Harry Potter meets the Great Gatsby

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2017)

Harry Potter!!! No, he doesn't appear (sorry), but the magic is there! The movie takes place 70 years before the events in the Harry Potter books and we follow Newt Scamander, author of one of the books mentioned in the Harry Potter books and just as a reminder, Newt is the grandfather of Luna Lovegood's husband. But this is not the only connection with the Harry Potter books and movies, because let's face it, we Potterheads are going to watch the movie (besides the obvious) to discover those connections
Above all, the movie is pretty good. Comparisons are unavoidable but let's remember, magic or no magic, this is a spin-off, no Harry Potter in here! We are presented with a new set of characters, some where mentions less than briefly in some Harry Potter book but of course, we remember who they were. You can see J.K.Rowling writing in here (not as in Cursed Child, double sigh) and we must be grateful for that because we all feel like 15 years ago, really enjoying ourselves while watching the movie. For newcomers, this movie is a fantastic way to enter the Wizarding World that you have missing so far!
On the other hand, there are some plot weaknesses, which we will obliviate ourselves because we were waiting so long for this moment that it doesn't matter. The movie might be found to be a big long (2h 20min approx), taking a lot of time catching the fantastic beasts meanwhile there was another subplot that in the future will be more important. Here comes one comparison: I had the impression that American wizards are more into action than British ones, but then we must remember something: in this film we see the adult society and in the previous ones it was the school society, so comparing them is like comparing Quidditch with Exploding Snap! There is more action, more magic, more explosions and more adult themes, but let's not forget that this movie is directed to your inner younger self.
There will be 4 more movies to come to keep enjoying this new magical era and we are really intrigued to watch them because for once, we have NO reading material!!! Visual effects are one actor more of the movie, brilliant as always. To create all these creatures was a challenge that they did more than succeed as you will be fascinated with them and after leaving the theater you will be looking for the nearest book store to buy the book (if you still didn't have it!). As an extra,you will get goosebumps when hearing Hedwig's Theme; and if you don't, muggle/no-maj you!!
Overall we are faced with a really entertaining movie that keeps the spirit of the previous ones. It has new lovable characters, new information for us to enjoy, and questions left unanswered that we hope will be answered in the upcoming films. We have until 2024 to keep enjoying tha magic.