Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Tags: whimsical, good versus evil, psychedelic, romantic, revenge, sci-fi

Plot synopsis:
In the year 1926 in the Harry Potter universe, the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is terrorizing the magical community. Witches and wizards from all over the world are on high alert as he prepares to launch his next attack.Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) travels from London to New York City with a briefcase full of magical creatures, or fantastic beasts. When he arrives, his case is inspected by a customs official, but Newt is able to hide the magic from muggle eyes.Some men are inspecting a building downtown that has been torn through. The auror Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) comes by to see the damage. An unseen force runs underground and destroys part of the street.As he walks through the city, Newt comes across Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton), a fundamentalist and leader of the Second Salemers, an anti-magic group. With her adopted children -- Credence (Ezra Miller), Modesty (Faith Wood-Blagrove), and Chastity (Jenn Murray) -- she spreads a hateful message about magic folk and how they need to be exterminated. As she tries to get Newt to join her, a niffler escapes from his case when it sees a shiny silver coin. It makes its way into the bank, forcing Newt to go after it.Inside the bank, Newt meets Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a factory worker who is there to apply for a loan so he can open a bakery. Newt runs off when he sees the niffler, leaving behind an occamy egg that Jacob picks up. Newt tries to catch the niffler while Jacob meets with a bank employee to get the loan, but since he uses baked goods as collateral instead of something valuable, he is denied. Before Newt can grab the niffler, Jacob notes that the egg is hatching. Newt uses his wand to pull Jacob toward him, which is seen by Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), an American witch. Newt and Jacob find the niffler in the bank vault just as a bank employee catches them. Newt petrifies him and gets the niffler to drop all the things it stole before he apparates himself and Jacob out of the bank. Newt prepares to obliviate Jacob and wipe his memories, but Jacob grabs his case and hits Newt in the face before running off. Tina catches Newt and takes him with her after seeing what he's been carrying.Tina brings Newt to the headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) because he was using magic in front of no-majes (the American term for muggles). The MACUSA president, Seraphina Picquery (Carmen Ejogo), is not happy to see Tina there since she was once an auror but was dismissed due to a previous incident. Tina takes Newt to her old office and is confronted by Graves and other aurors. When Graves demands to see what's in the suitcase, they find that Newt grabbed Jacob's case full of pastries.Jacob brings Newt's case to his apartment and accidentally opens it, setting loose a few of the creatures, including the niffler.Mary Lou is seen operating an orphanage where she teaches children about the evils of the magical community. Modesty sings songs about killing witches, while Credence suffers physical and emotional abuse from Mary Lou. She takes the children to meet Langdon Shaw (Ronan Raftery), brother of Senator Henry Shaw, Jr. (Josh Cowdery). Langdon brings Mary Lou and the kids to meet Henry and their father, Henry Sr. (Jon Voight), but both he and the senator dismiss the Barebones as freaks, which appears to irk Credence.Credence meets in secrecy with Graves, who needs Credence's help in locating a child with immense powers. In return, Graves promises that he'll help Credence get away from the abusive Mary Lou.Newt and Tina find Jacob's building, which has been partially destroyed. Jacob has been attacked by a murtlap, which has scratched his neck. Newt grabs the creature and throws him back into his case, while repairing the apartment. He and Tina take Jacob with them away from the apartment.The three go to Tina's apartment, which she shares with her younger sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), an expert legilimens (she can read minds). Jacob is immediately smitten with her, and Queenie can see it but she doesn't mind. Newt and Jacob go to rest in their room, but Newt hops inside his briefcase and invites Jacob to join him. Newt gives Jacob a treatment for his neck wound and then shows him the various habitats made for the creatures that dwell in there. Newt shows Jacob a thunderbird named Frank, which Newt claims is the main reason he traveled to