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Rating: 7/10 (27 November 2016)

I love Rowlings' Potter universe. The layered, diverse characters. The modern sentiments within classical aesthetics. The new yet recognizable good-vs-evil lore. Going into Fantastic Beasts, I fought hard not to let that pre-adoration paint this new branch too brightly too early. So when I felt myself snuggle in at hearing the familiar musical theme during the title sequence, I got a little nervous that Hedwig was carrying my critical credibility right out the window. As the film played out though, I became more assured. Not that this matches the near-perfect heights of the original series; this new narrative isn't as smooth or strong, nor is it trying to be. However, its lack of longing to match the import of its own predecessor allows it to be pure, magical fun. Occurring nearly a century before the Battle of Hogwarts, we follow wizard-zoologist Newt Scamander as he tries to wrangle some mystical animals that've been unintentionally released in New York, but ends up uncovering a secret sinister plot by mysterious dark wizard Grindelwald. Scamander's line, "My philosophy is: with worrying, you suffer twice", really captures his childlike naiveté and endless wonder, a feel the entire film really hangs on. The characters are sincere, sweet and funny, including a disgraced American auror, her bombshell sister, and a lovably goofy no-maj (aka muggle; aka non-magical human). That breezy tone carries the film past its shortcomings (pale comparisons, narrative clarity, slight fan-service) thanks to director Yates' comfortable visual control and Rowlings assured handling of her own creation. Fantastic Beasts is a fun start to what will hopefully continue to be a uniquely emotional, surprisingly comical & morally intriguing fantasy-action series.