Movies originally were created to allow us to be able to go to a different place with different characters potentially at different times so we can escape into a world that is not our own. So, needless to say, the fantasy genre is probably one of the oldest genres in the biz. And with this, there have been a plethora of these films produced--certainly too many to list. Suffice it to say, people love these films. After the Harry Potter films ended, J.K. Rowling had to create something for her audience to escape into, so what a better film in to escape but with "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
This spin-off of the Harry Potter franchise jumps back in time to explore the wizardry world of 1926 New York, which is being threatened by both mystical acts of destruction and a group of extremist No-Majs (the American term for Muggles, i.e. those unable to use magic). Author Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in the city as part of a global study of fantastic beasts, but he gets caught up in this conflict when some of the magical creatures in his care are accidentally released.
Newt inadvertently meets and befriends Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) when Newt starts attempting to retrieve his magical creatures. He delagates Jacob's help since he just happens to be there. Soon these two end up being arrested by one, Porpentina Goldstein/ Tina (Katherine Waterston), a mystical wizardry officer, only then realizing she just made a huge mistake. So as they go on the lam, they decide to hold up at Tina's sister, Queenie's (Alison Sudol) place so as to figure out what to do. The one that is the real problem here is Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), a wizard who's a self proclaimed judge, jury and executioner for any other wizard to even get in his way. What is this mild-mannered wizard to do where he feels like he is a stranger in a strange land?
Others to round out the cast are Samantha Morton as Mary Lou, Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone, Jon Voight as Shaw Senior, Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery, Ron Perlman as Gnarlak, Sam Redford as Customs Official, Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty Barebone, Credence's younger sister, Jenn Murray as Chastity Barebone and Josh Cowdery as Sen. Henry Shaw Jr.
This was whimsically and creatively directed by David Yates ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" '07, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" '09, "Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows: Part 1" '10, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" '11, "The Legend of Tarzan" '16). plus tons of TV. One thing I can say for the likes of Yates is he sticks to what he knows best and he certainly is the king of this type of film, hence his resume. The sad thing is that I would like to see what this guy would do with a film out of his comfort zone. He's a consummate director, so he would undoubtedly fair well. This was expressly written with whimsy and humor by the Harry Potter queen herself, J.K. Rowling. She really isn't a screenwriter--she penned all of the Harry Potter novels, so when she decided to pen the original screenplay of this, it had to be a huge jump for her. This isn't Academy Award writing, but certainly is entertaining and whimsical to watch. This being a prequel, if you will, Rowling really didn't need to have exquisite writing to get her audience in those seats, but it was definitely strong enough to keep one glued to the screen.
If the story and writing doesn't necessarily grab you, the photography by Philippe Rousselet, afc/asc, is breathtaking and the music by famed James Newton Howard ("The Sixth Sense" '99, "Peter Pan" '03, "Blood Diamond" '06, "The Dark Knight" '08, "Maleficent" '14) plus tons of others, is as whimsical as it is haunting. Of course the costumes by Colleen Atwood and the visual effects predominantly by MPC, Double Negative and Framestore are seamless and actually enhances the production values.
If you're a Harry Potter junkie, you'll be in Potter heaven. This apparently takes place 70 years before Harry Potter reads Newt's book in school, so this is probably a must see for any Potter fan. It's an entertaining, whimsical film all in a nifty IMAX/3D format to bring it even closer to home.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 132mins.
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