Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Review (Spoiler Free)

So I’m back from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and honestly… meh.

Now a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but I really feel Fantastic Beasts doesn’t live up to the hype. Not to say it’s a bad movie; just that it was a bit lacking. Read on to find out why.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: Plot

So long story short, Fantastic Beasts follows Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) when he misplaces a suitcase containing a zoo of magical creatures. It all begins with Newt’s arrival in New York. He expects a quick stopover before he continues his trip to Arizona. A No-Maj (Muggle/non-magic human) named Jacob gets unwittingly involved thanks to an ecaped Niffler. Jacob wintesses acts of magic and panicks, leading to him to take Newt’s case. This eventually leads to five creatures escaping. It becomes Newt’s job to recover them, all the while avoiding the ire of the New Salem Philanthropic Society.

The Good: Colin Farrell, Matured Plot And Surprise Johnny Depp

Colin Farrell plays Percival Graves; a demoted auror eager to reclaim his position. His role develops as it goes on until the film’s climax. Farrell’s presence almost turns Fantastic Beasts into a European crime drama, despite the fact he doesn’t speak with an accent. Speaking of European crime dramas, the plot is also rather mature for its genre. I don’t feel Fantastic Beasts targets little kids.

The setting delves into themes such as segregation, stereotyping, domestic abuse, and political subversion. I’m more welcome to that aspect of the film than most, actually. I grew up reading Harry Potter, and it feels nice to have the film that ties in to the same universe grow up with the generation that it originally attracted.

Oh, and surprise: Johnny Depp is in the film. It’s really hard to discuss his role without spoiling the film, but he plays a dark lord, much akin to Voldemort.

The Bad: Plot Holes, Villains And Disbelief

First of all, for a movie titled “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” there was very little focus on the beasts. I went in hoping for an around-the-world expedition about finding magical creatures, and I got a crime drama. But didn’t I just say I don’t mind the plot? Yeah. I’m fine with mature themes. What I’m not fine with is a movie title lying on what it’s about.

I mean I literally counted 5 creatures escaped, and one is never recovered. Meanwhile, the villains are laughably forgettable. For the most part, we don’t actually see any villainy until the last fifteen minutes of the film. And even then, the dark lord never actually clarifies his motivations.

I enjoyed the Harry Potter franchise. I really did. But this just doesn’t live up to its universe. Harry Potter has a distinct line between the magical world and the Muggle world. This is symbolized by the train from Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. Audiences were eased into allowing both worlds to mingle, and that took the course of four movies to build up. Fantastic Beasts doesn’t do that, and it becomes insanely difficult to suspend disbelief and say “Of course that can happen! It’s magic!”

The Verdict: 5/10

Are people genuinely impressed by epic CGI and big names? Honestly, this has a weak story. Scratch that: it has a weak story, underused acting talent, and a lying title. It’s a fun visual spectacle, to be sure. I mean if a hippopotamus the size of a damn bus isn’t impressive, I don’t know what is. You get some emotional investment in Newt and Jacob as well. You actually might tear up when you get to the part where they say goodbye. But beyond that, there really isn’t much to talk about. With that said, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an average film. Worth a watch? Yeah… but unless you’re die-hard for Harry Potter, then… meh.

Featured Photo Source: Fantastic Beasts Facebook Page

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