Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review – Jack Fitzpatrick
Like many people who are experiencing their twenty-something year old lives right now, I grew up with the “>Harry Potter” series, both the books and – more so for me – the movies. For many young people the series is something that has just always been there; Until just a few years ago, there was seemingly always a new book to be written or yet another film to be released. This world of witchcraft and wizardry established a certain sense of familiarity with us. It became iconic. We knew Harry, we knew his friends. And so naturally the series became embedded into our childhoods through an abundant amount of pages and / or a lengthy runtime on screens.
And I’ve always appreciated the story behind Hogwarts and the entirety of the eccentric world that it takes place in. The whimsy of it all, the iconic characters who I somehow naturally all know by name as well as the brilliant world building that it’s all set upon are all undeniably some elements of genius that I’ve grown to highly respect over the years.
That being said though… It was never my favorite franchise in the world (What can I say? I was more of a Marvel guy, even as a kid.) and in all honesty, I was always reasonably far from any form of obsession. Yeah I liked them all enough, and I’d certainly seen them all enough times to make an impact, but I was never absolutely in love with it, like I was with other franchises like say Spider-man. And so unsurprisingly when I heard that there was more to be seen of this fictional world I was at first a bit skeptical. “The story ended!” I exclaimed. “It’s done!”
Of course though, I then learned what it was all about. That it would actually be a prequel to “Harry Potter” and that it was based on other things which were unexplored but lightly touched upon within the series. And I admit, this, along with the fact that fans of the franchise certainly seemed to be in a strong state of anticipation for the films release began to get me quite curious. And soon enough, I began to see “Harry Potter” videos and articles, along with Fantastic Beasts posters, website banners and other advertising popping up EVERYWHERE making it virtually impossible to avoid . And I hate to say it but from here my curiosity just grew… And honestly after actually having seen the film, if you ask me I’d say that it was certainly worth all this ridiculous hype.
So let me start off by saying that this movie was just straight up fun. Every scene and set piece seemed to possess this certain sense of charm and wit which undeniably and consistently made its way onto the surface with each moment. With its generous cast of new characters who I’m sure will grow to be more and more lovable as the franchise goes on as well as its imaginative use of enchanting visuals and direction, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a movie that just makes you want to smile. The creativity involving the diverse uses of magic as well as the design of the cute animal like creatures who were plentifully present all over are just some examples of the brilliance to adore throughout the film. Put simply; “Fantastic Beasts” is just a tremendously enjoyable film that fits right in to the world of the “Harry Potter” universe.
But hang on… Let me just take this review to an immediate halt for a second, first I should probably explain the general plot in layman terms just in case you aren’t too familiar with the source material or the general idea behind it; Set in a gothic 1920’s era New York City we follow an awkward, yet ridiculously kind and young wizard named Newt whom has taken the responsibility to rescue creatures, beasts and monsters – whatever you want to call them – in need. Early in the film he misplaces a magical suitcase which possesses all of these beings and subsequently a number of them get loose and run free among New York – A place where they certainly do not belong. A bulk of the plot focuses on Newt’s journey as he attempts to catch these animal like creatures back and return them to safety. Along the way he comes across an array of other peculiar characters and the plot of course becomes tangled in bigger and more complex things that I won’t get in to here. To the core though, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is an adventure film.
It’s here where I feel that I should also mention that I think that this film is probably a well suitable entry point for new fans who are not as familiar with the other movies or novels. Ignoring a few moments which could potentially come off as somewhat alienating in form of some already established jargon from the earlier titles, “Fantastic Beasts” is a fairly new and unexplored film for fans and new comers alike. Being set in America makes it so that there are some cultural differences in terms of the wizarding world. They have their own set of terminology (such as their word for ‘Muggle’ is translated to ‘No-Maj,’) their own Ministry of Magic based in America with their own laws and their own history that is somewhat separate from that of the world we see in Harry Potter.” And so “Fantastic Beasts” holds a somewhat daunting task of keeping the franchise connected, while also feeling separate enough to be part of its own worthy series.
Bringing all of this back to the relevant topic of “Harry Potter” though, (Which one can’t help but compare this to) something that “Fantastic Beasts” magnificently accomplishes is capturing that same sense of magic and wonder of its predecessor. Along with that comes a fitting and familiar sounding, yet different enough score that truly sets the tone, a brief exploration on the politics and reputations revolving around wizardry in the time and place that the film is set and a substantial amount of world building. With all this and more, “Fantastic Beasts” proves to be wondrous and impressively entertaining throughout. This is a perfect example of a film that could be considered truly magical in terms of escapism, it really brings you in to its world.
