Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol
Directed By: David Yates
Written By: J.K. Rowling
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi
[rating: 4/5]
The Harry Potter series is done for now, give or take a stage play or two, and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t leave a hole in my life. J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world has been a huge part of my, and many others, life for almost as long as I can remember. It helped spark my imagination, grew my interest in reading and story-telling. Basically, it greatly helped shape who I have become as the (almost) fully fledged adult I am today. So, it came as a delight to hear that this wonderful world I grew up with, that I lived and breathed, was getting a new installation in the form of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The problem now, is whether this expansion on this world can live up to the lofty expectations left by its predecessor.
It would have been easy for Fantastic Beasts to be overshadowed by its predecessor, it is a big shadow afterall, but J.K. Rowling has put in great efforts to remove this story as much as possible from the Harry Potter series while still toeing the line and keeping it a tangible part of this wizarding world she has created. As a result, this film manages to both be warmly familiar and feel like a fresh and unexplored corner of this marvellous universe, an important page in its history. We are exposed to a different continent, a different time and different dangers than we’ve seen before. Newt Scamander enters a tumultuous time in American Wizarding affairs, one rife with conflict and intrigue. It makes for an engaging tale, one that can be bright, bubbly and cute one minute but seeping with danger and darkness the next. Rowling is a masterful story-teller and, for the most part, her skills translate wonderfully to the silver screen.
Fantastic Beasts isn’t a perfect film, however. A number of the more villainous characters in the film feel under-drawn and two-dimensional. Not enough time is spent on them to warrant the audience feeling all that much for them or caring too much about their fates. Similarly, the protagonist of the series, Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander, doesn’t quite sit comfortably for the beginning of the film. We are thrown into a scenario without being given anything about the character beyond a quirky dress sense and an awkward disposition. Don’t get me wrong, Redmayne’s Newt is adorable and likable, but what little character depth is revealed of him happens a little too late into the film for my tastes. This said, Redmayne does give a delightful performance, fully embodying the character with a cute, awkward charm. Even though you do wish he’d look people in the bloody eye more.
The best this film has going for it is its wondrous sense of fun and adventure. Yes, the film does get dark and scary in some parts, but for the most part it is a wonderful romp full of beautiful, imaginative creatures causing mayhem and a rag-tag group of enjoyable characters trying to clean up after them. It does come as a bit of a shame that director David Yates decided to go an extremely CGI heavy route for this film. A few more practical effects would have helped ground the visuals a little more, instead we’re left with a little dissonance from the visuals. The world feels less textual, less real and it unfortunately does hinder the immersion. Thankfully, wonderful human characters help ground the film and you should quickly forget most of the off-putting CGI. In particular, the relationship between Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski and Alison Sudol’s Queenie Goldstein absolutely sparks on screen, giving the film some much needed emotional weight.
I know you’ve been craving your next good ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ fix more than a House Elf hanging out for that sweet, sweet freedom-sock. You’re in luck, because the mystical and heart-warming charm that made you fall in love with the series is back with a vengeance to give us a fresh yet familiar romp with a host of delightful new characters and daring new adventures. Get your wands ready people, the phenomenon is about to begin again.