America: he wants to return Frank to his natural habitat in Arizona. Jacob comes across a particularly dark entity encased in a bubble, called an obscurial, which Newt orders Jacob to stay away from. He then asks for Jacob's help in retrieving the missing creatures. Jacob agrees.Newt and Jacob go on the town and find the niffler trying to rob a jewelry store. Newt chases the niffler through the store, causing significant damage to the whole place. The cops arrive as Newt catches it. The cops are distracted when they see a lion walking through the streets, giving Newt a chance to apparate himself and Jacob out of there.The guys continue walking through the city and see other zoo animals running loose. They see another creature, a huge erumpent, wandering around. Newt gives Jacob a helmet in preparation for catching the beast, then does a bizarre mating dance to lure it toward him. The erumpent sees Jacob and goes after him instead, but Newt manages to pull it back into the briefcase. Tina, who has gone looking for the guys after seeing they weren't in their room, sees them catching the erumpent.A conference is held for Senator Shaw as part of his bid for presidency. A rumbling shakes the entire building before an unseen and powerful force sweeps through the place, grabs Shaw, and slams him to the floor, killing him. Henry Sr. goes over to his son's body while Langdon knows it's the work of witches.Tina brings Newt's briefcase to the MACUSA as they are gathered with other witches and wizards from around the world in the wake of Shaw's death. Tina opens the briefcase to let Newt and Jacob out. When the aurors learn that an obscurial was responsible for Shaw's death, and that Newt and Tina have let Jacob, a no-maj, become aware of their world, Graves confiscates the briefcase and has the three arrested.Graves interrogates Newt about the obscurial in his briefcase. Believing him to be a fanatic of Grindelwald's in his agenda to put the magical community above the non-magic community through murderous means, Graves sentences Newt and Tina to death. Queenie overhears this as she reads Tina's mind.While locked up, Newt explains to Tina and Jacob that an obscurial is a dark force created out of a magical child's suppression of their powers. The children who conjure up obscurials don't live past the age of 10.Newt and Tina are brought into a room where they are to be placed into a pool that will kill them. One of the witches extracts some of Tina's memories. One shows her as a child; in another she attacks Mary Lou and tries to comfort Credence. Before Tina is killed, Newt unleashes one of the creatures in the room to escape with Tina. When Queenie shows up, they get Jacob and she sneaks them out in the briefcase.At the Barebone home, Credence is growing more and more unstable. He finds a wand in Modesty's room, which Mary Lou sees and thinks belongs to him. She gets ready to beat him again until Modesty admits the wand was hers. The obscurial gets loose and kills Mary Lou before destroying the rest of the house, leaving only Credence and Modesty alive. Graves later finds Credence and urges him to find Modesty, since Graves now believes she is the child that he foresaw.Newt, Tina, Jacob, and Queenie go to a magic speakeasy in Harlem called the Blind Pig. They ask the owner, a goblin gangster named Gnarlack (Ron Perlman), for information on finding the last missing beast, a demiguise that Newt named Dougal. Gnarlack wants something in trade, and he has his eyes set on a little bowtruckle resting in Newt's jacket pocket. Newt reluctantly hands over the bowtruckle, which reaches out for Newt. Gnarlack tells them to go searching in a Macy's. Almost immediately, Gnarlack reveals that he sold the heroes out to the MACUSA, who come in and go after the heroes. Jacob punches Gnarlack in the face before they have to escape.The heroes go to the Macy's and find Dougal, who is looking after an occamy (a large, winged, serpentine creature) hiding up on the ceiling. It causes trouble in the store for the heroes, but Newt tells Jacob and Tina to get an insect and a teapot. Jacob gets a roach and Tina grabs a teapot; Jacob tosses the roach into the teapot, allowing them to catch the occamy as it shrinks and is caught in the teapot.Inside the briefcase, Queenie sees a picture of a girl named Leta Lestrange (Zoë Kravitz), who has an old connection to Newt. He doesn't want to talk about it as their relationship seems to have ended unhappily.Graves and Credence find Modesty in her old family home. When Graves makes it clear that he will not help Credence despite his promises, Credence's rage intensifies, and it turns out that he is the one who has