Fantastic Beasts stars share what they’re most thankful for

The movie’s action would likely frighten little kids and the 133-minute runtime would likely make them antsy but teens and adults will love it. Or will Warner Bros. just go with the classic number format, i.e., Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2?

However, havoc ensues when Newt (played by Eddie Redmayne) loses his bag, containing some of these beasts. Will we start seeing titles like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Insert Dramatic But Vague Subtitle Here? It’s set in 1920s NY city, many decades before The Boy Who Lived. lived. Newt is now forced to use magic out in the open, which is against the law in the U.S. In trying to clean up his mess, he mistakenly switches suitcases with Jacob Kowalski (Fogler), a local baker who just witnessed the entire event. The parallels with today’s political environment, not just here but overseas, are quite obvious and clearly intentional. Whether that means the Fantastic Beasts themselves will keep breaking out of Newt’s case in different lands each time out is unknown.

With the help of Tina, Jacob, and Tina’s sister, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol, “The Lucky One”), Newt must find his rogue beasts and prevent permanent damage to the city and wizards within it. The creatures were so beautifully designed I wanted to pick them off the screen and have one in my pocket. With the director of the last 4 Harry Potter films, David Yates, at the helm, we shall have to wait to see what other wonders Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them can offer us.

Don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty of razzle dazzle in David Yates’ latest imagining of J.K. Rowling’s latest entry to her wizarding world (Yates directed the fifth through the final “Harry Potter” films and Rowling is making her screenwriting debut).

The magic has gone missing in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, a lavish visual feast that nonetheless fails to cast any new spells over its audience.

Depp is definitely back for more evil adventures in the future, and we can fully expect him to be clashing with Eddie Redmayne’s Newt at some point.

Four out of five stars.