Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Fantastic or Beastly?

“Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Double, double, toil and trouble; Something wicked this way comes,” sang the choir of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the very first Harry Potter movie. Set in mid-twenties New York, the new prequel-esque Harry Potter movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, definitely gives Harry Potter fanatics “something wicked” this holiday season.

Actor Eddie Redmayne beautifully portrays Newt Scamander, a young wizard traveling to New York to save his monsters and “fantastic beasts”. Within the first hour of his arrival, he happens to lose his pet niffler, a small rat-like creature. During his adventure of getting the niffler back, Newt stumbles upon Jacob Kowalski, a no-maj (someone with no magical powers) portrayed by Dan Fogler. He also meets Tina Goldstein, a demoted employee at the Magical Congress of the United States of America that is played by Katherine Waterston. The trio team up to save the reputation of beasts and along the way try to redeem Tina’s reputation at the Magical Congress..

COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE. Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston talk about the new movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, at Comic Con.

Director David Yates produces an action packed movie with a warm and hilarious edge that  runs a little over two hours. Eddie Redmayne adds a friendly face to the story as a beast-loving wizard hoping to save his creatures. His character manages to incorporate light humor and warmth into a world almost as terrifying as one with you-know-who. On the other hand, Dan Fogler adds immense comedy into the story as the confused no-maj.  Fogler’s character lightens the mood with his natural humor and comedic tone to keep viewers engaged. Lastly, Katherine Waterston has more serious tone as the more intelligent one of the threesome.

But, a movie is not good without a horrendous and mysterious villain. Yates adds a more grim subplot to the warm adventure containing more of the dark magic we know and love. Just as Newt Scamander enters the city of New York, the New Salem Philanthropic Society has begun protesting against the very real and dangerous witches and wizards. Credence, a young boy living under the household of the leader of the New Salems, must find the body of the obscurer in order to learn how to use magic. In the story, an obscurer represents a small amount of dark magic that takes form in the body of a young wizard or witch. This subplot adds a whole new side to the movie that keeps viewers at the edge of their seats until the very end. Stirring darkness into the story, the subplot flows through the movie quite nicely and adds a bit of suspense to the already, amazing story.

Based on its 514 million dollar box office, the story has appealed to Harry Potter fanatics as well as new fans. Olivia Gonzales, Wilcox student and loyal Harry Potter fan says, “It’s a fantastic movie and I hope and think other Harry Potter fanatics will love it, even if it doesn’t include quite as much of the magical world they’re already familiar with.” The movie brings back old nostalgia which will already draw in the large and growing fan base along with a new generation of fans.

A movie that has humor and warmth as well as a grim and mysterious subplot, the new family-friendly Harry Potter movie will appeal to people of all ages. A must-see this season, it will make the population of fanatics even larger and add a whole new group of characters to this magical world. So, my fellow Harry Potter fans, grab your broomsticks because this movie will be slytherin into a theatre near you.