Numbers obtained from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes on November 16, 2016.
My rating IMDb Rotten Tomatoes
Critics Audience Critics Audience
8/10 72/100 8.6/10 88% Unavailable
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, said in an interview that Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is an independent story that stands on its own, without the need of previous knowledge of the wizarding world of Hogwarts to understand it. However, it is clear that the person who does not know Harry Potter, neither enjoys the wizard story, will not enjoy Fantastic Beats in its entire.
Directed by David Yates, responsible for the last four Harry Potter films, Fantastic Beats hasn’t been adapted from a book. J.K. Rowling actually took as a premise one of the books used by Hogwarts’ students during classes and decided to create the story of its author Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) – thus, prior to the characters we already know. In it, we see Newt arriving in New York in 1926 as part of his journey in search of magical creatures that are considered dangerous. His journey would be quiet had he not met Jacob (Dan Fogler), a No-Maj (the American version of “muggle”: someone who does not belong to the world of magic) that disrupts his plans.
Meanwhile, the town suffers from attacks of unknown origins and Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, wants to find out why.
The story takes a while to actually start, giving the feeling that the film is longer than necessary. However, the pace gets better and it becomes more interesting over time. The supporting characters, played by Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol, steal the scene from the main characters played by Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston, with much more fun scenes. I would also point out as something negative, in my opinion, the way Newt needs to capture the beats: instead of using his wand to trap them, he is forced to run after them, to the point of having to pretend to be a kind of animal of the opposite sex to attract one of them (this scene begins in a funny way but ends up being too long).
In addition, the special effects could be better (they are not as dazzling as those of Doctor Strange, for example), but they manage to convey the characteristics of the beats, as well as taking us to the wizarding world in New York as it did in London in the Harry Potter movies.
There are moments in the movie in which Albus Dumbledore is mentioned and the symbol with the Deathly Hallows appears. This contradicts J. Rowling’s claim that it is not necessary to know the Harry Potter stories, since the viewer who has not read the books nor seen the films will not understand the importance of these two elements. It is true, however, that Fantastic Beats will have 4 more movies. So there is enough for this to be clarified to the new audience.
Fantastic Beats is a great movie for those who, like me, grew up with the Harry Potter stories. And, like in the books, the end leaves us with that feeling of wanting more. As we did we the books, we’ll have to wait two years until the next chapter …
