Cat and Mouse, Niffler and Newt

Rating: 8/10 (16 April 2017)

An interesting idea from the world of Harry Potter is that wizards could possibly exist parallel to our reality. You can take that world with you and throw suspicious eyes to previously innocuous things. Discarded coffee cups could be port keys. Strung-out homeless people, holding passionate conversations with themselves, could be talking to a great witch or wizard with a concealing charm that we mere muggles can't see. Their private world is such a marvelous amalgam of centuries past that it translates effectively regardless of whether it's 1920 or 2020. What "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" brings is a stunning marriage of the eccentric wizarding world, and New York during the roaring 20's. More than simply changing the venue to a different nation, FB (we are now using this shorthand, word count be damned) grows the fantasy without losing the familiarity of Rowling's brilliant series.
One of the greatest elements of this setting is the preexisting climate that parallels the wizarding world. So much of New York's society in the 1920's was underground. The laws dictating temperance and gambling made for an underworld so iconic that it comes to mind, today, much quicker than the standard lifestyle at the time. Think back to when Harry took his first trip to Diagon Alley, through the back of a pub, to the brick wall, a secret knocking sequence opened you to that amazing world. All the best nightclubs in New York in 1926 worked the same way. Between these two subcultures, everything in the margins of the setting holds something astounding.
A small concern I had before going into FB was how much time they would take bringing the audience up to speed. As it turns out, virtually zero. If you have no knowledge of the world of Harry Potter prior to seeing this movie, you will unfortunately be lost. For those of us who have devoted a shameful amount of time to accruing Potter knowledge, it's appreciated to get into the theater and hit the ground running. The familiar John Williams score brings us into the cobblestone streets of New York before we get our first glimpse of dark magic.
Graves (Colin Farrell) investigates the Nomaj (muggle) streets after a dark force has destroyed half a block. Graves is a Tim Burton wet dream, all black and white without a hint of grey. Based on what we know of the title, a beast is loose. Soon an awkward Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) docks off of Ellis Island wielding his Mary Poppins case that bumps and squeaks with life. Redmayne has a great way of being both boyishly innocent and obliviously selfish in his pursuit to acquire his beasts. He has a one track mind and doesn't seem to have much regard for collateral damage. How he accomplishes this whilst remaining likable isÂ… (adjective pending.) The climate of the city is tense. The magical community is up against a Salem-like resurgence of anti-witchcraft evangelicals. Newt couldn't have arrived at a worse time. The Nomaj community's blind fear of magic is paralleled by the magical community's ignorant fear of magical creatures. Newt, obviously, becomes a suspect for the havoc wreaked in the city, and the rest of the film is a whirlwind of cat and mouse, niffler and Newt.
We are introduced to many creatures and characters that I won't spoil, but there are two actors who deserve high praise for bringing a level of joy to the feature that makes FB endearing. Dan Fogler as the Nomaj Kowalski, adds beats of humor that are easy to overlook. With Redmayne playing everything straight, the comic relief is necessary but requires Fogler's discipline. The other is Alison Sudol as the witch, Queenie. Sudol is contagious in how much fun she has with this role. Queenie is the perfect complement to Kowalski's fish out of water Nomaj. Their dynamic with each other and as supporting characters is the highlight of the film. The Harry Potter films matured into some truly dark territory that FB doesn't quite venture, but the more kid-friendly feature doesn't feel overly precious. The mysterious antagonist and conflict may grow too far into the absurd for its own good, but how it all fits into the beloved world doesn't give the impression of a spin off cash-grab. The hunger for all things Potter is insatiable and the inevitable sequels to come have an admirable bar to hit.