And what a world. Like the films before it (Or rather, if we consider the timeline; after it) “Fantastic Beasts” constantly feels like just a glimpse into a larger and more established world. Director David Yates (Who I was glad to hear was returning to the series.) and long-time author, but first time screenwriter J.K. Rowling both choose to reveal quite a fair share of fantastical elements throughout, but keep enough hidden away in the darker corners and away from the general focus of the film. This really grounded the film. It made everything much more believable despite how bizarre a film like this can be. This also expertly left much more to be desired in the impending sequels – This is the first of a series of five feature films after all. And if they revealed everything this early in the game, well the game would be over by half time – But enough of my terrible sports analogies. “Fantastic Beasts” felt like a strategic entry into potentially greater things.
But at that I do have to say that this could sometimes slightly hinder the film, but not nearly enough to truly complain about. Though at times “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” could feel like it’s very purpose for existing was to set up later films, a problematic approach that we’ve seen in long-term franchises before it. when I say that, more specifically I mean that it definitely felt like one piece of the puzzle, there was much intently left out and in some ways not too much happens when you consider the overall plot. But rather the film instead focuses on an equally difficult task of playing introduction in form of setting up a world, its characters and their stories. Allowing it to feel like something bigger was always going on beyond the films focus, and all layered in subtext. The characters were clearly developing and heading towards future storylines, the world that it’s set in was quickly established with its politics and tone and along with these things comes much to notice in the backgrounds of just about each and every scene.
Something else that unfortunately seemed to make its way into just about each and every scene though was a heavy use of Computer Generated Imagery and Green-Screen based effects. And before you start to say anything – before you get to yelling at me in the comments, (I see you,) just give me a second to explain myself;
Now I’m not one to complain about these sorts of things often. In fact I have some fairly foolish eyes for such a passionate film lover. I’m not often taken aback by not so impressive effects and I have absolutely no bias against the use of CGI. I mean, how the hell else are you going to make a film like this? (Yeah, yeah, I know… “PRACTICUL EFFECTS!”) But I will say that in some of the scenes the use Green-Screen in particular was largely noticeable. It often stood out like black on white. Again though, I’m not really one to be too bothered by that sort of thing. I still bought in to the film as a whole anyway. That being said though, I could definitely see this breaking somebody else’s total immersion – So keep that in mind if you haven’t seen it yet.
Speaking specifically of the CGI though, it is truly a wonder what special effects in films are capable of nowadays. With impressive character designs from the abundantly clear in form of the cute little magical animals Newt has in his suitcase to the only slightly more subtle examples like the house elves and the many uses of visible types of spells, charms and enchantments throughout. “Fantastic Beasts” proves to be competent in presenting these attractive CGI effects – even if as I said; The Green-Screen wasn’t always quite up to scratch along with it.
Beyond the special effects, the film was also a marvel to look at in terms of cinematography. The film made use of many strongly atmospheric settings which were made complete by a tinge of blues and greys. Throughout, Yates also constantly moves the camera through the action. “Fantastic Beasts” never shied away from clearly showing the details of a scene no matter how intricate. Scenes involving heavy destruction, mythical creatures or some other form of flamboyant visuals were all equally on displays here. The camera play was fun and present throughout and I always love this, it always makes for a film which feels much more lively than if it didn’t go with this approach. Instead we get many uses interesting shots, one of my favourites of which were these certain point of view shots from the perspective of a mysterious beast as it rapidly crashed through everything in its path leaving nothing but a wreck of debris behind it. Beyond that though there was also much more to notice, and I’m sure I even missed a fair share of it considering how jammed full the film was overall.
Speaking of the film being jammed full, “Fantastic Beasts” also presented a strong cast of both actors and the characters that they represent. Who will all potentially be considered quite iconic in coming years. First I’ll get to talking in a bit more detail about the protagonist Newt, who is instantly likable most prominently due to his strong passion for magical animals which we clearly get to see much of through his work saving them. It’s here where Eddie Redmayne majorly surprised the hell out of me; I didn’t hate him in something! In fact, I really really liked him! If I had to say there was one thing that I wasn’t so sure about before seeing the movie, it was probably the choice of casting him as the lead. But I stand corrected. Casting him really paid off and I think I’ll be giving this guy a second chance in future films. He was accurately friendly, but played it off in a unique way which sometimes purposefully came off as physically comedic. He was also just generally super likable and convincingly awkward, but perhaps most respectably was also clearly quite a powerful, noble and competent wizard, worthy of playing the lead in a movie such as this. Newt definitely feels like a character who I will really grow to care for in later films, and even did so a little bit here.
Along on his quest come some friends who Newt meets along the way, including a Ministry of Magic member played by Katherine Waterson who essentially plays the Hermione to Newt’s Harry, as well as an originally irrelevant ‘No-maj’ bystander played by Dan Fogler who gets caught up in the confusion and soon becomes an integral part of the film’s plot. It’s he who I think may just become the fan favorite as he essentially plays as the vehicle that introduces us into the “Fantastic Beasts” world. He’s initial reactions to magic, which he is all seeing for the first time often comes off as genuine as well as humorous and he is constantly used as light comic relief throughout. Along with this though he also proves that he is a guy with real heart, and I think in the end this is a very strong character and easily one of my personally favorites in the film.
