A worthy conitnuation AND a great new start.

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2016)

A Harry Potter spinquel (spin-off prequel for those playing at home) relocated from the wonderful wizarding school of Hogwarts to the streets of New York circa 1920, the latest Potter-verse entry is an adventurous old-school delight. It thankfully ditches the origin story template to throw us headfirst into the escapades of clumsy British wizard Newt (Eddie Redmayne), as he bumbles his way through the bustling streets of Manhattan trying to recapture his exotic creatures before the close-minded humans harm them. Along for the ride is lovable muggle Kowalski (Dan Fogler), an inspiring baker just trying to catch a break in life, and by-the-book wizardry enforcement agent Tina (Katherine Waterston), a socially awkward love interest for Newt. This ragtag group—also including Tina's mind-reading sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) on occasion—stumble upon a curious string of incidences involving dark magic which, although a little too convenient at times, keep the pace rollicking along at such a speed you'll barely notice the contrivances. Series veteran David Yates is calling the shots on his fifth Potter-verse outing and at this point, with his fantasy-action chops refined after the climactic battle of Deathly Hallows, he knows how to hit all the right buttons. The dragon in a teacup set piece is immensely enjoyable; the wand battles are always gratifying to watch; and the havoc-wreaking finale is largely engaging despite featuring a strangely nondescript villain that really could've done with some sprucing up. Visually it is an upgrade from the preceding movies with the stunning period set design and advanced CGI giving it an edge, although the visual palette is still very much shared with the other instalments. Both a worthy continuation and a wonderful fresh start, Fantastic Beasts avoids franchise fatigue with quirky new characters, a superb period setting and a quick-moving tale that establishes an intriguing over-arching storyline.