FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM review by Rahul Vedantam

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM review by Rahul Vedantam

fantasticbeastsandwheretofindthem-poster16

We are now five years beyond the final theatrical release in the HARRY POTTER franchise, so the announcement of FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM was quite a joyous occasion for those of us who grew up on the series. For the many faults that THE HOBBIT had, I will still defend those films as a love letter to the original trilogy. They gave me a chance to get transported back to the world of Middle Earth. And truthfully that’s all I wanted out of this film, to get transported back into the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Surprisingly, FANTASTIC BEASTS seems to have failed in that regard, but greatly succeeded in creating a quality film. This film takes on a very different and less magical tone than the original franchise, but trades that in for a grounded look at the wizarding world we all know and love. I’m careful in my words there because FANTASTIC BEASTS isn’t “darker” or more “serious” than the HARRY POTTER franchise ever was. That series was littered with heavy themes that caused Harry to grow as a person. But FANTASTIC BEASTS’ 1926 New York setting strips away the adventure of the previous franchise and leaves thriller and mystery.

The film follows Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a British (magical) Zoologist traveling to the U.S. to release one of his creatures in its magical natural habitat of Arizona. However, when some of his creatures accidentally escape, he is charged by the U.S. Congress of Magic for releasing a beast that causes the death of a “no-maj” aka a muggle. In order to save his beasts and clear his name he must recapture all his lost creatures and find out what is killing people. But all around this there is an undercurrent of a revolution happening, and this beast may be more sinister than it seems. He’ll get help along the way from Tina (Katherine Waterston), a New York magical detective who has been demoted recently to working in the mail room, her mind-reading flirtatious but sweet sister Queenie, and a likeable no-maj baker named Jacob.

There is so much going on in this film as it tries to set up the world for both the climax and upcoming movies that defining the characters is left mainly up to the actors. When tasked with this, Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston don’t seem to be able to reach that level. After walking out of the theater I could not tell you more than two adjectives that describe either of their characters, and one of them is simply a strong moral compass. Surprisingly, it’s Dan Fogler (of such cinematic glory as GOOD LUCK CHUCK and FANBOYS) that steals the show. Mostly because his character is given the most developmental time, but he is quite lovable in every scene. Newt and Jacob’s exploits in finding a cute thieving gold-loving furry platypus and giant rhino in heat and the most fun parts the film.

On the underside of the movie we have Colin Farrell as Percival Graves, a high-ranking security magician who is manipulating Credence (Ezra Miller), an orphan boy who wants to be accepted for his abilities despite his abusive witch hunting adoptive mother. One of the shortfalls of the movie is how much they will confuse you until they begin to play a role in the story. And the confusion isn’t one of mystery, it seems like we are supposed to know what is going on, but it only makes sense in context that is revealed later. Too many important lines are quick throwaways, like the reason Tina got demoted, or why Newt had to lie about his reason for coming to the States. If you don’t pay attention to the mentions of Gellert Grindelwald (basically the magneto of this universe) then a big reveal of the movie will have no impact on you.

But oh when the payoffs come how they excel. Before I talk about the climax, I have to mention a scene where Newt shows Jacob all the fantastic creatures inside his briefcase, and it is one of the few moments that really capture the magic of the original series. Each creature is so unique and wonderful, and the CGI works wonders in making it seem real. The obscurial, literally a parasitic wind of destruction, actually looks like a cross between wind and animals, and the design team deserves credit for that. Part of the climax involves the obscurial tearing apart a train station, which is done wonderfully as the music swells and wizards collide. So while FANTASTIC BEASTS is not the HARRY POTTER sequel people were hoping for, and much of the movie rushes to the end, it all becomes worth it when you see the new world they were rushing to show us.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM opens November 18, 2016

Be Sociable, Share!

About the Author