Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review – Spoiler Free
Diehard fans of Harry Potter have probably already seen the new film by JK Rowling. For those that haven’t seen it, we recommend it. Whether you are a potterhead or not, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is original and enchanting and you will leave wanting more. We think it is every bit as magical as Harry Potter even if it is a bit more of a grown up movie.
One of the great things about the new film is that you don’t need to be well-versed in the world of Harry Potter to enjoy the film. You don’t need to have read any of the Potter books, but for fans there are enough hints of this world. It may not be a real Harry Potter film but it is certainly just as entertaining and magical.
The film is the first of 5 films written by Rowling which prequels the Harry Potter film series. This is Rowling’s screenwriting debut and in our minds a complete success. Is there no end to the talents of this lady.. The first film is set in New York in 1926 and the main characters are all adults. The film is based on a schoolbook that Harry Potter and friends studied during their time at Hogwarts.
The Cast
The casting is brilliant. Eddie Redmayne plays eccentric Englishman Newt Scamander, who is the main character and is a magizoologist who is travelling the world to investigate its magical creatures. He really encompasses the role and you can see what he was cast.
Katherine Waterston plays Tina Goldstein who works for the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) which is the American version of the Ministry of Magic. Tina is Newt’s eventual love interest and future wife according to rumours. She is a strong and ambitious character who likes to stand up for what’s right.
Alison Sudol plays Tina’s younger sister Queenie Goldstein who is a great fun loving, free spirited character who has the ability to ready minds. Her character really stands out and shines and with this actress being relative new to the big screen, we look forward to seeing her career moving forward.
Dan Fogler plays Jacob, the only ‘no maj’ character. A ‘no maj’ is the Americans word for ‘muggles’, a non wizard human. He gets to go on magical adventures with the others and falls for Queenie. There are some great scenes with them both in which I won’t spoil for you. But he is a great character which teases in the last scene that he will be back in the next film along with Queenie.
Colin Farrell plays Percival Graves who is the Director of Magical Security at MACUSA. I won’t go into too much of his character as there is a twist, but the importance of this character shouldn’t be underestimated.
The Story
The main character Newt Scamander arrives in New York with a suitcase of magical beasts. Being a magizoologist we assume he takes his work with him wherever he goes. Why he is in New York is less clear but very quickly he unwittingly unleashes a number of magical beasts into the city and the rest of the film is based around trying to catch them. He becomes friends with the other characters who help him try to re capture the beasts who are causing mayhem in the city. This film has a surprise ending which I won’t go into but again we assume it will lead onto the next film.
Rowling is already working on the next film screenplay and the filming looks set to start in the summer of 2017 with the film being released in November 2018.
Immersing yourself in JK Rowling’s magical universe is always entertaining and we think its every bit as magical as the Harry Potter films. Everyone here at BMT loved the film and we can’t wait for the next installment which if rumors’ are true will be set in London. This we can’t wait for as we will ensure our tours take you to all of these new locations. If you would like to visit some of the movie locations from all the original Harry potter tours then take a look at all the Harry Potter Tours we have here.
