This past Saturday I dragged my boyfriend to the cinema to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The hype (and risk of spoilers) was too real and I didn’t want to wait any longer than necessary. And I wasn’t disappointed, this movie was actually better than I had expected! :D
WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS!
The cast and characters
Newt Scamander himself was adorably awkward and obviously had great love and compassion for his creatures, but I almost liked Jacob the no-maj more. He was so funny and sweet! Although I think he took the news of the magical world a bit too well.
I know I would NOT have been that cool and casual if presented with a menagerie of magical animals and people casting magic spells around them, but he barely freaks out at all. Not even Queenies mind reading phases him, he just rolls with it!
Speaking of Queenie, I have developed a massive crush on her. At first, I was afraid they had made her into some silly airhead, but she was nothing like that! She was fun, clever, and brave, and I loved her wardrobe. Did anyone else get a bit of a Luna Lovegood feeling from her btw? I definitely saw a bit of Luna in her.
Tina on the other hand… I’m sorry to say it, but I didn’t really think anything of her. It felt like she was mostly just standing around looking sad and confused and having very little in terms of personality. She did contribute to the plot moving forward, but there was no real spark to it. Or maybe it was just that all the other characters had so much personality that she just disappeared beside them.
And then there was Credence. I bloody LOVED Credence, such a good performance and such a strange and interesting character! And I was thoroughly creeped out by his relationship with Auror Graves.
Graves who I was horribly disappointed seeing turn into Johnny Depp there at the end. :(
I like his movies and his previous characters but it’s getting to be a bit much now. It’s like… I don’t even notice who his characters are anymore, it’s all just Johnny Depp in yet another whimsy costume. In this movie I didn’t even see Grindelwald – all I saw was Johnny fucking Depp!
Was there really no way to keep Colin Farrell? Ugh.
The beasts
Speaking as a massive animal nerd: the beasts were great!
There was such a wide range of creatures and all of them were both visually interesting and had their own personalities. Although, I don’t understand how Newt could keep predators among the non-predatory animals without risking carnage. I’m going to assume there are magic invisible fences throughout the suitcase preventing the predators from getting near the others.
My personal favourites were the Erumpent (the big glowy rhinoceros thing) and the Niffler (the platypus/hedgehog thing).
The Erumpent scene where they captured her was a lot longer than what was really necessary, but she was so cute I’ll allow it. Such an adorable beast! All she wanted was a little bit of love, haha! ;)
The Niffler, on the other hand, got just the right amount of attention. Watching the kleptomaniac little shit cause trouble throughout the film was hilarious. ?
The plot
Lots of characters and lots of storylines made it a bit scattered. I wondered how they were ever going to tie all this together, but it worked out in the end. This movie will probably work better the second time I watch it though, to fully understand it all.
I liked that the movie wasn’t completely aimed at children. It felt adult enough, kinda like the later Harry Potter movies, charming and funny but with very serious undertones.
The Second Salemers was an interesting idea, it’s easy to draw parallels with real world xenophobia and racial prejudice. It was also disturbing to see the abuse and brainwashing of the adopted orphans.
I do wish there had a bit more about Grindelwald. When he was revealed at the end I almost thought “who?” Throughout the movie he only appears in newspaper headlines and in passing comments, maybe I missed something but I never got the feeling he was an immediate threat.
In summary
Absolutely stunning graphics and wonderful characters and beasts! The story could use a bit of work to flow nicer, but it’s still a great movie. And everything would’ve been better without Johnny Depp.
I hope they can bring back Queenie and Jacob in the future. They were so great, both individually and together. I also hope Credence didn’t truly die, I would love to see him again! ?
It’s so fun to see the wizarding world come to life again and I’m really looking forward to the next movie! :D
Have you seen Fantastic Beasts yet? What did you think?
I haven’t seen it yet, but I am looking forward to do so. I wanted to go with my friends to the cinema, but something came up and we gave up the idea. I will wait until the DVD is released and I will watch it at home. Seems like an amazing movie.
I think Grindelwald wasn’t meant to be the main threat. I was disappointed that Johnny Depp appeared as Grindelwald as a disguise for Colin Farrell’s auror. Also Credence was cool. It’s oddly accurate how Americans feel about the Wizarding World considering today’s reality.
The niffler is so cute.
The Obscuro/Creedence was the main threat, but I think Grindelwald is the big overarching villain. At least that’s the feeling I got at the end, that he will be the final boss before the series are over. Will be real interesting to see the other movies! :D
Nice review! I loved the characters, especially Credence. The plot could’ve used some work for me, but it’s still a fun adventure. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes in the next one, even if it is going to have more Johnny Deep. I really wish Colin Farrell stuck around too.
Yes, the plot has some weaknesses but the characters are great! I can’t wait ’til the next movie comes out, let’s just hope there’s less Depp in it. :)
I enjoyed fantastic beasts a lot more than I thought I was going to. I didn’t really want to see it for fear it would “ruin” Harry Potter for me. But to be honest, I can easily unrelate the two. Yes it’s the wizarding world but it’s not Harry Potter, if that makes any sense. I love all your points and I agree whole heartedly with the johnny depp thing. That was a bad move on the casting directors part!!