It's no 'Harry Potter' but it still entertains

Rating: 7/10 (9 July 2017)

We will never be able to capture moviegoers' excitement of, love for and connection with the 'Harry Potter' series, whether we're talking about the blockbusters or the books. This point should be understood in order to fully appreciate 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,' and even so, it's still hard not to compare it with its sibling series.
To get it out of the way, it's true 'Beasts' has commonalities with 'Potter,' including the fact that the story comes from the pen of J.K. Rowling, takes place in the same universe (albeit a few generations earlier) and it's directed by David Yates (who also directed the final four 'Potter' films). But there is a lot more at the center of 'Beasts' than meets the eye.
We're introduced to Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who arrives in New York City from London with a magical suitcase filled with...well...fantastic beasts. New York City has been under siege due to magical disturbances with notorious evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald at large, which gives rise to an anti-magic movement that forces the American magic community underground. After a chance run-in with a "No-Maj" (non-magical person/muggle) named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) and fellow magic person Tina (Katherine Waterston) in a bank, Newt and his newfound friends (along with Tina's flirty sister Queenie, played by Alison Sudol) are taken on a wild ride through 1920s NYC to capture escaped creatures while battling a sinister force in an "obscurial."
Aside from the core cast, there are some other noteworthy castings in Colin Farrell as Graves, a high-ranking official from the American Magic Ministry, Carmen Ejogo as President Seraphina Picquery, Jon Voigt as a high-profile NYC banker and a bonus cameo from Johnny Depp himself. The cast are not the best part about 'Beasts,' though. The CGI has got an upgrade from the days of 'Deathly Hallows Part 2' in 2011, and the focus on all the crazy, creative creatures featured here makes this most apparent. Additionally, the score from James Newton Howard brings to life a lot of what takes place on screen.
Again, it's not the best thing to come from the mind of J.K. Rowling, but 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is an exciting thrill ride through the magical world that we've come to know and love.