» Blog Archive Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them -
Evan Conway Movies, News, Reviews

fantastic-beasts-logoThe world of the Harry Potter franchise needs no introduction. You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, we’ve all seen it, read it, or experienced it at some point. Its inspired several imitators, movie studios to rely heavily on the young adult film market, and captured the imagination of literally millions of people around the world. It’s kind of a big deal. With the core franchise revolving around the titular character having wrapped up in film format back in 2011, many would have thought author J.K. Rowling was putting the franchise to bed and living happily ever after.

How wrong we were.

Not only has Rowling debuted the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play to audiences and readers alike this year, but also given fans her first screenplay in film format with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Set in the 1920’s, the film centers around Newt Scamander as he arrives in New York City. Certain events unfold, and suddenly some creatures from his suitcase get loose in the city. If that wasn’t problematic enough, there’s something dark lurking in the corners of New York (What else is new?) and Newt and his friends find himself in the thick of things very quickly.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEMFantastic Beasts may exist in the same timeline and universe as Harry Potter eventually will, but the struggle it must overcome is keeping it familiar, all the while creating its own identity for itself. In a way, it does that by sharing similar conventions with its parent series, but also aims to recapture that sense of wonder that the original films had. This lends credence to the film’s0 problem, which comes almost right after the opening credits: the pacing. Right from the get-go, the film has a massive info-dump that shows multiple newspapers that explain the ongoing events in the wizard world. While viewers may be well versed in the wizard vernacular of England, the film complicates things by adding in the new terminology to mix things up. This would have been more helpful if you weren’t so distracted by the constant distractions, developments, and new characters who keep popping up left and right, all of which are important to the story in some way.

In particular, this first twenty minutes of the film is an upward battle of patience. The character of Jacob Kowalski is constantly met with new things and we, in a way, vicariously experience this through him, but it’s not enough and new info and familiar info is fed to you. While this may seem detrimental and all, it’s towards the first acts’ conclusion that we see things open up and deliver more on the expectations of the title: the beasts, Newt’s interactions with them, and the massive second act that contains the tracking of these creatures.

fantastic-beasts-2Eddie Redmayne plays Newt with an outstanding amount of charm, softness, and honesty once you see him open up. His comfort with the creatures that would normally scare the witches and wizards away in terror makes you see how compassionate and intelligent he is, in a way almost being like the Steve Irwin of the Wizarding World. The only human he truly shows comfort with is Jacob, whose charm is just as great as Newt’s and brought to life by Dan Fogler. Undoubtedly going to be a new favorite, Jacob’s introduction to the magical world is a comedic and fun one, and his cartoonish nature helps makes his dynamic with Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudal) so fun and humorous as they almost instantly fall in love with each other.

It’s with some of the other cast that things become hit or miss, and it seems to be due to the writing of their respective characters. Katherine Waterston seems to be doing what she can with the character of Porpentia Goldstein, but ultimately she’s written as a plot device to weave the film’s two plotlines together near its conclusion. Carmen Ejogo plays President Seraphina Picquery of the MACUSA, and while other characters in the Harry Potter series held a similar title, Seraphina’s presence is never felt in the same way that respective Ministers of Magic were felt.

Still, plenty of the supporting cast does a fine job carrying their respective aspects of the plot. Both Colin Farrell and Ezra Miller deliver memorable performances for their plotline alone, but the inclusion of these characters is what starts to muddle a cohesive story. On one end you have Newt finding the creatures and dealing with MACUSA on his trail, while the other seems to be onto much darker things that are best not spoiled. While these plots work great on their own and ultimately come together, one can’t help but feel like Rowling had two ideas that she wanted to get out at once, as well as lead into possible future installments.

fantastic-beasts-3The film’s second act features more of the magical creatures being captured and disturbing New York City, but the film’s third act is where these plots collide into one another, resulting in a truly exceptional and well handled third act. Director David Yates is best when magic is being used and action is the centerpiece to carry the emotional weight forward, and the film certainly delivers on spectacle. While you won’t find the firework-like duels that were featured in Yates’ previous Harry Potter films, the third act delivers on those expectations.

Even still, the film suffers CGI problems throughout. So much magic and CGI characters are abound in the film, it becomes obvious that the smaller stuff like plates and food being levitated aren’t nearly as well animated, even by some of the older Harry Potter films had been. That being said, the spells still look excellent and believable, whereas it seems a good majority of the CGI budget went to the film’s third act, as well as the majority of the film’s creatures.

Fans of the franchise will feel at home with Fantastic Beasts despite the American setting, and it may even serve as a decent jumping on point for new fans, as well. While the pacing and writing can be problematic, the characters are (For the most part) charming and good fun, and the creatures that Newt goes to recapture will surely capture your imagination and hit you with the nostalgia. It’s a far-cry from perfect and doesn’t touch the best the franchise has to offer, but it certainly opens the potential for more stories in this universe.

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