Magical Fun that Subtely Brings us Back to this Universe,

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2016)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a great movie with a very well developed plot and a terrific cast. It is a fun, light hearted film that takes us back in to the Harry Potter universe in an enchanting way, as we follow Newt Scamander in 1920s New York, in which the beasts in his briefcase escape and he gets tangled up in the city's secret community of wizards. The effects are dazzling and the creatures are brought to life in a manner that will make you smile, while keeping you at the edge of your seat.
The pacing was slightly off, and that is why I am giving it an eight instead of a nine. There are a lot of scenes that were much longer than they needed to be, dragging out and being too dialogue heavy. As well as that, there are exciting moments that the audience would have been anticipating that were cut short, I found the sequence at the end to be particularly quick. I believe this is a result of J.K. Rowling being used to writing books and not screenplays, which will not take up lots of time to develop their characters, something that becomes a bit tedious in a film.
The cast certainly shines, Eddie Redmayne is terrific in the lead role, truly dedicating himself to the character as always. Katherine Waterston is so good I did not even realise it was her till I saw her name in the credits, Dan Fogler brought in great comic relief, as well as playing a well rounded character and Colin Farrell has a great, mysterious presence on screen.
It is a feel good film that kept me smiling throughout, the magic reminded me of the cinematic experience I had been missing since 2011. Whimsical, fun and with a stellar cast, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has its flaws, but it was a fun ride, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good fantasy or adventure.
An adventurous wizard enters New York with a briefcase fool of wild beasts, chaos ensues once he mixes his bag up with a mortal and several creatures escape.
Best Performance: Eddie Redmayne / Worst Performance: Ezra Miller