J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" saga took the world by storm, and her wizarding world returned to the big screen with the spinoff/prequel film, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
"Fantastic Beasts" takes place long before "the chosen one" was born. Eddie Redmayne ("The Theory of Everything" and "Les Miserables") plays Newt Scamander, a British wizard and "magizoologist" who was expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and now works with magical creatures.
Newt travels to New York with a case full of such creatures, but they escape, causing predictable mayhem along the way. Newt manages to get entangled with the Magical Congress of North America, thanks to auror (magical investigator) Porpentina Goldstein (played by Katherine Waterston, "Steve Jobs" and "Inherent Vice"). Tina makes it her mission to turn Newt in for exposing magic to a "no-maj" (a non-magical person known in the Potter films as muggles). That no-maj is baker Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler, "Kung Fu Panda"), a man pulled into the craziness facing the wizarding community in New York thanks to Newt.
Tina reports to auror Percival Graves (Colin Farrell, "Total Recall") and Seraphina Picquery, the president of the Magical Congress, who are tasked with protecting the no-maj community and preventing the wizarding world from exposure.
With the help of Tina, Jacob, and Tina's sister, Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol, "The Lucky One"), Newt must find his rogue beasts and prevent permanent damage to the city and wizards within it.
'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them': Featurette
A behind-the-scenes look at the characters at the heart of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
The film is visually stunning, making one believe it was actually shot in 1920s New York. Even the minor details give an aged feel to the film, from the old Ford cars and the clubs to the manner in which people speak.
The soundtrack gives a mystical feel to the film, which portrays a dazzling magical world.
"Fantastic Beasts" overall has a lighter tone than the "Harry Potter" films. The film's excellent storytelling makes the plot unexpected.
The acting by Redmayne and Ezra Miller ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Suicide Squad"), who plays the mysterious Credence Barebone, is incredible. The actors fully embody the complex yet relatable characters Potter fans have grown to love.
The lighter tone of "Fantastic Beasts" may have contributed to its excellent storytelling and plot, but it was unbalanced at some points because the tone of the film would be luminous one moment and at other parts have a more gloomy feel.
Although slightly asymmetrical, the film is an excellent introduction to the five-film franchise.
