A breath of fresh air. Charming and entertaining! Long overdue.

Rating: 8/10 (10 December 2016)

This movie is charming and funny. It is suitable for most children (language is tame, violence is almost non-existent, no sex, mild to moderate scares for kids).
The characters are fun and you actually feel like you want to know them, which is very rare today. They are quirky, sincere and fresh. When most movies have the same aggressive leading female stereotype, it's so wonderful to see a director rise above the modern clichés. Ramayne is a charming, funny and intelligent Newt Scamander. The two sisters played by Waterston and Frenzy were charming, capable, relatable and lovable as Porpentia and Queenie. I make no apologies for liking empathetic female characters in movies and relishing the moments when I actually get to see one, let alone two!! It was also refreshing to see a female and male villain after a long time. I thought the cruel female had been banned from Hollywood! Then again, Yates is a brilliant director who isn't afraid of empathy in female characters.
The story line is logical, consistent and reasonably paced. At one point, I found the story a little slow as the things meandered too long about 30 minutes in. When the rest of the movie is so strong, you can forgive this sin.
Overall, this is another excellent addition to Rowling's world. It has a rare balance of male and female characters (almost non-existent today) and it is family friendly for kids around 10+.
If you are sick of sexism in modern movies, this is a rare gem compared to the majority of movies from the last several years. It's charming, entertaining and breaks the modern "cookie cutter" mould by the likes of JJ Abrahms and Justin Lin style directors. It was a breath of fresh air.
Highly Recommended.