Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Movie Review

Every Potter fan wanted a Harry Potter spin off. Most Potter fans were not expecting that the spin off would be about Newt Scamander and his book Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Fantastic Beasts follows Newt and his journey discovering and studying magical creatures. When he arrives in New York, he quickly learns about the dark magic brewing in the wizarding world.

I loved Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. I went into it with relatively low expectations because I did not love The Cursed Child (the “eighth” Harry Potter book that came out earlier this year”). Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was certainly not disappointing. It was funny, complex, magical, and sometimes very dark. I loved how it introduced some new areas of the wizarding world and developed some unexplained areas. Fantastic Beasts was definitely the movie that every Potter fan has been waiting for.

The movie starts just like every Harry Potter movie. The theme music plays, dark clouds are everywhere, and the Warner Bros. symbol rises up. This alone gave me chills and got me excited for the rest of the movie. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was a two hour and thirteen minute movie, but it certainly did not feel that long. I was never bored because the pacing was impeccable. The action was frequent, but there was enough down time so that the heart pounding scenes were not overwhelming. My favorite scenes were the bank scene in the beginning and the scenes in Newt’s suitcase.

The sets in Fantastic Beasts were really cool. The streets of New York were gorgeous, and Newt’s suitcase was fun and whimsical. The sets in this movie also set the tone. The Barebone house was dark and creepy, the Magical Congress building was sinister and harsh, and Central Park was magical and uplifting. I also found that Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was a pretty dark movie, but it could still be fun and magical. Fantastic Beasts had some beautiful sets that set the tone for the movie.

I absolutely loved the four main characters of Fantastic Beasts. Newt was a pretty unlikely hero. He was an awkward, funny, and sometimes annoying Hufflepuff. I still absolutely loved him, though. Jacob was another fun character that had some really hilarious lines. It was interesting to see the wizarding world through the point of view of a clueless muggle (or I guess a no-maj). Tina was also an awesome character. Even though she was fired from her job as an auror, she was still devoted to making the wizarding world a better place. The last character that I really liked was Queenie. She was so funny and whimsical, and I am very interested to learn more about her legilimency. The four main characters of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them were so much fun to see come to life.

---

The following paragraphs will contain spoilers to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Read at your own risk.

---

As you probably know, there will be four more Fantastic Beasts movies to come. What will happen in those next four movies? There have been rumors going around saying that Credence (the creepy kid we all knew something was wrong with from the start) is alive and will be a large part in the following movies. I am actually really excited to see Credence develop in this franchise. He definitely has the potential to be a really interesting and dark character. It is also rumored that Grindlewald, Dumbledore, and and the mysterious Leta Lestrange (I’ll get to her later) will have prominent roles in Fantastic Beasts #2. I, like many people believe that this five movie franchise will be centered around the rise and fall of Grindlewald.

In the following paragraphs, I will be discussing some the theories the internet and I have come up with about what might be revealed in the follow up movies to Fantastic Beasts. None of the theories are canon.

• Probably the most popular theory on the internet right now is that Ariana (Albus Dumbledore’s younger sister) was an obscurial (a witch/wizard that turned into a dark force because they suppressed their powers). In The Half Blood Prince, it was said that Ariana died tragically at the age of 14 in an accident involving Albus and Grindlewald. Albus also says that after Ariana was attacked by three muggle boys “It destroyed her, what they did. She was never right again. She wouldn’t use magic, but she couldn’t get rid of it, it exploded out of her when she couldn’t control, and at times she was strong and dangerous.” Albus was obviously saying that she was an obscurus. This could show why Grindlewald was interested in Credence (another obscurial)
• Right after Grindlewald was revealed at the end of the movie, I knew Newt probably came to America to spy on him for Dumbledore. (I have also seen this theory on the internet). How do you think Newt ties into this franchise about the rise and fall of Grindlewald? Maybe because Dumbledore sent him as a spy! Remember when Graves asked Newt “Why does Dumbledore love you so much?” and Newt responded with silence? Newt probably came to America to study the animals, but also to act as a spy.
• I’m pretty sure I gasped when I heard the name Leta Lestrange during the movie. If you did not already know, the Lestrange family were strong supporters of Lord Voldemort. Apparently, Leta was a close to Newt’s while they were at Hogwarts , but at some point they drifted apart. Newt obviously still cares about Leta because he carries around a picture of her. Why is Leta significant? Since Divergent star Zoey Kravitz has already been cast to play her in the next movie, she will probably have a prominent role. The thing I’m wondering about Leta Lestrange is why she and Newt drifted apart. My guess is that she was the reason for his expulsion from Hogwarts.
• This is not really a theory, but it is a quick thought. Fantastic Beasts takes place in 1926, which is the same year that Voldemort was born. This could be a coincidence, but with J.K. Rowling writing the script, I doubt it.
  

  ---

Overall I thought Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was a fantastic movie and will be a great franchise. I cannot wait to see where the next movie will take this story. Seeing Fantastic Beasts is a must for every Potter fan ever. What did you think of this movie? What are some of your theories? I would love to know.