been possessed by the obscurial. His advanced age has allowed him to build up his power, making him the most powerful obscurial alive. Credence sets off through the city streets, leaving a trail of destruction behind him.Newt goes after Credence since he knows the aurors will kill him without knowing the truth about him. He tracks Credence to an underground subway station and soothes him back into his normal form. But when Graves, Tina, and the aurors all arrive, Credence returns to his obscurial form. Although Newt and Tina urge the aurors to let them handle Credence, Picquery orders them to kill Credence. They fire their wands at Credence and destroy him. Graves then berates the aurors for their rules and handling of the magical and non-magical communities. Picquery orders Graves to hand over his wand and surrender, but he defies her and fights the other aurors. He is able to protect himself against their blasts, but he is subdued by Newt and is bound. Newt uses the Revelio charm on Graves, revealing him to be none other than Grindelwald (Johnny Depp). He is promptly arrested.Newt uses Frank to take a potion into the sky so that it can rain over all the no-majes nearby and obliviate them. Picquery thanks Newt for what he did, but reminds him that Jacob has to be obliviated as well, since there are no exceptions. Jacob tearfully says goodbye to Newt, Tina, and Queenie, then asks Newt why he let him stick around. Newt says he likes Jacob and thinks of him as a friend. Jacob stands in the rain, but Queenie steps in with her wand to create an umbrella to kiss Jacob. When he opens his eyes, the three are gone.Jacob returns to his old factory job, still unhappy with where he is. Newt bumps into him and drops a briefcase full of occamy egg shells, which are made of silver, and a note explaining this so that Jacob can use it as collateral to open his bakery.Newt is going back to London and says goodbye to Tina at the ship terminal. He promises to return with a manuscript of his book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, so he can personally give it to Tina.A while later, Jacob's bakery business is booming, as he has fashioned his pastries to look like some of the beasts he vaguely remembers encountering. Queenie visits the shop. Jacob sees her and appears to remember her a little.

Review: What I can say though is that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a thoroughly entertaining affair that is well worth a watch, especially if you're a fan of J.K. Rowling's magical world.
The novelty in this movie is that we get to follow a fully fledged adult wizard in an entirely new environment and observe the dynamics and workings of the magical society.Said wizard is Newt Scamander, a magical zoologist that traveled the world in order to find and document rare creatures, which he carries in his magical suitcase.
When this suitcase gets mixed up with one that belongs to muggle Jacob, some of Newt's creatures escape and cause problems in New York.Eddie Redmayne shines in this movie.
He plays a very clearly British, endearing and slightly awkward Newt, but the character's kindness is obvious by the loving and friendly way that he treats his magical creatures.
If I had a small gripe, it would be that the excellent Colin Farell was in my opinion under used.All in all, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a solid and visually stunning movie that manages to achieve three things.First, although it takes place in the Harry Potter universe, it stands apart and has its very own story, which can be enjoyed separately from that of the famous young wizard.
Finally, the movie features a bustling 1926 New York, which coupled with the intriguing character dynamics, offers a brand new insight into Rowling magical world and leaves us poor muggles asking for more.After following Harry's adventures, many of us were left wanting to see much more of the story and luckily for us, it seems Rowling has that much more to offer.
It is unbelievable that JK Rowling's name is even attached to this film.The discipline and thought that went into the Harry Potter characters and story certainly wasn't applied to this catastrophe, which, like the Hobbit and so many other Hollywood regurgitation(s), merely seeks massive profits by piggybacking on a successful franchise while being utterly devoid of substance.It isn't even worth going into detail.
Fully one third into the movie it is finally established that he, the lead character, is closer to magical creatures than humans, but by then, not only do we not care about him or like him, but really the script gives him not ONE real relationship wherein to show forth his character.
