Magical!
Directed by: David Yates
Written by: J.K. Rowling
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterson, Alison Sudal, Colin Farrell
It’s been five years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released. We thought that would be the end of the Harry Potter universe. Then we were blessed with the news that there would be more! Not more adventure featuring Harry and his friends, but a whole new story, about a Magizoologist named Newt Scamander, who wrote a textbook aptly titled “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which students at Hogwarts used in their classes.
We are already familiar with the wizarding world in England, but what about in America? Here is a brief quick-reference guide:
No-Maj – Muggle (non-magical person)
Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) – Ministry of Magic (the wizard government)
Auror – works for the wizard government upholding the safety and security of the magical world (same in America and England)
Newt Scamander (Redmayne) arrives in New York City from England in 1926. With him is a magical briefcase filled with all sorts of colorful creatures. His goal is to return a native creature to America, but of course, nothing is ever simple. Some of his creatures escape thanks to his new No-Maj friend Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), so they team up to find them and return them to the magical briefcase.
Unfortunately, the beasts wreak havoc and threaten to expose the wizarding community, so former Auror Tina Goldstein (Waterston), seeing a chance to redeem herself with MACUSA, arrests them and turns them in to her former bosses at the Department of Magical Security.
When Percival Graves (Farrell) becomes suspicious of the trio, they manage to escape to Tina’s apartment where they meet her sister Queenie (Sudol). Now, the four of them have to evade the magical government while tracking down the missing beasts and avoid the dark forces that threaten to expose and destroy the wizarding community.
One of those forces is a fanatical group called the Second Salemers, who want to hunt down and exterminate all magical folks (much like the Salem witch trials). The leader of the Second Salemers is Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton), who uses her adoptive children to spread her message of hatred towards magic and the witches and wizards in NYC.
One of her adopted children, Credence (Ezra Miller) is conflicted. He fears his mother, yet there is something more going on with him. Additionally, Percival Graves has taken an interest in Credence, as he believes Credence has some helpful insight for him. In return, Credence sees Graves as a father figure, which is absent from his life.
In addition to the Second Salemers, there is another dark force in the wizarding community. Gellert Grindelwald (you may recognize this name from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), a powerful and dark wizard, has been spreading evil throughout Europe, but nobody can seem to find him. On top of all that, unusual and violent occurrences have been happening all over NYC (coinciding with Scamander – and his briefcase’s arrival).
The President of MACUSA, Seraphina Picquery (Carmen Ejogo), is on high alert due to these dangers, and when Scamander and his friends (including a No-Maj) threaten to compromise the security of the wizarding world, she has no choice but to contain the situation as best she can.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a more grown-up story than the Potter films (but not in an inappropriate way). Instead of dealing with classes, homework, and teenager drama, these characters have adult issues, like obtaining bank loans and having real jobs. I loved the characters in this film. The story, setting, and special effects were all fantastic.
I was glad that David Yates, who directed the last four Potter movies, was back to direct this one. Several other Potter film alums were back behind the camera, which made for a smooth continuation of the Potter universe.
This one was just as magical as the Potter films. It was great to see a different perspective of the wizarding world and see how it ties in with the one we are used to. Fans of the Harry Potter universe will not be disappointed. And don’t forget, we still have four more in this series to look forward to!
Minor spoiler in case anyone was wondering – no characters from the Potter movies appear in this film, so don’t expect to see Albus Dumbledore walking around the streets of NYC.
