Fantastic Beasts brings magic to audiences
What was originally a textbook in the Harry Potter universe, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has become its own film in the Harry Potter cinematic universe. Fantastic Beasts, which was originally mentioned as a textbook commonly read by the students of Hogwarts, became an actual published book in the “Muggle world” shortly after the release of the series’ fourth installation.
Author J.K. Rowling has now set her sights on expanding the Harry Potter universe through Fantastic Beasts, the first of five standalone films to be released in the future. David Yates, who previously directed the last four Harry Potter films, made his return to the universe with this installation.
In the past, J.K. Rowling has overlooked the production of the film and the writing, but has now moved on to be the sole screenwriter for the film. The dynamic relationship between Yates and Rowling has also created one of the darkest films in the franchise yet. With new characters and conflicts, Rowling and Yates shifted from the more family-oriented PG Potter films to a serious, gray-toned, PG-13 movie.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them uses brand-new characters in a 1920s gothic version of New York City, the first Harry Potter film to take place outside of the U.K. Though it is a standalone movie set about 70 years before Harry Potter was born, the movie still pays homage through several references within the script.
The film began with protagonist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a zoologist for beasts and his journey through New York. Scamander bumps into Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), an everyday factory worker who aspires to be a baker. Scamander’s beasts eventually lead them to work together in order to find the beasts that fled them. Along the way, the two find Tina Goldenstein (Katherine Waterson), a wizard that specializes in detaining evil beings, and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) who has the ability to read minds. These four then adventure throughout 1920s New York in order to recapture all of the beasts as a deal with the the magic ministry of the United States, whose main purpose is for the No-Maj, or humans without magic, to not know the existence of Wizards. Through this arc, Credence (Ezra Miller) were then brought in with Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) acting as detective-like characters throughout the film.
Fantastic Beasts finds its strength with its veteran cast and unique story within a different time period. Redmayne was a fantastic, naive, beast fanatic complemented by Dan Fogler, whose charm made the audience fall in love with him instantly. Redmayne used his emotions and and body movements to fully portray his story.
One thing that sets Fantastic Beasts apart from the other Harry Potter movies is that there was no need for a comic relief, as every cast member had their moment to shine. Fogler, however, stole the show with the way he portrayed Jacob Kowalski’s obliviousness to the wizarding world, all while being caught in a romance. Farrell and Miller paired together perfectly, though Farrell dominated most of the scenes in which he appeared. Miller had few words in the film, but used his emotions and actions to portray his character well. His more serious role was a crucial asset to advancing the storyline.
J.K Rowling’s screenwriting made for great chemistry between the actors on the screen. Not only was the acting spectacular, but the set design was also visually stunning. Every scene in the film felt realistic, as if it were actually New York in the ’20s. The architecture, costume design and technology created a true escapism into the Potter universe. One of Fantastic Beasts’ only weaknesses was the little background story that each character had prior to their appearance in the film, which made it a bit difficult for viewers to be fully engaged.
The intensive use of CGI effects used throughout the film truly showcased the film’s $180 million budget. From the beasts to characters to the magic, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them truly showed the power of CGI effects as a main trademark of Harry Potter movies.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them pays homage to those who want to explore more of the iconic wizarding world that J.K. Rowling created, while introducing brand new characters to the franchise. Rowling’s fantasy lore will continue to expand throughout the next five films including characters referenced in the book, such as Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) and yet to be announced, Dumbledore.