Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

It's hard not to be just a little bit cynical about the idea behind Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  When the last Harry Potter movie came out back in the summer of 2011, Warner Bros. was kind of in a tight spot, as they didn't really have a huge franchise anymore.  And so far, their attempts to create a cinematic Universe out of the D.C. Comics line that rivals the one Marvel is enjoying has not exactly been going according to plan.  They needed Potter to come back in some way, and once original author J.K. Rowling came on board to not just plan out the new story but also write the screenplay, it must have seemed like a can't miss winning opportunity for the studio.

Despite the obvious corporate mindset behind the movie's existence, Fantastic Beasts does end up being a highly entertaining spin off that never once comes across as the crass attempt to squeeze more money out of the material that it easily could have been.  It works very well as a stand-alone entry, has a few fun nods to the earlier franchise that spawned it (without going so far as to alienate potential new audience members), and the cast seems to be having a lot of fun with the material.  Where the movie seems to be on somewhat less stable ground is the idea of this launching a franchise that is as big as Potter.  Supposedly, five films are planned in this new series, and at least at this point, there doesn't seem to be a lot of potential to grow a series that large.  But, we will see.  I trust that Rowling has dreamed up enough ideas, and knows where this story is going to go.  It's just hard to tell at the present.  She also does a great job of transporting her world and stories from the modern day U.K., to the mid 1920s New York City with this new story, all without missing a beat.

The story this time focuses on British wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, boyishly likable here), who arrives in New York at Ellis Island as the film opens.  His only possession is a battered old brown leather suitcase, which is secretly a portal to another world where he stores the various fantastic beasts of the wizard's world that he has been collecting for years, studying, and is hoping to write a full book on all the mystical and often mischievous creatures that make up the hidden world of magic.  Mere moments after arriving, an accident occurs that causes some of his creatures to escape, so he must now go on a city-wide hunt for the escapees.  Along the way, he is joined up by a "No-Mag" (the American word for "Muggle") named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who starts out simply wanting a loan in order to open up a bakery, but instead gets drawn into Newt's quest and the world of wizards.  He is also joined by Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterson), an agent for the Magical Congress of the United States of America.  She originally wants to charge him for bringing unauthorized magical creatures into New York, but quickly ends up joining his cause. 

Of course, there is a new magical threat that seems to be lurking in the shadows, as well as an anti-magic zealot who is convinced witches and wizards exist in the world, and uses cruel means to keep her followers in line.  There's also Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), the Director of Magical Security, who is trying to keep the magical world hidden from the real world, but may have some ulterior motives of his own.  All of this is supposed to set up the future movies, I suppose, but they're honestly the least memorable part of Fantastic Beasts.  The best scenes belong to the Beasts themselves, and Newt and Jacob's attempts to recapture them.  The creatures that Rowling has created are wide and diverse, and include a mole-like animal with the habits of a kleptomaniac, a creature about the size of an elephant who just happens to be in heat and is looking for its mate, a winged snake, and perhaps most difficult of all to find, a creature that has the ability to turn itself invisible at will.  The fact that the scenes involving the capture of these animals take place in New York landmarks like Central Park and Macy's Department Store adds another layer of fun to the proceedings.

The change in setting from modern day England to early 20th Century New York also adds a lot to the film, as it allows director David Yates (who helmed the last four Harry Potter films) to create a new world of magic that we did not get to see in the earlier films.  Of course, we hear mention of Hogwarts and Dumbledore at certain moments, but this is largely intended to be a new story that can be enjoyed by fans of the books or earlier films, or newcomers who want to get in.  The sets and costumes are also richly designed, and bring to mind the feel of a different time.  Really, the only one area that does come up just a little bit short is the plot that I think is supposed to be setting up future movies.  When the film is focused on the world itself and the titular Fantastic Beasts, the film is often charming and a lot of fun.  Then the plot will occasionally get in the way, and kind of slow things down just a little, but not enough for us to lose interest.  I sincerely hope Rowling can make this aspect more interesting in the planned future entries, as right now, I found very little to get excited about outside of what was happening in this particular movie.  With no ideas to engage of what can happen in the sequel, I had to kind of wonder if this would be better off as a one-off film.

But none of that really matters while you're watching the film, and enjoying the lively performances.  Redmayne makes for a welcome addition to the Potter Universe, and is immediately likable here.  He's not only a lot of fun to watch, but he has wonderful chemistry with all of his co-stars.  The scenes he shares with Katherine Waterson (who seems to be a future possible love interest for his character) have a lot of charm, and the scenes that he shares with Fogler as his comic relief sidekick work wonderfully and deliver some big laughs.  As a writer, Rowling clearly has a gift for a small group of odd heroes, and having their personalities play off of each other, and she displays it beautifully here.  And while the villains don't get as much screentime, they are still intimidating.  I just hope they get to be more interesting in the future.

I have no doubt that Fantastic Beasts will be successful enough to spawn the franchise that Warner Bros. is dreaming of.  The real question is will the fans continue to support it, and grow to love these characters the way they grew to love Harry, Ron and Hermione.  For now, all we can hope is that this is merely the kick off to something truly grand.  I'm sure Rowling wouldn't have it any other way.

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