Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) (Movie Review)

     When I was a little child I was crazy about having my parents read me fantasy based stories. I couldn’t get enough of really classic fables or fairytales, and the first thing that always drew me to them was the titles. Strait to the point with today’s movie, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a very colorful title and harkens back to classic fantasies that seemed to sum up the whole story at once. Of course this 2016 fantasy adventure is also set in the “Harry Potter” film universe, which I’m a devoted fan of. I’ll admit, after “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2” wrapped-up the journey of our hero’s, I felt very satisfied and done with the series. It didn’t need anything else, Harry Potter’s story had a perfect beginning, middle, end and I just didn’t find myself that excited for a spin-off movie set in this universe. Well, I sat down, gave it a watch, and it turned out to be an unremarkable but mostly welcome add on to the series. It really builds on the mythology of the universe, explores places never seen before, and honestly ... it brings back the “MAGIC” that I found lacking in the later HP films. Now I loved this series almost consistently but even at their best, the later films just lacked that same magic touch. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” while far from perfect at least brings back the colors, the other worldly atmosphere, and it made me want to explore their wizard world.   

      Set several years before the birth of Harry Potter, the magical community is currently in a state of distress as sinister forces are at large, and hiding secretly in the human world. While most magical authorities are trying to root out these threats, a visiting wizard from England arrives in New York with a very special suit-case. Soon upon arriving, the visiting wizard gets his suit-case accidently switched with a mortal’s identical looking case, and that becomes the start of a lot of problems. Turns out that the case contained several magical creatures that the wizard aimed on returning to their proper homes in America. Well, thanks to this switch of suit-cases the creatures have been unleashed in New York where they run amok. To make matters worse, those other evil forces are causing chaos and using the newly escaped beasts as scapegoats for their actions. Now our visiting wizard must join forces with a female wizard detective to track down all the magic beasts, root out the evil wizards, and the mortal who initially opened the case also gets himself roped in for the adventure. The simplicity of this premise is both a strength and weakness, as it works for an exciting mini-adventure in a larger universe, but it doesn’t leave much of an impression either.

     The concept is actually very similar to an old cartoon show titled “The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo”, in which several mystical creatures are accidently set loose and need to be put back in their magic box. It’s a set-up that lends itself to many creative possibilities, and it dose fit within the borders of the established Harry Potter universe. The setting of New York also gives us a unique look at how the wizarding world operates in America as opposed to Britain. This helps give the movie its own atmosphere and I love all the details of this universe never explored before. There’s a shady magic pub hidden behind a painting, which reminds me of the alien saloon from “Star Wars”, just with a fantasy makeover. My favorite addition of all is when our hero’s actually enter the magic suit case and discover a whole world within where all the magic beasts thrive. 

The concept of another magical universe inside of a tiny suit-case is sensational, and something we’ve never experienced from any of the previous HP films. The suit case world also has its own magical dream-like atmosphere and visually it’s stunning to behold. In general, the special effects on display are a mixed blessing. I love the set designs, and the overall visual layout is great, but I found the creature effects to be very mediocre. For all the unique creature designs, they just look like cartoons that only exist in a computer. Take for example the winged Hippogriff named Buckbeak from the earlier HP movies, I knew it wasn’t really there with the cast, but it never felt like a special effect, it honestly felt like a real living creature. The beasts in this film by contrast just don’t have the same genuine feel, and I never got the impression that the characters were really interacting with them.  

     Speaking of characters, this is one of the films bigger set-backs when compared to the other HP movies. The characters from the original films are so iconic, memorable and even the smallest side character could stand out. While the cast in this film is clearing giving it their all, and are even likable on some level, they just can’t leave an impact of any kind. I do love the setup of a mortal person going on an adventure with two wizards from opposite sides of the world, and there is even some real chemistry between them. I also like the inclusion of this one female wizard telepath who can’t always control her talents. While she can be annoying at times she also adds something new to the series that we’ve never seen before. With all that said, this is still an average group of characters at best, and I really can’t even remember any of their names. Also part of the appeal from the other films was seeing kids and teenagers going on these larger than life adventures. Putting childish adults in these situations just lacks the same charming touch.  

      My biggest issue with this movie by far is that both the tone and the simplicity of the story aren’t always consistent. Half the time the movie is just trying to be this funny little adventure with these characters chasing down these magical creatures. The other half gets kind of dark and ugly as there’s a subplot revolving around these disturbed kids and their hidden secrets which this bad guy is trying to exploit. It’s so tonally jarring to go from silly shenanigans with cartoon monsters to something that’s trying to be a slightly dark entry in Harry Potter lore. Once we get to the climax, the movie no longer has anything to do with the magical beasts that the film is named after. It’s all about our hero reaching out to this cursed child while also fighting off an evil wizard, and it’s very distant from what the film started as. There’s also pointless set-up’s for other potential spin-off movies that have nothing to do with this film. Then there's random appearances from talented actors like Jon Voight and Johnny Depp who again are just there to hint at other potential films. 

    In the end, I really think this film would have worked better as a standalone movie that wasn’t bound to the Harry Potter universe. The overall simplicity of the story is perfect for a standalone fantasy film, but being tied-in to a classic series like Harry Potter measures you to a high standard where it needs to give me more than simple derivative entertainment. Yes, this film brought back the magic touch I felt lacking in later films, but it didn’t give me much beyond that. It didn’t tell me anything I wanted to know, and to be honest, I don’t think it will hold up for repeated viewings. I watched it once and enjoyed it, then I watched it a second time and found it kind of lacking. This is one of those harmless rentals but it’s not something that left impression either. While not the most persuasive reason to start a new cinematic Harry Potter film universe, it still had its merits and a fine piece of magical entertainment. If you’re curious you’ll get your fill of magic and fun. You Just need to be in the right mind-set for a film of this sort and don’t raise your expectations to the same high Harry Potter standards. My advice, don’t think of this as a Harry Potter movie but more along the lines of the lighthearted fun and magic of “Bed knobs and Broom Sticks”. Certainly not on par with the original Harry Potter, but very magical in its own right, and I’m genuinely intrigued to see where the series will go from here. 

I give “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” 2 ½ stars out of 5.