Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for fantasy violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 13 minutes

STARRING: Eddie Redmayne (Theory of Everything, Les Miserables)

Katherine Waterston (Steve Jobs), Dan Fogler (Fanboys, KungFu Panda)

DIRECTOR: David Yates (Harry Potter 5-8)

WRITER: J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter novels, first screenplay)

PLOT: Newt Scamander is a wizard trying to re-capture some of his escaped beasts in 1920’s New York. Magic ensues.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Haven’t read the book (or the Potter novels).

STORY STUFF: While there are some fun moments throughout the film, the story wasn’t as compelling as a Harry Potter tale. The re-capturing of the beasts was very well done but the other story centering on Graves (Colin Farrell) and Credence (Ezra Miller) was too cryptic and confusing for me to follow. By the time their motivations are revealed I had lost some interest. Maybe I might enjoy it more with a re-watch.

ACTING STUFF: Redmayne is intriguing with all of Newt idiosyncrasies, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from this Oscar winner. The big scene stealer though is Fogler’s Kowalski. He is simply wonderful as the Muggle (sorry, ‘no-Maj’) who gets messed up with these fantastical people and creatures. His wide eyes and blurting laughs are hysterical. I was not a fan of Waterston as Tina is not given much to do but look concerned all the time. I prefer her sister, Queenie, played with effervescence by Alison Sudol.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Obviously the special effects are top notch with amazing feats of magic and outrageous beasts. My favourite beast would have to be Niffler, a platypus-y creature who is addicted to shiny objects. I hope we get to see more of him in future installments.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You ‘re a Potter fan or enjoy zoology.
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Allied