They are merely 2 dimensional props, there to perpetuate a plot that is mostly centered around special effects and hubris action, magical creatures rampaging here and there, and, as I said, unrealistically, going on undetected.Literally, not one shining point to this film.
Although I was a fan of the Harry Potter series, I had no preconceived notions or requirements for this stand-alone movie, other than an expectation that J.K. Rowling would not disappoint.Nonetheless, I was disappointed.
Personally, I found watching the trailer more interesting and best of all, it was free .What made the Potter films endearing was the character development with the magic and CG as the supporting cast.
The fact that she can pen such a detailed and perfect magical world without Harry Potter and the beloved characters we have grown to love, it makes you feel like this world is actually real!
And I was hoping for this in Fantastic Beasts--albeit, probably unrealistically.Set in 1926, an English wizard, Newt (Eddie Redmayne), comes to America for McGuffin-like reasons (and unclear, at that).
one of the worst movies I have seen - wasn't really a fan of the potter series but at least I could sit through them - this movie had me contemplating walking out but because I was with others I suffered through - not really any cogent story line, wooden performances, nil character development and some hooky cooky scenes that can be seen in any old casper cartoon - absolute waste of time and another movie that is just big on tricks but short on story and completely unmemorable - I feel ashamed I went to see this movie because I am now part of the problem - if we keep going to the cinemas to see rubbish like this they will keep making it - don't be weak like me - just don't go to see this crap.
If there is to be a series of Newt Scamander films, PLEASE spend the money on the cast and not the effects and PLEASE return to the humanity which were hallmark of the Harry Potter books and also a fundamental reason for their greatly deserved success..
Because it was already revealed, I feel free to say that Johnny Depp was actually worse than I expected, as it looked like Grindelwald was Johnny Depp and unfortunately not the other way round.Being a Potterhead as far as it goes, I terribly enjoyed the film without watching it as a hardcore fan but as a critic.
Only one thing I liked in this huge mess: the pastries in the shape of fantastic beasts offered by Kowalski (Dan Fogler) in his shop at the end of the film..
But this was written from the very start as a movie, and in my mind is the fruit of the creative partnership she had formed with David Yates, who directed the final three installments (4 actually) of the Harry Potter saga.The result is both a visual marvel, a heartwarming story, and a tale of fantasy, action and suspense.
For those of you who are missing the adventures of Harry Potter and his wizarding world, Fantastic Beasts plugs that gap with alacrity.
With a cast headed by the supremely talented Eddie Redmayne, as Newt Scamander, this film immerses us once more into a place where the world of wizard and No-Maj (American for Muggle) collide.
You absolutely do not have to watch any of the Harry Potter films to understand any of the references to Muggles, Hogwarts and the like, this film is story on its own and we are introduced to a whole new collection of characters.......and magical beasts, some of which are cute and some downright weird.
That being saidFor me, the movie started a little slow, only because I've been all over Pottermore devouring all the new info/material Rowling has released (while avoiding the actual book) with the run up to the film.
Being a period piece, the creators have gone all out with ornate set design, costuming, and props all which suck you into the story that unfolds and adds to the magic and wonder.The cinematography, lighting, editing, musical score, and visual effects are first rate and serve to create a world that feels real enough to actually step into.
Extremely likable, funny, open, and amazed at the magical world unfolding around him, makes for the ideal surrogate for the audience.The story itself is deceptively straight forward on the surface (magical creatures get lose in New York and need to be captured before the non-wizarding world discovers magic is real), but like other/best epic films such as Harry Potter or Star Was is merely the seed for a more encompassing, far reaching, adult tale that will fire the imagination and entertain for years to come.Wands at the ready and head to the theater.
"Fantastic Beasts" fulfills all its aims with faultless expertise: conceiving the spin off wished by all fanatics drawing on Harry Potter's rich mythology to forged a style of its own which stands out with power of franchise, introducing to the most apathetic or uninterested people of Rowling's writings and laying a consistent foundations for extensive franchise which has in front of its wand.Seductive prequel begins in in the midst of the 1920s, in New York precisely, a period of economic prosperity.
