I grew up with Harry Potter going on all his fantastic adventures, waiting for my Hogwarts letter and wishing I could ride the Hogwarts Express. So naturally when I heard that JK Rowling decided to make another movie in the Harry Potter universe, I started counting down the days until I could return to the Wizarding World I so adored.
I was honestly disappointed with The Cursed Child and had high hopes for Fantastic Beasts. I, along with the rest of America, was confused as to what this movie was even going to be about because the details of the plot line were very secretive. I read all the articles leading up to the release, watched all the trailers, and read all the Pottermore feature stories.
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I refuse to be that person who ruins the ending of movies and books, because I hate that person too, so be warned spoilers are ahead.
One thing I have always loved about Harry Potter is the character development. I have always felt a deep connection to the characters and every time I read the books I find a new connection or detail that shows the depth of each character. But, these characters seemed to lack the depth of the original characters. The love connection between Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterson) as well as the connection between Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folgar) and Queenie Goldstein (Fine Frenzy) did not seem to have any depth. The farwell scene between Scamandar and Goldstein was just uncomfortable. They did not seem to have any thoughtful conversations and it seemed like they added this aspect to the storyline just to have a love connection. Overall, I though the movie could have done without the forced and slightly awkward interactions.
I also wish the storyline of catching the beasts and the Grindelwald matched better. It seemed like both plots belonged in separate movies with a slight connection. I enjoyed watching both storylines I just wish the aspect of the beasts could have been integrated to have a relationship with Grindelwald and his plot.
On the other hand, the movie had two plot twists that I didn’t see coming in really enjoyed. I got goose bumps during the two plot twists with Credence and Graves. There were subtle details through the movie that looking back on clearly pointed to both yet subtle enough that viewers were still surprised.
The animation and the beasts in general were done very well. Going into Scamandar’s case was beautifully done and I enjoyed all the different settings in the briefcase. The beasts were also visually appealing and it was great to learn more about the wizarding world I have always enjoyed.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie. There were a few aspects that I would have developed better but I think the movie was done well to be created without a book. It is simply not fair to compare this movie to the movies based on hundred page books written by Queen Rowling herself.
