(If you haven't seen Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, please note that this article is full of spoilers)
As if we didn't have enough beasts in our midst, J.K. Rowling, lovingly known as Jo to us Potterheads, dropped a whole lot – or shall I say a "briefcase-ful" – of magical creatures that are bound to wreak havoc in Pakistan, should they ever wrap themselves around the Minar-e-Pakistan or whoosh over the Clifton Beach waters.
But have no fear, for these sometimes-menacing but always-adorable creatures are just a touch of love away from being tame and friendly — something Rubeus Hagrid would enthusiastically agree with.
I was finally able to spare time to watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them on Saturday. The movie is inspired by and loosely based on Hogwarts course book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Jo co-wrote the screenplay.
The film was released on November 8, 2016, and is directed by David Yates. Our favourite Magizoologist was brought to life by uber-talented Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), alongside whom starred Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol as Tina and Queenie Goldstein.
Set in the mid-1920s, Fantastic Beasts starts with the Warner Bros. logo, which, needless to say, hit me with a wave of nostalgia, given that I've been a Potterhead since over a decade. The first scene opens to Scamander arriving in New York City to bring back a certain magical creature back home to Arizona.
The audience is then introduced to Mary Lou Barebone, a cold and cruel No-Maj (Muggle or non-magical person), who asserts through her New Salem Philanthropic Society that witches and wizards exist in America. She garners vehement support from her sinister followers.
Picture of a Niffler
We meet ambitious to-be-baker Jacob Kowalski when Scamander's briefcase gets switched with the former's by mistake in an attempt to recover an escaped Niffler. Assumed to be an unregistered wizard, Scamander gets arrested by slighted Auror Tina, whose shot to reclaim her job is once again thwarted when Magical Congress of USA (MACUSA) President Seraphina Picquery and security head Percival Graves deem the case to be inconsequential.
Tina (left) and Queenie
New York is even more captivating than present time with curvy cars, drooping streetlamps, dark alleyways, and the city's indigenous grandeur. Tina's Legilimens sister Queenie welcomes her into their home, with Scamander and Kowalski trooping behind.
Jacob Kowalski (left) and Newt Scamander
While Kowalski and Queenie immediately become infatuated with each other, as the latter whips up a delicious dinner, Scamander is planning to recapture two other escaped creatures. His briefcase – quite similar to Hermione's moleskin bag albeit significantly bigger – acts as makeshift world for the rescued magical beasts.
Fight during escape from MACUSA
In a twist, Tina turns Scamander and his briefcase to the authorities, who believe that they're associated with menacing dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, and sentence them to execution. Scamander and Tina somehow escape, meeting Queenie and Kowalski in a parking lot of sorts.
Simultaneously, we are shown the story of Credence (Ezra Miller), who is being constantly chased by Graves to help find an Obscurus that's been wreaking havoc on the city and has killed Senator Henry Shaw. However, Obscurus – ominous amalgamation of dark energy created when magical kids are coerced to hide their powers – have not been heard of in years in America.
The Obscurus wreaking havoc in NYC
Mary Lou is Credence's adoptive mother, who regularly tortures him. One night, she catches him with a wand he discovered under his sister Modesty's bed. As she is about to punish him, the Obscurus' identity is revealed.
Towards the end we see Scamander, Graves, and Credence entangled in a fight in a subway.
As Graves tries to run, Scamander sends one of his magical creatures to tackle him. In then ending scene, Scamander gives his word to Tina that he will return once his book is finished.
Overall, I absolutely loved Fantastic Beasts. The CGI and effects were stunning, as were the four lead actors' performances, although Waterston (Tina) seems to be the weakest link. The best part of the movie, apart from Redmayne's performance, was Dan Fogler, who portrays Jacob Kowalski's character to perfection.
I believe that the film's pace could have been a bit faster, and more explanation would've been appreciated for the No-Maj watching the movie.
How well it ties up with its sequels remains to be seen when the second part will be released on November 16, 2018. The series would have five films in total. Could this get any more exciting?
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