My love for Harry Potter is well-documented. So imagine my delight when JK Rowling announced that there was to be another movie in this wizarding world, centered around the author of one of Harry's textbooks! Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is about the author of a book by the same name. The author is Newt Scamander, and he is a beautiful little character who abounds in awkwardness and love for all of his magical creatures.
I had very high expectations for this movie, as it is the first one of the Harry Potter world that didn't have a book that I could read beforehand. Like the rest of the world, I had no idea what the plot would be or even what characters would be present. Not only did the film meet and exceed all of my expectations, it also set up a plot line for what we are told is going to be four more movies! I'm stoked.
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Part of the reason the movie is so great is that it manages to maintain the magic of the series, but also be original in and of itself. We get to see Grindelwald, the original dark lord. He appears in the Deathly Hallows movies, and we learn that he and ole Dumbledore were besties back in the day before a fight between them hurt Dumbledore's sister. In Fantastic Beasts, Grindelwald seems to be at the height of his power, post-Dumbledore fight and causing a lot of mayhem. I'm excited to see Johnny Depp's portrayal of Grindelwald and what all of his story we will get to see.
Another awesome part was the introduction of something called the Obscurial, what forms when a magical child tries to suppress their powers. I freaking love Ezra Miller, and the way he acted out Credence was super creepy and awesome. It looked a little demonic possession when he turned into the Obscurus, so that was a little weird. To tell you the truth, the whole movie was darker than I expected it to be. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though.
If you have seen the movie, I hope you agree that it was bomb. If you haven't seen it, what are you waiting for?
