by Joseph Carlson
Originally a text book at Hogwarts that the students had to study Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is now the first of five new movies in the Harry Potter universe. It stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander a sort of magical zoologist as he travels to New York during the 1920's so he can release one of his magical creatures that is inside his enchanted briefcase. Of course there are other things happening that pull him in to a web of villainy after he sets foot in the big city.
Since this is the first film of five there is a lot of ground work to cover in this movie. Everything I mentioned in the above paragraph is happening along with Newt dealing with The Magical Congress of The United States of America and a series of events that appear to be another magical creature that is loose in the city.
The Salem Witch Trials have left their mark on America and wizards and witches are more underground in America then they are in England. This makes Graves played by Colin Farrell more interesting then your standard shady wizard. There are a group of religious people protesting anything that has to do with the supernatural. The leader played by Samantha Morton adopts children for her cause and beats them if they disobey.
Although full of plot the movie was still very fun. It juggled a lot of things and made everything interesting without sacrificing story. The character are fleshed out and believable and they all work well with one another to bring the story to a big conclusion at the end.
If you enjoy the Harry Potter universe and want to see more then check it out. You won't be disappointed.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them is now in Theaters.