One can’t help but wonder what, exactly, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is trying to be. As a Harry Potter spin off, is the film meant to be a kids’ flick? Or, since the narrative revolves purely around adults for the first time in the Potter franchise, is ‘Fantastic Beasts’ aimed at the adults who once grew up with Mr. Potter? The answer is probably “Both!” Directed by David Yates and written by J.K. Rowling herself, the film tries to walk this line the best way it can in order to please both potential audiences. After all, as the first of a five part series now, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ isn’t just a revisit to the Wizarding World for nostalgic fans – it has to kick off a whole new franchise of its own.
‘Fantastic Beasts’ certainly appeals to kids – especially those who love Pokémon, given the story’s focus on capturing magical beasts and storing them away for later adventures – and longtime fans of the Potter series will certainly delight in hearing words like “Accio!” “Lumos!” and “Engorgio!” again. But somewhere, in trying to please both audiences, the film just loses some of the magic that made the first series so…enchanting. Harry’s discovery of the Wizarding World helped the audience to discover the wonder of non-muggle life right along with him. But with ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ even though we’re still seeing that world, it’s now in 1920’s New York City instead of modern day Britain. That causes something of a problem.
As the audience tries to get on board with Newt Scamander — the film franchise’s newest hero – and his friends, they also have to learn all about this new world of magic in speakeasy-era America. And while on the surface that seems fun, this is done through the lens of Newt’s adventures with a witch who works for the USA’s version of the Ministry of Magic. Politics drives a large part of the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ story and sets up future films, but does so at the expense of first film storytelling.
For their part, the cast does a fine job, though Eddie Redmayne’s performance as Newt Scamander comes off a little too much like Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor (for you ‘Doctor Who’ fans). Katherine Waterston as the female sidekick plays mostly well, though it’s the woofy Dan Fogler – a hapless, muggle baker who gets unexpectedly pulled into the Wizarding World – who really rounds out the dynamic. It’s through Fogler’s “Jacob” that we get to experience this new magical world with fresh eyes and we can’t help but wonder if he shouldn’t have been the main character instead of Newt.
In any event, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is a fun film with a lot to enjoy but it’s still coming from this weird middle ground that just doesn’t feel quite right. Hopefully as the franchise continues to expand with further films, this feeling will fade as ‘Fantastic Beasts’ finds its footing in this new era of prequel-Potter films.
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