*MINOR SPOILERS*
So this is my first Eddie Redmayne film.. Lets just say I’m really impressed by this guy. Even if I thought his name was Newts Commander the entire film..
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 adventure/fantasy film directed by David Yates, and is a continuation of the Wizarding World in a time before the events of Harry Potter. The film was produced and written by J. K. Rowling, which was inspired by her book of the same name. Fantastic Beasts stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Ron Perlman, Colin Farrell, and much more. The film tells the story about the adventures of Newt Scamander as he misplaces his magical case full of fantastic beasts.
So Fantastic Beasts is the first of five films in this new series under the same name, and takes place over 70 years before the events of the Harry Potter franchise. As to what they will name the other films in this franchise; I have no idea. But this film does a lot of setup for a world that we are sort of already used to. I say sort of because it almost feels like this series doesn’t take place in the same world as Harry Potter. In a quick warning before I get on with the real review, you should definitely go and see this film if you haven’t already. But don’t go in expecting anything out of it. Don’t expect it to feel like any of the Harry Potter films, because it doesn’t (at least it didn’t for me). And if you do, I feel you will be disappointed.
So moving on, I really did enjoy this film. I felt one of the biggest strengths was its characters and actors. More specifically Eddie Redmayne, and Colin Farrell. Redmayne was fantastic (pun intended), and his character had such a great depth to him. He has a deep backstory that well all know nothing about, and learning about his past provides some interesting plot points into both this series, and the world of Harry Potter. He’s a very insecure character, and as a someone that the audience tries to relate to, he really immerses the viewers into seeing themselves as Newt. On the other hand, we have Colin Farrell who plays the antagonist. Although his character in the film wasn’t very well fleshed out, his acting was beyond superb. Literally, this guy steals the show constantly. I really enjoyed his acting more than his character, and I really hope he returns (somehow) in the later installments of this series.
Speaking of which, I want to talk about that ending real quick. In three words: What the hell? I know a bunch of people who came to watch this movie are heavily invested in the Harry Potter universe, but a lot of us aren’t, and this film’s ending will likely confuse the lighter fans of this franchise. As a result, the ending is a bit confusing and it really takes away from the big reveal towards the end. Like, I couldn’t tell if Colin Farrell’s character was good or bad in the final scene, and it felt more like a roll of the dice as to if I was right about him being evil or not. It just felt rushed and badly explained, but who knows.. Maybe a second showing will clear things up.
The story was interesting, but it really didn’t setup a larger story for the rest of the franchise to really follow on. Sure Depp’s character will have a huge role in the rest of the franchise, but it didn’t really make sense as to who he was, or why he was evil. Again, I feel like there is so much lore that I’m missing out on, and without that knowledge, I’m left completely confused. I honestly think that was the biggest issue I had with this film. The fact that I didn’t understand what the hell was going on half the time. The visuals looked good at times, but the CGI would randomly pull me out of film’s immersive world. The sound design was beautiful, and the soundtrack was pretty good, but nothing really blew me off my feet with this film. I went in not expecting much, and walked out expecting more. Yes, it was a good winter blockbuster, but at times I feel that a lot of people over hyped this film.
So in the end, I decided to give Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them a “Good” on theVade Review Bar. This film sets up a beautiful new world in a world that is very different from the one we were used to seeing in Harry Potter. Although some (like myself) were hoping we would come out feeling like we just saw another Harry Potter film, this is a completely different movie. The acting was great, the look and feel of the film was good, but a lot of the story was left untold or just moved too fast for the audience to truly grasp what was going on. But in the end I look forward to what is next in this new franchise, and unlike (the name) Kubrick, the name Harry Potter is what truly keeps this new series alive.
