Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – Film Review

The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

The Wizarding World franchise has taken the world by storm ever since the release of the first Harry Potter film all the way back in 2001. The franchise holds a special place in millions of people’s hearts who fell in love with the enchanting world, the school of Hogwarts, and the lovable cast of characters including Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the gang. But decades before Harry and friends attended Hogwarts, there was one man who was on a very special mission…

That man is Newt Scamander, and he has an extreme admiration of magical creatures, which serves as the basis of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – a genuinely captivating, emotional, and oftentimes hilarious film that doesn’t really get too much credit sadly. Is it as good as any film in the original Harry Potter series of films? No, absolutely not. But just because this movie isn’t as great as the classics, that doesn’t mean it’s no good.

I vividly remember seeing Fantastic Beasts on opening day at my local movie theatre and being incredibly excited to see what new story would await me, and I am happy to say that I was not disappointed in the slightest. Since my initial viewing, I’ve probably watched the film three additional times, and rewatching it today, I’m even more delighted to say that I still love it just as much after all this time.

A large part of this movie’s charm comes from Eddie Redmayne in the role of Newt Scamander, who perfectly embodies this awkward yet lovable man who just wants to protect these creatures from a dark and terrifying world where anything is possible because, well, magic exists and with magic, comes a lot of people who simply want to use it for evil and corruption. Fantastic Beasts never really dives into this kind of power craze, but that’s okay.

This is instead a sweet tale of friendship, love, and learning to protect animals because they are similar to humans in more ways than you may think. Even just taking one good look into Newt’s eyes will show you just how much he cares. Along the way, you’ll meet Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a No-Maj cannery worker who has a big dream of opening up his very own bakery one day. Also present is Porpentina (Katherine Waterston), a down-to-earth witch and former Auror employed by MACUSA.

Are these faces going to go down in history as recognizable as Harry, Ron, or Hermoine? Absolutely not. But, once again, this movie understands that the original Harry Potter series is always going to hold a special place in all of our hearts, but that didn’t stop the filmmakers from nevertheless making a magical tale for all to enjoy.