K. Rowling, who now holds the start of this new story with her own hands, since in addition to assembling almost naturally the new piece within Harry Potter's vast universe, wrote the screenplay of all the characters involved.
British (screen)writer makes a well-built beginning as such; it's for that reason that first installment is crammed with information, narrative threads as: The Magical Congress of the United States of America (which is strictly dissimilar to the British), varied range of suggestive characters, meaningful range of facts, ambitious catalog of creatures and the presentation of who perhaps will be the king-villain of the saga (akin to 'Thanos' in "MCU").Second miracle worker is director-producer David Yates, who was in the middle of Gabonese jungle with "The Legend of Tarzan" in July and concluded masterfully the story of Harry, Ron and Hermione with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 & Part 2" in 2010 and 2011 respectively; he enigmatically returns to inaugurate a new and long chapter, which probably also will direct.
On the dark side of witchcraft and wizardry, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller and the short cameo by Johnny Depp become the subplot into something scary, creepy and not too suitable for kids— substantially, pointing out in the excellent performances and background music by James Newton Howard."Fantastic Beasts" fortuitously becomes us absent-minded of the original series, with a spin-off packed with magic, joy, new opportunities and surprises to come.
However, I had no idea how this movie would turn out to be when I went for it, knowing very well that all characters are new, and knowing very little about the Fantastic Beasts in the first place.I don't think I moved even an inch during the entire 2 hours and 13 minutes.
What's not to like about that?This film is set in the same universe as Harry Potter, except in 1926, in New York.
In all, this film never quite touches the awe and great characters imbued within each Harry Potter film and book, but it offers many delights nonetheless, and is definitely worth seeing, especially on a big screen, where it looks positively beautiful..
bad casting bad movie plot this is just a bad idea ....normally i would like this kind of movie but when they only focus on cgi it gets boring really quick ,but I'm sure if you are a kid you would like this ....but for us not kids i would rather poke out my eye than watch this again ....and the worst part of this is that they are going to make more movies ...come on seriously four more movies that will be about nothing ...the world needs magic but not this kind of cheap movie if this is what creative minds can make we a fu.
I was a bit worried when I saw trailers, but the movie definitely exceeds expectations.Now, the good stuff: *the movie has the same feeling as harry potter saga, it has the same charm and so on.
I went into this with high hopes, since I enjoyed the original Harry Potter novels and the resultant movies a great deal.But about 30 minutes into "Fantastic Beasts," I realized I was being bludgeoned by a movie that is ridiculously long on special effects and visuals, and woefully short on story and genuine character development, unlike the original books and movies.Alas, the Potter wizarding world was been infected with the same greed and hubris that overran Middle Earth in the wake of the Lord of the Rings juggernaut.
I love Harry Potter series, I read all the books and I watched all the movies the minute they were out there.
though its not harry potter and its starting all over again getting to know these new characters, it's been great.
go watch this movie if your a harry potter fan you are going to love it.
Fantastic Beasts offers an interesting mix of familiarity and new beginnings as the Potterverse welcomes back David Yeats, director of the previous 4 Harry Potter installments, and sees J.K Rowling's maiden voyage as a screenwriter.
Full of great effects and solid performances from Redmayne and Fogler, the film offers very little in terms of story, which, when considering this was penned by one of the most successful authors of all time, is largely disappointing.
The characters were original, well-developed and perfectly cast, the magical creatures including a thieving Niffler, a vicious Swooping Evil, a striking Thunderbird and a charming Bowtruckle are indeed fantastic, the look of the film is marvelous and the music by James Newton Howard is pitch-perfect.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this movie again, so as a fan, I can look back at some of the details that will lead to the amount of extraordinary events in the Harry Potter books that most people will miss out on.
