Set in prohibition-era New York with an entirely new plot and cast, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them slots into the Harry Potter world in both style and content. Directed by Harry Potter veteran David Yates, the film opens in such a familiar way that it had me thinking, who would have thought that we’d be back in cinemas to see another creation from JK Rowling’s magical world? One of the film’s main backstories comes to the fore as the action takes place while Dark Wizard/ex-best mate of Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, wages his war for wizard supremacy over the Muggle world.
Our protagonist is Newt Scamander, a self-proclaimed misfit who is both bashful but lovable and is played wonderfully by Eddie Redmayne, whose performance is strong throughout. A zoologist of magical creatures, kind of like the wizard version of a young David Attenborough, steps off the boat at Staten Island on a one-man mission to return a magical beast to its natural habitat. Travelling light (his entire collection of live magical beasts are stored in one suitcase), he unwittingly infringes upon the Statute of Secrecy, which immediately gets him into trouble with the law enforcers of the wizarding community in New York when some of his creatures escape. Chief among these is Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterstone), a demoted auror desperate to prove herself to the ministers of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) who quickly apprehends him.
MACUSA is already facing a crisis of its own. A Muggle witch hunt, spearheaded by adoptive mother of three, Mary Lou (Samantha Morton), is gathering steam as an uncontrolled magical force called an Obscurius destroys lives and buildings in New York City. Her down-beaten children, especially eldest son, Credence, played by Ezra Miller, are charged with handing out anti-witchcraft propaganda. The anti-wicken austereness of the family is very well evoked, depicting yet another instance of unhappy childhood that features in the Harry Potter series, and fits very well into the plot.
Rowling has a more difficult task of grounding her magical world in our Muggle world as we are less able relate to 1920s New York as we were to 1990s London throughout the Harry Potter series. Some of the authenticity and simplicity in storytelling that characterises the early Harry Potter films is lost, and as a result we do not have the same extensive characterisation. In this fast-paced film, we are thrown straight into the action, albeit with pretty spectacular effects.
The quirky humour and groundedness of the Harry Potter series is salvaged mainly through the performance of Dan Folger, who plays the aspiring baker/Muggle bystander, Jacob Kowalski. His trip to the bank takes an unexpected turn as his path crosses with Newt Scamander. Through the incredulous eyes of a Muggle, and through the actions of pesky magical beasts (especially the actions of a platypus lookalike who scavenges for all things gold and bejewelled), this motley crew packs in many laughs and is a much needed interjection of lightheartedness and humour in a backdrop that can be quite dark and gripping.
My main criticism pertains to thin characterisation that strains the storyline in some places. The love interest between Newt and Tina is rather unconvincing. However, it is a strong start to a five-part series. The new characters and setting renders it as distinct from the Potter series. The story is also adept at introducing us to what we hadn’t known about the wizarding world before and amplifying other details that would delight fans of JK Rowling’s world.
Although I am a little sceptical of the length of the series, especially after The Hobbit franchise was dragged out into a trilogy, I am confident enough in Rowling’s storytelling to keep watching as she presents us with well-crafted escapism.
