Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them

FANTASTIC BEASTS & 

WHERE TO FIND THEM

Director : David Yates
Year : 2016
Genre : Fantasy
Rating : ***

Five years after the cataclysmic events of 'Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - Part 2', J.K Rowling once again invites us back to her amazingly rich and diverse wizarding world in 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them', the long awaited cinematic adaptation of her tiny supplementary book written for Comic Relief back in 2001. 

Directed by 'Harry Potter' series regular David Yates and starring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Samantha Morton and Colin Farrell to name just a few, this quasi-prequel draws from the rich mythology of the Harry Potter franchise to create its own unique yet simultaneously familiar story that may not have not the wealth of character or the thematic weight of it's benchmark setting predecessor but still has enough wizarding wonder and magical mishappenings to keep both newcomers and die-hard Potterheads satisfied.

Set in a beautifully realised 1920's swinging New York, 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them' follows the various exploits of the titular books author Newt Scamander (Redmayne), a British magizoologist who has made it his life's mission to catalogue and conserve the many magical creatures that inhabit our world. Kept safely in the contents of his enchanted suitcase, Newt takes his big bag of beasties around with him, slowly adding to his impressive collection as he goes. 

However, upon entering the Big Apple, it isn't long before he finds himself in trouble with the Magical Congress when his suitcase bursts open - unleashing a number of the creatures upon the city. But recapturing his beloved animals will be the least of Scamander's worries. Dark forces are at work in New York.

There are many things to enjoy in 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them'. The most notable is of course the titular creatures themselves which are all beautifully designed and utterly unique from anything seen before in fantasy cinema. With its kleptomaniac platypus, a weird elephant-rhino hybrid and even a majesterial gryphon, the movie has a wealth of diverse and bizarre animals and I look forward to seeing what other surprises this series will unveil in upcoming sequels.

Another highlight is the casting. Eddie Redmayne shines here as the shy yet determined Scamander - deftly echoing both the uncontrollable yet earnest enthusiasm of David Attenborough as well as the awkward, almost Asperger's-like insecurity of 'Grizzly Man's tragic figure Timothy Treadwell. Around humans, Newt is a quiet, very insular soul barely able to look people in the eyes whereas around his beloved animals, he is a whirling dervish of excitement and almost ecstatic joy. 

This yin and yang persona is a character type we have seen from Redmayne before, most recognizably in this years wonderful period drama 'The Danish Girl' but he plays the part very well here and it is his insular nature that really helps to make his character likeable and sympathetic while his endless love for animals captures the passion and heart so evident in the book. Other casting highlights include Katherine Waterston who is delightfully edgy as a disgraced Congress employee, Dan Fogler who is very charming and sometimes hilarious as Jacob Kowalski, a perplexed muggle (or no-maj in American parlance) who becomes caught up in all of the chaos and Ezra Miller who almost steals the show as the emotionally unstable squib Creedence.

But for all of its positives which also include the wonderful production design by Stuart Craig and James Hambridge and James Newton - Howards score which not only reflects the awe-inspiring majesty of John Williams orchestrations for the 'Harry Potter' films but also the jazzy, urban aesthetic of prohibition era New York, the film does have some major problems most notably in it's tone, its pacing and its narrative. While J K Rowling has always been an author who has prided herself on consistency and tonal focus, there is a great deal of 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them' which feels scattershot and downright necessary. While the 'Harry Potter' movies managed to seamlessly blend light and dark themes through clever writing and expert character development, this film instead compartmentalises them and then haphazardly brings them together in the finale, leading to an emotionally confused and clustered denouement.

Darker subplots involving the persecution of witches and wizards by muggles are interesting and contrast well with Scamander's sometimes funny exploits with his creatures but they are not explored enough to really feel emotionally impactful while others surrounding the plight of the city's senator (played by Jon Voight) have little to nothing to do with the main plot.

Its seemingly little things like that which really do affect both the tone and the pace of the film and at nearly 140 minutes, 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them' already feels overlong. Not to mention a frankly dull effects heavy finale which is almost indistinguishable from all the other city destroying endings of every blockbuster movie released this year which ends the film on a distinctly mediocre note.

However, with it's CGI creatures, familiar spell chants and even a couple of references to the Harry Potter universe thrown in for good measure (the names Dumbledore, Hogwarts and LeStrange are all mentioned throughout), 'Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them' is still a fun if not notably underwhelming return to one of modern cinemas most beloved worlds. There is plenty of room for invention in this series and it is clear that Rowling has plenty more tricks and treats up her sleeve. But if this franchise is going to hold its own both critically and commercially against it's multi-billion dollar cousin, then it needs to find the magic again.