Newt Scamander loses a few magical creatures while on a trip to New York and has to recover them before exposing all wizardry to the public.

Rating: 7/10 (23 November 2016)

The best thing about the movie is the creatures, and the world of these fantastic creatures. The photography was excellent in capturing the magic and awe of the world of magic. This is backed up by Eddie Redmayne's brilliant performance as the awkward but kind Newt Scamander. Co-starring alongside Redmayne is Dan Fogler, who seems more like a Kevin James lookalike. He is both charming, and funny. Another strong point is the cameos by Johnny Depp, and an unrecognizable Ron Perlman as Gnarlak. The bad part of the movie was the story-telling. It seems like two different stories set in the same world. The tones are completely different. One story focuses on Newt and his creatures, which is more like a children's adventure story. The other story, centering more on Farrell's character is darker and follow's the tone of the Carrie remake. When the two stories merged, it seemed forced. I guess Yates is brilliant in focusing on one story, like he did in the Harry Potter movies than he is at telling intricate plots. The pacing was a problem too, as it seemed to proceed too slowly, especially the one focusing on Ezra Miller's character. Miller's character is wasted, and despite having little screen time, you can't feel a sense of tragedy for his character at the end. John Voight was unnecessary, and provided no new stakes to the story. However, Harry Potter fans will probably enjoy this movie because is opens a new world to the Harry Potter universe. For non-Harry Potter fans like myself, I am just mildly entertained. Let's see if the sequel is better.