Ever since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2011, Harry Potter fans thought that the films had reached their end. Five years later, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the most recent movie in the Harry Potter franchise, was released in theaters on November 18th. Featuring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, and Ezra Miller, the movie has its fair share of familiar faces. For those not familiar with Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the name of a textbook in the Harry Potter world. Set in New York in 1926, the film focuses on the textbook's author, Newt Scamander's (Redmayne) visit in the city.
Being a Harry Potter fan myself, I was excited that the franchise released another movie. However, as I walked into the theater I kept my expectations low knowing that the releases of films in the past few years had seemed subpar. I was not going to let the movie's branding trick me nor convince me to like it. Upon finishing the movie, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The script was witty, clever, and humorous. After being enveloped in the Harry Potter world again, I realized just how much I had missed the magical world formulated by J.K. Rowling. Her movie further introduced the viewer to numerous creatures in the magical world. With creatures ranging from the ginormous erumpent, the palm sized bowtruckle, and the adorable demiguise, there is no shortage of magical beings that Rowling has created.
In Harry Potter fashion, the movie has its dark moments. Satisfying these grim elements of the franchise, there is a troubled boy named Credence (Miller), his religiously strict mother Mary Lou (Samantha Morton), and a ghastly force called the obscurus, as well as a surprising plot twist at the end. Despite what I thought as an odd plot line with Credence and Mary Lou, I think that it served well to add diversity to the screenplay. Though this movie is definitely not paramount to the other movies in the franchise, Rowling has continued to show herself as a fantastic screenwriter, especially for this original work.
I would highly recommend viewing this movie, whether you have reread and re-watched the Harry Potter books and/or movies countless times, or whether you haven't picked up a Harry Potter book in your life. Foreknowledge of the series is not necessary to enjoy this film, though there may be some references that go directly over your head. Watching this movie may even encourage you to read the book series or watch the movies, which I also recommend. Harry Potter fan or not, keep Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in mind when searching on demand or hitting your local Redbox.
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Newspaper Articles for the Padua Antonian
No FicciónI joined the newspaper club at my school. This collection has articles that I have previously written for the paper.
