Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Spoiler Alert!)
FantasticBeastsMovie.com
As a huge Harry Potter fan, I was very excited when I heard there was going to be a spin off movie. When I found out that Eddie Redmayne was going to be starring in it, I could hardly contain myself. Despite loving the Harry Potter books and films, I was not expecting much from ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, as most prequels to much loved franchises, tend to be poor in comparison to the originals. I was expecting a Hobbit style disappointment, but was pleasantly surprised.
Set in the 1920s, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in bustling New York City carrying a suitcase full of his fantastic creatures. On the way to buy another, he runs into an anti-witch protest and as he stops to listen, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folger), bumps into him and one of his creatures escapes. He enlists the no-maj (American term for muggle) to help him catch it, but their suitcases get switched and Jacob accidentally allows the creatures to escape. Porpentina (Katherine Waterston) tries to arrest Newt for possession of illegal magical beasts, but her superiors refuse to listen to her. Newt, along with Jacob, Porpentina and her sister, set off to find the creatures and soon discover that a dangerous creature, known as an Obscurus, is wreaking havoc among the no-majs of New York, threatening to expose the wizarding world. At the end of the film, Newt helps the ministry to obliterate the memories of all the no-majs, but also must do the same to Jacob, who has developed a close relationship with the wizards. Also, they manage to uncover Grindelwald, a dark wizard mentioned in the original series, who was ranked second only to Voldemort. The beasts, who live in Newt’s suitcase, which seems to have infinite space inside, are portrayed as being harmless, and even cute. Warner Bros have outdone themselves in their animations throughout the movie.
I would recommend this film to anyone who loves Harry Potter, or anything magical. Warning: You will leave wanting a niffler.
A niffler , Mirror.co.uk
HCAU Rating: 5/5