delightful complexity

Rating: 8/10 (21 November 2016)

Whoa, what a tsunami of detailed information, half-seen side attractions, and really elegant special effects! I'm going to have to see this one several times, I think, before I've gleaned a comprehensive understanding of the depth of this world.
First off -- Scamander's suitcase (which is the reason I put a spoiler warning on this, in case someone would rather see the film without knowing anything at all). When I get this on DVD, I'll probably watch this section over and over -- looking in the corners, trying to peer off-screen. It's a cornucopia of sensory overload -- part sideshow, part impromptu zoo, and wholly engaging. I definitely empathize with the hapless pastry chef, Kowalski, as he staggers into unimaginable vistas and through canvas apertures that turn out to be dimensional engineering portals of which even the Time Lords of Gallifry would be envious.
Next: Scamader's mating display on the ice in Central Park. It was really, really hard to stop laughing at that one -- I was strongly reminded of the ostrich scene in The Gods Must Be Crazy II. So DANG funny, and visceral -- Scamander is the ultimate crypto- zoologist/magicanimalian behaviorist!
Engaging minor characters, a plethora of detail, and the big realization at the end that made me slap my forehead (well, DUH, of COURSE!) -- there's really not a single place in the movie that made it difficult for me to suspend disbelief. Fantastic fun!