[yasr_overall_rating]
The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.
I am a huge Harry Potter fan, not of the books (as I haven’t read them) but of the movies. I loved how author J.K. Rowling introduced us to the world of magic, and began when Harry was but a boy, an outsider who felt deep inside, that he was different, and once he reached Hogwarts, he knew that was where he was meant to be. I also loved how Rowling introduced the first two stories as more light-hearted and whimsical fare, with undertones of something more sinister but once we reached “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azbakan,” the mood immediately became darker and more intense, and with each new entry into the series, the light continued to fade, until the inevitable confrontation between Harry and Voldemort. Rowling, like George Lucas before her, has created a magical (pun intended) universe where absolutely anything is possible and while there is no talk, at the current time, of a new Harry Potter book, or film, there are limitless characters and stories that could be told from within this universe.
And that’s exactly where we find ourselves with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Set in the same wizarding world as Harry Potter but over half a century earlier, and on a different continent, we are introduced to Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), an English wizard and writer in New York City, visiting America for the very first time. He is carrying a suitcase which is host to a bevy of magical creatures, and while traversing the bustling streets of New York, one of the creatures manages to escape and causes havoc in a nearby bank, in which a “No-maj” (Non-magical person) named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), inadvertently becomes embroiled. With Newt having no option but to brandish his wand in order to set things right, the incident is witnessed by Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), an officer of the Magical Congress of the United States of America who proceeds to take him to her headquarters. In the commotion, Jacob manages to escape. Once at the location though, Tina interrupts the President of the Magical Congress who is in a meeting, stating that Newt has just entered New York with a suitcase full of illegal magical creatures. They demand to see the inside of the case, and upon it being opened, they are all dumbfounded when they discover nothing but pastries. Tina is informed that she is an embarrassment to the agency and told to leave.
She takes Newt back to her place where he meets Queenie (Alison Sudol), Tina’s sister and a mind-reader but he informs them that Jacob must have taken his suitcase by accident, as they had matching cases, and they need to find him before he opens it. They eventually track him down but some of the creatures have already escaped so they set off to find these fantastic beasts before they turn New York City upside down. Along the way, they uncover a sinister secret, that an Obscurial, an evil, amorphous entity, has been attacking the city and causing all sorts of mayhem. The Magical Congress are concerned because as long as they co-exist with the non-magical people of the city, living in a parallel dimension that keeps them and their powers hidden, everything will be fine, but because the Obscurial’s power is so strong, and is gradually penetrating into the real world, its actions could expose them to a God-fearing society and wreak havoc around the globe. As Newt scurries around town, following leads and traces of evidence, it becomes apparent that someone at the Magical Congress, a high-ranking official, is involved with the Obscurial, and when Newt and Tina discover their identity, before they have time to warn anybody, they are taken into custody and their deaths are immediately ordered. With no time to waste, Queenie senses the fear and distress coming from Tina and both her and Jacob enter Congress headquarters, her wand at the ready. After breaking them out, they wind up at a deserted underground train station where Newt tries to talk to the Obscurial, hoping to stop its reign of terror but when their adversary shows up, encouraging its destructive behavior, Newt faces off with them, the entire city hanging in the balance.
While “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” most certainly takes place in the same universe as Harry Potter, it is in no way as magical. Newt carries a wand and is more of a writer than a wizard but when the time comes, he uses it as needed. I equate Newt to the magical equivalent of Jack Ryan, he is more of an analyst and examiner, rather than a tough-as-nails wizard but when necessary, he is more than capable of taking care of himself. Watching New York City circa 1926 is absolutely breathtaking and cinematographer Philippe Rousselot does an exquisite job in showing the city in its infancy, leaving nothing to the imagination, it is all up there on the screen to enjoy. David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, does a tremendous job in making “Beasts” look as far removed from the Potter world as possible, and that is a good thing for this is a new beginning of sorts, new characters, new locales, new creatures, but with the occasional nod back to Hogwarts, and even Dumbledore himself, at times, you can’t help but wish this was a new Potter film instead. The characters are well-drawn and the movie does a great job setting them up for the inevitable sequels to come but I still felt like something was missing and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Like watching the Star Wars prequels after having grown up with the original trilogy, they really didn’t feel like Star Wars films, although the familiar music was there, and many of the characters, and the settings, they just didn’t have the same ambiance about them. This is the first movie in a planned five so maybe with the next installment, having been given the set-up here, they might be able to concentrate more on the story and the characters, instead of the magical special effects.
Available on Blu-ray & DVD March 28th
