Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Foreword

I’m stepping into new territory this week by reviewing a film that is still in theatres. So… let me give you some background. I went home this weekend and was looking forward to hanging out with my friends and going to the movies, specifically to see Hacksaw Ridge. Going to the movies and late night drives are the things we enjoy doing as a group… but, unfortunately, I could not get anyone together. It’s Thanksgiving break and everyone is with family or probably sleeping. However, my younger sister is a big Harry Potter fan and had been bugging my father all week to see Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them and being the “movie buff” that I am, I went along with my family.

Preview

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them takes place in 1926, almost 70 years before the events of the Harry Potter films. The film is loosely inspired by a book written by J.K. Rowling under the pen name Newt Scamander. The book actually appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as a book Harry must purchase for his first year at Hogwart’s. In the book, there are descriptions of 85 different magical creatures. In the film, Newt Scamander travels to New York City, but in the United States wizards have different rules than they do in Great Britain. Magical creatures are outlawed and wizards must never let regular “No-maj” humans know that magic exists. The times are also dark as the wizard Gellert Grindelwald is looking to start a war between the magic and non-magic world (something that will probably drive the next few films). While in New York, several of Newt’s magical creatures get loose and it turns into an adventure to find them and protect them from other wizards who do not understand magical creatures.

The Good

I really enjoyed the film. It is different than the Harry Potter storyline and refreshing. While the Harry Potter storyline is dark and mysterious and largely serious, Fantastic Beasts was lighthearted and fun. I got so many laughs and the magical creatures were very interesting. I felt that everything was so richly developed and had great background. It reminds me of the Lord of the Rings in that manner. Tolkien developed his epic adventure from the ground up. He designed new languages and architecture and developed a storyline outside of the books themselves. In many ways, J.K. Rowling has done the same amazing thing. There is a culture that so many other franchises never develop.

The Bad

To be honest, it is hard for an origin film to live up to what it derived from. The Harry Potter series was a king among film series. For Fantastic Beasts to live up to that and be its own thing is difficult. It feels very similar to having an older sibling who goes through high school and accomplishes a ton and then you have to follow it up. You can never escape the new expectations now planted on you just because you share a last name. The only negative that I can really describe is that the plot went all over the place. There were so many things to explain and connect and not enough time to really do it. The film is almost two and a half hours and it didn’t feel like enough at times to contain the plot. However, if they made this film much longer, few people would really enjoy sitting through it.

Final Notes

This film, if included with the other Harry Potter films, is one of the top three of the series. That is my honest opinion. It was nice to have a fun-loving Harry Potter universe film again. In many ways, that is why my favorite is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. When I first saw the advertisements, I trashed the film over and over again. I thought it was going to blow up in the producer’s face. I was wrong. However, they have already planned to increase this film series from three films to five and that has me angered. These companies are getting so greedy. Look at Disney and Star Wars for example. While Lucas Art’s oversaw Star Wars, there were six films made in 28 years. Disney is now going to put out six films in six years. It is absolutely ridiculous. I love Star Wars (you could probably call me a “fanboy”) but that is too many films in such a short period. I feel they are going to ruin what is special about Star Wars and chase away the old diehard fans. The Fantastic Beasts series could have similar effects. What was wrong with having three films? There are many ways in which this is a dangerous idea. All I can say is, if I am going to go see them… they better be worth the money.