There is definitely magic in this movie and not just because of the CGI, which makes everything look very good, but also because of all the reasons I spoke of woven into one big, new, fantastic (see what I did there) world.I can't wait to see the other parts..
No one needs a massive essay to read.I begrudgingly went to watch this movie at the behest of my other half as she's a massive fan of all things Harry Potter.
Well that was what I experienced when I saw the opening scene of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" I cannot put into words just how very emotional it was for me, partly because it has been so long, almost too long since 'Harry Potter'and partly because this time around Rowling is treating us and giving us the opportunity to truly see the Wizarding world Not just Hogwarts and Quidditch and all that but the Real Diverse world of Magic that spans the entire world and co-exists alongside us 'No- Maj' – American term for 'Muggles' i.e. Non Magical folks.
Hence I ended up not caring about the convoluted plot that felt like the old Potter problem: too many things in one book trying to squeeze into one movie.
I always liked the British aspect of the Harry Potter film series and the biggest reason was because of the type of language that was used in the Wizarding World.
I could go on for eternity about all the wonderful things about this movie and why any Potter fan, or anyone, should go see it, but I believe I've made my stance quite clear: This film is magic..
So five years on since Harry Potter left the big screen, director of the last four films David Yates returns to visualise another J.K. Rowling story that isn't strictly a prequel but set well within the Potterverse.
The movie takes place in the Harry Potter world.
JK Rowling mixed the real world with the magical world and in this way was able to create funny moments.The movie is very good and you can enjoy it!.
The revelation at the end has no emotional impact or impact on the story.It just feels like they are holding out on a good story and sprinkling it over multiple movies and cramming them full of scenes that do not progress the plot or character development in any way.Sorry guys, wish I had better news..
If you have been, and still are, a super nerdy Harry Potter fanatic like me, you will have a blast watching reference after reference to the now already older HP-movies, and it will be easy to follow the story line because of that.
No wizard could do this in previous Harry potter films which are much further in time in the HP universe.
It's not bad, it lacks the childlike wonder that came with the Harry Potter novels and movies, but it was still a ride back into that world and one that we've all been itching for and for a fairly long time.You get a beautiful Art Deco New York between the wars and Colin Farrell fittingly doing his best Melvin Purvis impersonation, at least what would be his best if the Irish didn't keep slipping through.Eddie Redmayne was fantastic, even if he did, from time to time,look a little too much like Roger Daltrey for his own good.And then the rest of the cast, you see A-list celebrities popping up in the smallest of roles, as if the script hit Hollywood and every closeted Rowling fan dove for a little slice of the script.
The world may never know.Still, it is far more adult than the first few Harry Potter novels, films,and this time the cast is more adult to match.
When I saw the first trailer of this movie I was excited, because I like the urban fantasy setting of the Harry Potter universe.
May be if they would have concentrated on making this movie like harry potter.
It's a movie on his own with it's own storyline, characters, villian and hero.This movie has the essence of the Harry Potter franchise although it stands alone with a very unique way of telling a new story from the Wizarding World.Adventure, fantasy and mystery, all in an interesting, funny and magical movie.
Take the Harry Potter movies, who are already great, and give them a bit more of the best things they have.It has great actors, story, effects, characters, costumes and the dialogues are awesome.So Honestly, Do Yourselves A Favor And Watch This Amazing Movie.
Honestly, this was such a disappointment that I was MAD after seeing it, and I can't believe they are making this look like a spin-off of the wonderful Harry Potter franchise because it does not have the depth nor the characters that we so deeply loved.
(or even a good choice for any role in any movie in the case of Carmen Ejogo).In the Harry Potter series, I could care about each and every character (except the very few, third place boring ones).
I went to this movie as, while I'm not a HP nerd, I did enjoy the first few films and I like the story theme of looking after/capturing fantasy creatures.
As a real supporter and lover of the original Harry Potter films, I was more than excited to finally watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but was severely disappointed.