickly, and the audience was introduced to a slew of characters; many of whom were played by people I either hadn't remembered were playing supporting roles, or they were complete and total surprises because I hadn't paid enough attention.
Colin Farrell as Mr. Graves was as charismatic as you'd expect from Farrell. He always has this "CCC" (calm, cool, and collected) demeanor in the roles he plays, and this one was no different. Dan Fogler, known for many comedic roles, brought a multitude of laughs to the movie as Mr. Jacob Kowalski; a worker at a canning factory with a desire to open his own bakery. Credence Barebone was played by none other than rising star Ezra Miller. While Jacob Kowalski was the comic relief, Credence's story line was the dramatic, dark side. Katherine Waterston, also known as Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein, was a super pleasant surprise in my opinion. I hadn't really known what to expect as I don't think I've ever watched anything with her in it, but she was exactly as she needed to be. Katherine brought the fiery, passionate, ambitious nature that Tina needed in order to be the supporting role she had. I saw a lot of myself in her character, which helped me like her even more (obviously!).
The story itself was much different than many Potterheads I know thought it would be. Many watch the movies without reading the books, and if you had gone into the movie without reading the book you wouldn't have expected what you watched. You likely would have imagined something much closer to the HP World you know and love, but Rowling has expanded the world for more.
Newt Scamander is the Hufflepuff you want to get to know. I was extremely impressed with the casting and the story. I'm excited to see where the world of Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and the No-Majs/Muggles goes from here.
P.S. The end of the movie has a very pleasant "surprise" for those of you who catch it ;)
