Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Wow, okay, I forgot how fun this movie was. I enjoyed myself a lot, and honestly, it feels like it could fit quite nicely into the Harry Potter universe. It had been five years since we had a film in the Wizarding World, and this felt like a triumphant return, even though it is a prequel.

The story follows a magizoologist named Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, who comes to America with a suitcase full of magical creatures and, through a bunch of crazy circumstances, ends up losing them, meaning he has to find them and prevent them from wreaking havoc on New York. Joining him is the Auror (basically the law enforcement of the Wizarding World) Tina Goldstein, played by Katherine Waterston, her sister Queenie, played by Alison Sudol, and a muggle (Non-magical person) named Jacob Kowalski, played by Dan Fogler. In addition, there is a plotline involving a mysterious young man named Credence Barebone, played by Ezra Miller, and his mysterious relationship with another auror named Percival Graves, played by Colin Farrell.

This film somehow manages to keep both the whimsical tone of the earlier films and the darker plot lines of the later films, and, while it isn't perfect, they still end up working well all the same. The quest to find the magical creatures is light hearted and fun, with some funny moments, especially from Jacob, who is excellent comic relief while still being an interesting character in his own right. At the same time, the Credence storyline as well as the dark happenings going on in New York involving a mysterious...thing running loose, destroying various things and killing people is a very well done mystery and keeps the tension up.

The acting is also fantastic, obviously Dan Fogler's performance is both heartfelt and laugh out loud depending on the circumstances, but the standout has to be Eddie Redmayne. I really feel a connection to Newt because Redmayne said he played him as autistic, and as someone with autism myself, I think he did a very good job on capturing the mannerisms while not delving into stereotypes, and again, he was a compelling character.

Overall, this is a lot more fun than I remembered, and I enjoyed getting to experience a new side to the Wizarding World. While it may not be as good as the Harry Potter films, this film still managed to be entertaining and fun in its own right.

Next time, we revisit a very random plot point from the original 1977 Star Wars movie. How did the rebels get the plans to the Death Star, and why was there an obvious weak point on it? Find out why when we check out Rogue One.

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