TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Review: Welcome to magical universe of 'Fantastic Beasts'
Change Size
Katherine Waterston (from left), Eddie Redmayne, Alison Sudol and Dan Folger are shown in a scene from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in this image released by Warner Bros. Pictures. (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP/Jaap Buitendijk)
F
em>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them carries a heavy burden: It has to live up to and continue the legacy of its predecessor the Harry Potter series and convince both loyal fans and casual moviegoers that the story is worth following, as it is set to spread across five movies.
Viewers are greeted with a series of headlines portraying the menace of dark wizard Gellert Grindewald in Europe. While in New York City, witches and wizards are worried about their community being exposed following the destruction of a building from unknown causes. At the same time, Newton "Newt" Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in the city carrying a magical suitcase filled with magic creatures.
The story begins when Newt crosses path with no-maj (that's the American word for muggle, a non-magical person) Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who carries a similar suitcase and unknowingly takes the wrong one home. Newt is then caught by ex-auror Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and taken to the president of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) for the violation of several rules that could threaten the magical community’s secrecy.
(Read also: Rowling talks about 'Fantastic Beasts' at New York screening)
It is revealed that the American wizarding community has different and much stricter rules than those in England. There is a constant risk of exposure, which is feared could trigger a war with the no-maj.
The fear is not without reason, as viewers are introduced to the extremist anti-magic group The Second Salemers led by Mary Lou (Samantha Morton) and her son Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller). Destruction continues to occur in the city, leading to the death of a high-profile no-maj.
With his magical creatures on the loose, all fingers point to Newt. Tina and her sister Queenie (Fine Frenzy) agree to help Newt, with Kowalski tagging along, marking the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Plot-wise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an action-packed, fast-paced movie with a smooth storyline. The movie does not suffer from the struggle of each Harry Potter movie, having to fit a story that sprawls across a one-year school period into a two-hour movie, resulting in a rather jumpy plotline. Fantastic Beasts also does not waste time in introducing the magical universe from scratch, only explaining several things relevant to the plot.
(Read also: 'Beauty and the Beast' trailer is finally released)
The strength of the movie lies in the main character Newt Scamander, played by critically acclaimed actor Eddie Redmayne. Newt, whose name is only mentioned in the book, is brought to life as a charming, awkwardly adorable character. It is not until Newt gets into his suitcase that one experiences a magical feeling, similar to that of seeing Hogwarts for the first time.
Credit should also go to Dan Fogler for providing comic relief in an otherwise too-serious movie and to Ezra Miller, whose chilling performance makes viewers actually care about the story.
The movie works on many levels, as an escapist fantasy or social commentary of the world we are living in. Many themes are touched on in the movie, from societal minority-majority relations to child slavery, economic mobility and domestic abuse.
All in all, Fantastic Beasts is not only another Harry Potter movie with older characters and better CGI. Now on the loose, it opens the gate to a whole new magical world, both more established and more unexpected than the previous one. (kes)