Now, We Need to Talk About Credence. Credence Barebone that is, who was played significantly well by The Flash himself; Ezra Miller. Without a crazy amount of screen time, Credence proved to be one of the most interesting characters in the film, despite being far from one of the most likable.
And lastly I should probably speak about Colin Farrell who was also a particular stand out among the crowd. With quite a prominent role, Farrell’s character Percival Graves (Which is just such a “Harry Potter” name by the way) is also an interesting one. With no lack of personal conflict or decisively mysterious motivations, Graves is certainly one to keep an eye on in this film.
There was also a large amount of side characters played in part by a cast the cute animated creatures which Newt has, or is trying to get back, in his briefcase. Some of which include a mischievous little beast who has a natural attraction to all things shiny, including money and jewellery, so constantly finds itself getting in to trouble during its many thefts, a small stick insect like critter that adorably has what Newt describes as ‘attachment issues,’ and a rather quirky ape like creature who possesses some interesting supernatural abilities just to mention a few. It’s here where the film really shines as it shows these creatures who greatly release even more magic into the film.
Another aspect that I loved about these particular creatures was the complicated reputation that they had in the world of the film. This reputation resulted in them being harshly and unjustly judged as being cruel and monstrous, when really they do not want to hurt anyone. It’s just that when they are caught in a difficult situation, many of the beasts could be considered dangerous. Like a lion in a shopping centre, or a shark in a pool. These are not inherently evil animals that deserve to be obliterated, but should also be dealt with, with extreme caution. Newt only wants what’s best for these creatures and will do what he can to keep them safe, as well as keep them from accidentally harming anybody else. This is another aspect of the film that is strongly explored and brings some real controversy to the tale. And if you love animals like I do, it’s things like this that could sometimes hit close to home.
Along with Newt’s beasts come many comical slapstick set pieces and cute little moments made purely for fun and not much else. This is no criticism though, “Fantastic Beasts” is simply full of very friendly comedy that I think would make just about anyone smile. It wasn’t afraid to show a quirkier, goofier side of things and sometimes the cartoony and childlike moments of hilarity really worked. There was nothing terribly offensive here and all of the gags came off as terribly innocent. In fact, the film felt so earnest at times that I’d feel bad if I hadn’t laughed. Thankfully, pretty much every moment got to me though, and I was smirking the whole 2 and a bit hour duration.
To balance out all of the light heartedness which was certainly delivered in spades throughout, the film also managed to present a perfect mix of darkness to go along with it. Elements of evil were clearly present and at times, “Fantastic Beasts” could sometimes match the tone of some of the later “Harry Potter” films rather than the earlier ones. Violence and tragedy play key parts in the films plot overall, even if most of the film is covered in cute little overtones; It’s all in the subtext. The conflicting tones such as these could at times prove to be just a little jarring, but mostly this balancing act was performed surprisingly well. With a good amount of both innocent whimsy and foreboding dangers alike. And I’m sure we will be seeing much more of the darker things to come throughout the rest of the series.
One more negative that I do have to discuss regarding the film is that by the end of it, it did start to become just a little bit untangled within itself. Some tropes from the “Harry Potter” series began to show their weary heads and ultimately by the end of the film, the structure began to feel a little weird. At times I felt that the pacing was just a little bit off and I wasn’t quite sure where the film was going or how much longer it had to go. And then soon enough, before I even knew it we were in the middle of the climax and the film was on its way out. Novels and scripts are two very different beasts and if J.K. Rowling will be writing the rest of these films, I do hope that she begins to get the hang of it… just that little bit more. That being said though the creativity ultimately shone through without fail, the fun made its way into every scene and the characters certainly didn’t lack any personality. This was clearly not the work of an amateur. The writing was far, far from terrible.
In the end, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was fittingly ‘fantastic.’ It was surely long, yet fast paced so it never felt like it was being overly dragged out, it was friendly and funny but also held a dark side and it introduced us into a new world of unknown wizards, witches and magical creatures, but never felt unwelcoming or bloated.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was a film so good that at some points I thought to myself ‘I hope this never ends,’ and it’s a film that just makes you want to smile. It has some beautifully cinematic music, astonishing cinematography that wasn’t afraid to boldly put itself on display throughout and a creatively told story that was heavily entrenched in this strong fictional world of magic and sorcery. Perhaps not being the best of the bunch in comparison to “Harry Potter,” I’d still say that “Fantastic Beasts” truly earns it’s way onto a respectable level among them, and I now longingly await the coming entries, which I’m sure, will follow-up with style.
9/10
