‘Fantastic Beasts…’ : The only thing fantastic is Eddie Redmayne

Keeping it simple and short, Fantastic Beasts was a decent film which delivered on its promise of taking the fans back to the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Now, pushed together by the turn of events, Scamander, Kowalski, Tina and her sister Queenie “the mind-reader” (Sudol) must find the missing creatures in order to prove they have no connection with the dark forces which have murdered a prominent no-maj (no-magic) person.

J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, and Colin Farrell. They are now running wild in New York City in 1926.

Waterston: This comes to mind.

After watching the film thanks to a block screening hosted by Kangaroo Nuts, I can say, as a Potterhead, that yes, there is still magic left. “I was like, ‘Wait a second, I’ve always thought that I’d be a natural with a wand, but I’m completely not!'” the 34-year-old recalls to Us Weekly of his first time handling the magical object. Although Eddie Redmayne is certainly not everyone’s taste, you get used to him immediately, and after the 133 minutes of filming she cannot imagine another actor in this role. Which is frustrating. Cynical as I am (and we all should be) about the idea of a tetralogy-launching spinoff of a movie series based on the most popular children’s books ever that, it’s actually not the worst idea.

Rather than just functioning as elongated exposition for the umpteen sequels to follow, this one is self-contained enough to satisfy on its own terms, following Newt as he bumbles his way through the Big Apple with a suitcase full of mysterious critters.

“When I read the script, it was so filled with wonder and excitement, all the warmth of the Potter films but 70 years before and a new energy to it so I’m hoping you guys will embrace it as much as we enjoyed making it”.

At a time when so many real animals are endangered, it’s nice to see Scamander on his mission to save some of the creatures considered to be illegal. Perspective is a huge thing. which of course health can give birth to. He replies, “I’m more of a chaser, really”. The director of the movie is David Yates who also directed the four “Harry Potter” movies. But I walked out of the theater feeling the intense need for the next film; hopefully Warner Bros. doesn’t linger too long.