Ten Stars

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2016)

A real review of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: They're beasts we'd all wish to find in our closets or under our beds. Life would be so very much more interesting. It's not hard to understand why Newt Scamander wants to carry them all with him in a suitcase.
Eddie Redmayne stole my heart in the first five minutes. He's somehow so wizardly, so exactly what you'd expect to find trotting around J.K. Rowling's phenomenal world that you instantly know that he could be your best friend. His gentle kindness calls to mind Hagrid, the Weasleys, and Dumbledore all at once. Remember thinking that the good wizards were so much nicer than any of us?
Dan Folger was a completely enchanting surprise. The nasty side kick from Good Luck Chuck is indiscernible in this innocent and spell- bound U.S version of a muggle. I wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home with me. If ever there was a worthy exception to the rules about muggles remembering, he is it.
The movie is a visual masterpiece, not least because Johnny Depp is in it. It's joyous, mysterious, magical and tragic. Tragic because putting Johnny Depp in a movie for only two seconds and then making me wait two years to see him in the role is an absolute tragedy. I love J.K. Rowling's skill at weaving a tale. It's unrivaled. It's breathtaking.