Magical creatures pop up in one of the most anticipated movies this year.

There are too many monsters in a suitcase, but even after eight Harry Potter books, plus the more slender The Tales of Beedle the Bard and the directory of magical beasts — upon which this movie is based — more magic would do no harm.

As one of the most-awaited films of the year, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them fulfilled the promise to fans of an endlessly charming story and a thrilling visual experience with the return of David Yates for the fifth time as a Harry Potter director. Author JK Rowling herself added her witchcraft to the textbook used in the Hogwarts School.

Instead of foggy London, the scenery was changed to the bustling, jazzy New York City of 1926, some 70 years before Harry got his first train ride to the witchcraft and wizardry school, where the textbook writer, magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) made a stop en route during his trip to collect more specimens from across America.

He got his suitcase filled with magical creatures swapped by a Muggle, or a No-Maj — a term coined by the Magical Congress of the USA, which functions similarly to the Ministry of Magic — named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) who was hoping to get a bank loan to open a bakery.

What follows is a hunt throughout Manhattan where Newt and Jacob try to recover the creatures. Joining them is a witch named Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and her younger sister Queenie (Alison Sudol).

In their efforts, the unlikely clique runs into Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton), the leader of an extremist group — the Second Salemers — that has the goal of eradicating witchcraft in the US, Barebone’s adoptive son Credence (Ezra Miller) and magical policeman Percival Graves (Colin Farrell).

Unlike the Potter movies that get darker as the series develops, in this extension of the Rowling universe the darkness is there from the start.

Johnny Depp makes a brief appearance toward the end of the movie to deliver two lines as Gellert Grindelwald — the abominable adversary of Albus Dumbledore in the books.

As the adventure drives most of the narrative, there is not much in the story except for a handful of clues here and there about the love of Newt’s love and what to expect on his next journey with Jacob — setting the scene for the following four sequels.

All cast members are decent. Newt is definitely not Harry, but if he was ever burdened by his responsibilities and tasks, that did not show in Redmayne, who seemed to move into a romantic arc with the Tina character. Fogler’s is the most likable character in the movie as comic relief.

The visual tone is similar to David Yates’ first two Potter films, The Order of the Phoenix and The Half Blood Prince, which were dramatic and heavy in a way that fit with the narrative.

However, the similarities end there. Fantastic Beasts surprisingly stands firmly on its own, not playing with the nostalgia card to attract fans to the spin-off.

When it comes to an imaginary magical world, let’s leave it to Rowling, who made her scriptwriting debut with this film. She takes you on a more than two-hour trip of thrilling spectacles without letting you know what will happen next. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

— Photos Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

(Heyday Films/Warner Bros. Pictures, 133 minutes)

Director: David Yates
Scriptwriter: JK Rowling
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Samantha Morton, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp

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