Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016): Waiting with Hope

Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them (2016) is the newest installment in the Harry Potter Cinematic Universe. It was directed by David Yates and written by J. K. Rowling. The sequel is already in pre-production and four more have been announced. Let’s just hope they don’t take the magic out of Harry Potter.

I'm not sure where to start. I'm really tempted to give this a 7 out of 10, but I'll show restraint. I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I've been avoiding it. It didn't really interest me and I was sure this was just a corporate cash-grab (I'm still not sure it isn't). I guess I just went in with such low expectations that it surprised me when it was actually enjoyable. When I say enjoyable, I don’t just mean on a base level, I mean, I was actually invested in the story. I wanted to see the characters succeed. I wanted the villains [whoever they were (I’ll get to that)] to fail. What’s more, I was actually laughing out loud as some of the jokes.

Which brings me to my first point: Dan Folger basically carries the film. His character isn't just comic relief. Perhaps it was written as such, but his performance elevates the material to something better than basic. He made me laugh more with one reaction than anything actually written in the film. Moreover, our four main protagonists are established well enough. The blonde (telling that I don't know her name) is a little weak characterization-wise, and Eddie Redmayne isn't the best, but, overall, I understood their places in the plot and all of them feel like they have purpose.

The style of this film is rather standard, but, not in the sense of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. I mean, it has style, but it fits in with the other Harry Potter films. The score is good, but not memorable. The shooting style is pretty, but none of it really stuck with me. The most stylistically interesting aspect of the film is the design of the beasts. There are some truly interesting creatures in this film. The sequence with Newt and Kowalski in the suitcase is whimsical in the best way possible.

Now, there definitely are some negatives. I really didn’t understand the villains or their objectives. First, I did not understand that the reveal that Colin Farrell was secretly Johnny Depp was supposed to be a surprise. Second, I still don’t understand Graves/Grindelwald’s motivation. What does he want to do and why? The film could have done perfectly well with the muggle lady as the main antagonist.

This is the film’s main issue: development of the world. One wouldn’t think that a movie universe with seven films prior would need more context… but this one could have used some. I still don’t truly understand the whole suppressed magic illness that kills children. I can only assume that Yates and Rowling will explore this more in a later film. Such is another problem with Fantastic Beasts; a film should be able to stand on its own. This is especially true in the case of the first film in the series. I also did not understand the inclusion of the story about the family with the newspaper. Was it just to advance the plot and make the muggles angry with the wizards? If so, why was it such a large part of the movie? Is it going to be carried over into one of the sequels? Again, a film should stand on its own.

Overall, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an enjoyable experience, but a troubled film. There are high and low points, like any film. However, the high points are very high and the low points just seem to drag the film down. I’m very conflicted so I shall give this a very neutral 6/10. I am hopeful for an increase in quality as the series progresses.