In Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Newt Scamander arrives in 1920s NYC (1926 to be exact) carrying with him a magical briefcase that contains a wide assortment of magical creatures. He comes to America for a specific reason, but ends up staying far longer than expected when a No-Maj (a term meaning a person with no magical abilities) named Jacob inadvertently opens Newt's case and unleashes some of the magical creatures into NYC. To make matters worse, there is a mysterious, destructive force wrecking chaos through NYC, and it isn't long before Auror (special wizard detectives/investigators) Percival Graves has targeted Newt's creatures as scapegoats. Now it's up to Newt and his new friends (which includes ex-Auror Porpentina Goldstein and her sister Queenie) to round up the creatures, clear their names, and save NYC.
Eddie Redmayne shines brightly as the awkward and introverted, but kind-hearted and friendly Newt. He is a Magizoologist that travels around the world, collecting various creatures so he can research them in the hopes of educating witches and wizards on them. He prefers his creatures to witches, wizards, No-Majs and Muggles (for very good reason, I think). I'd honestly say this is my favorite role of his thus far. He does his usual Eddie Redmayne thing, but it fits the character well. I was surprised by how much Newt grew on me, and I'm even more surprised to say that Newt is actually pretty cool in the film. It just feels good to have the hero be a Hufflepuff for a change, and one that makes me proud of my house as well (That's right, I'm a Hufflepuff too).
Katherine Waterston was pretty good as Porpentina, another kind-hearted soul who just wants to do the best she can at her job. She prefers to follow the rules, but isn't above breaking them if she feels the occasion calls for it. Alison Sudol is magnetic, beautiful and quite charming as Porpentina's vivacious younger sister Queenie. She has the ability to read minds, and is fairly sympathetic to No-Majs. I really liked Queenie and the romantic subplot that she brings with her. Dan Fogler is the best he has ever been as the clumsy but well-meaning Jacob. He manages to balance drama, comedy and real emotion. Fogler's Jacob ends up being a real asset to Newt's team, as well as proving himself to be a brave and good-hearted man.
Ezra Miller co-stars as a creepy, abused, and frightened young adult named Credence Barebone. He is a No-Maj who belongs to the Second Salemers, a society dedicated to spreading fear of witches and wizards (it's run by the evil Mary Lou, played by Samantha Morton). Miller is completely believable as the super-shy and awkward youth who is hiding a good deal of hatred, hurt and fear under his shaky facade. Colin Firth is Percival Graves, an Auror who takes Credence under his wing but has some ulterior, secret motives of his own (He's pretty great here). Johnny Depp also appears as Gellert Grindelwald, an evil wizard who wants to make No-Majs and Muggles alike bow under the power of witches and wizards. He was in the film more than I expected him to be (a nice surprise).
I love that we finally get a wizarding film that's set in America. This provides us with an exciting new magical environment we get to explore, as well as a chance brush up on wizarding politics in the U.S. (and indeed, the setting of 1920s NYC is beautifully and mesmerizingly realized). The wizarding government for America is called MACUSA (pronounced Ma-coo-za), short for Magical Congress of The United States of America. The governing body is somewhat scary but seems to have good intentions at the heart of most of their actions. It's run by Seraphina Picquery (Carmen Ejogo), a serious woman who hides a good heart under her stony facade.
Given the current times we live in, I think it's safe to say that we all need an escape right now. Luckily, J.K. Rowling (who penned the screenplay for the film, a first for her. She does a fantastic job and the film plays much like one of her books.) provides us with that much needed escape, while also commenting on the times we are living in today. Fantastic Beasts is fantastic, completely magical, and whimsical. It's also dark, grey, serious, scary at points, and a little sad. This outing seems to be geared more-so towards adults than kids (for some of the reasons stated above). The film has plenty of the fun, magical moments we've come to expect from the Potter franchise while still providing plenty of thrilling action and wizarding battles. The CGI is pretty great (both for the creatures, which are completely lovable, and for the action), and the 3D is very well done. There are plenty of objects and creatures which fly out of the screen and into our laps, along with a good deal of added depth. I'd go so far as to say that the 3D enhances the film, and the magic and whimsy found within (honestly, it feels like this film was made with 3D in mind).
I went into Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them hopeful but trepidatious. I can confidently say that my fears were unfounded, this film is awesome in all the right ways. Fantastic Beasts has great messages that are pretty relevant today, high quality performances from talented actors, plenty of magic and whimsy, and provides us with a much needed reprieve. I honestly can't think of one thing I didn't like about the film (ok, maybe the film ends a few too many times, some of the dialogue is mumbled, and while the pacing is slow, that never bothered me....it may some though). It's been 5 years since we last got to visit The Wizarding World, but it feels like so much longer. It's good to be back. You want an escape? I say let J.K. Rowling whisk you away as only she can.
5 STARS
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