A Magical Bit of Entertainment That is Well Worth the Watching!

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2016)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
This was a most excellent film! The production values were top notch. The acting was on point. The casting was superb. The script was tight. The action flowed quite well. The two and a quarter hour run time passed in a flash. The dialog was fully appropriate and well done. On all points, this film delivered and was well worth watching.
For fans of Harry Potter this film fits wonderfully into that existing realm - but stands nicely apart from it. Some, just enough, actually, of the familiar landmarks and touchstones are there - Hogwarts, Dumbledore, muggles, etc. - but only as frame setting reference points.
The story is otherwise apart from the world that Rowling showed with Harry Potter and we're well rewarded by journeying to it. Thus, you don't have to be a Potter fan or have read any of the books or seen any of the previous films as this tale well enough stands on its own.
The characters were well rendered and nicely believable. Their motivations were realistic and made sense within the confines of the tale. Aside from Farrell and Voight, the rest of the cast were essentially unknowns. That's a grave risk for any film with such high expectations riding on it. Yet, that cast was exceptionally well cast and delivered handsomely in their performances.
The sense of wonder and awe and beauty of magical possibilities was well handled and quite different from what we'd seen previously in the Potter films. A different tale, this, and thus a different flavor.
With this release and its well deserved coming success, there's sure to be more Rowling tales set in America and thus will have an entirely new and different audience than what the Potter-verse has already created.
I recommend this film highly. It's a great and enjoyable bit of magical entertainment.