Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the latest film in the Harry Potter franchise, however instead of a sequel, this is a prequel, following magical Zoologist Newt Scamander as he tries to catch several creatures that have escaped in 1920's New York. The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Scamander, as well as Katherine Waterson, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Fine Frenzy, Samantha Morton, and Jon Voight.
Now I gotta say, as a longtime fan of Harry Potter and the Wizarding world, I was really excited to see Fantastic Beasts, but at the same time I was a bit cautious, I didn't want to get my hopes too high just incase. And I'm glad to say that this film lived up to pretty much all of my expectations, I had a really good time with this movie. For starters, Eddie Redmayne is absolutely wonderful in this movie. He already kind of has a Harry Potter-ish vibe about him, so for this movie and this world casting him was kind of a perfect decision, he brings a lot of charm and a lot of likability to this role, and it's really nice to see him not only playa character with a more positive vibe, but to play it as well as he did.
Not to mention I really liked the story of the movie. It still kind of does the same thing a lot of Harry Potter movies did where the main characters have their own story and the main plot of the film is treated as a sub-plot right up until the third act, but honestly I didn't mind that. Both the main story and the story arc for the main characters was really enjoyable. It's really fascinating especially in any scene involving the magical creatures, each one is not only creatively designed, but also well thought out. They each have their own behaviors and traits to set them apart in ways more than just looking different, and it's things like that that add levels to this movie, and it's things like that I really liked about it.
Of course, I have something of a bias when it comes to this movie, because Harry Potter was right up there with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings as the stuff I mostly grew up with, and so returning to this world and this lore is just a lot of fun. It's absolutely wonderful to get back into this world, with the music, the imaginative designs, the lore, everything, it's all wonderful. However, in all fairness, while this aspect was personally one of my favorite parts, it's also my biggest complaint. I'm a universal proponent of the idea that a movie should stand on its own, which essentially means I should be able to watch a movie without seeing or reading anything else and enjoy it (the only exceptions being story-based sequels where a film is a story follow-up to the last film in a series). And as great as this film is for Harry Potter fans, I would be very surprised if people who weren't already into this series could get into this film in the same way I did. It's not a huge problem, but it's definitely there.
Final Rating
I have to say, I had a really good time with Fantastic Beasts. It may not be the movie for everyone as you kind of have to be a fan to enjoy it, I was and I certainly did. Honestly, at this point, what can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? It's wonderful to dive back into this world again, and I'm glad to say that the Wizarding world is back, and it's as wonderful and simply magical as ever.
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