"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" Movie Review

To be honest, i don’t really have any idea on how the story is going to turn out. I have no idea about all of Newt’s deeds and escapade. All i know is he’s a wizard and that is enough for me to get excited. So we watched it, and it was indeed fantastic. Don’t want to be a spoiler or what but here’s what i love about the new era of magic. Aside from the world of Harry Potter that made us fell in love with magic at the first place, Fantastic Beasts and Where To find Them will be another reason to fell deeply in love with magic even more. Fantastic Beasts had a more serious and mature approach than of Harry Potter, it was a different experience, it shows that magic is more than what we can see at Hogwarts, and it shows that magic is all around the world.

Newt Scamander, your unlikely awkward geeky hero. The most famous Hufflepuff (but still next to Cedric Diggory for me) was expelled at Hogwarts for endangering lives because of his obsession of magical creatures and started working at Ministry of Magic still in lined with his love for all magical creatures. He was very awkward at the first parts of the movie (as in super awkward and weird) but he turns out to be this cute little weirdo who shows so much passion with his creatures and his craft, and will make you fall in love. He is like the quiet guy in your class who loves dogs and cats but Newt loves Nifflers, Occamy and the overly attached Bowtruckles more. He travels as part of his study about magical creatures all over the world, on how they are very helpful and how to tame and take care of them, showing that not all magical creatures are dangerous. Then the time comes when we had the chance to enter Newt’s magical suitcase, and it was wonderful. Newt’s suitcase shows what magic is to him and it is heartfelt, if i was a no-maj and introduced to magic like that, i would definitely fell in love instantly and wished to be a wizard. Magic is more than spells and charms and Newt’s suitcase is magical in every aspect. “You’re an interesting man, Mr. Scamander, just like your suitcase. I think there’s much more to you than meets the eye.”

And aside from our new hero, a lot of characters have stand out from the movie, so be ready for few spoilers. My first pick is Credence Barebone, played by Ezra Miller. If there is someone who is weirder than Newt it was probably him, but weird in a creepy way. He is the adopted son of the leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society, a society of no-majs that are anti-witchcraft and believed that it is dangerous for no-majs. He was being abused by his adoptive mother that cause his troubled and vulnerable personality. But as the story goes on, Credence’s character is playing a major part of the story. As what his adoptive mother didn’t know is that he is a wizard but because of where he is living he tried to suppress his magical powers and he turns out to be an obscurial, who is the main reason of the attacks in New York and the reason why the wizarding world in America is at risk.

Next up is the love interests in the story. Tina and Newt, there’s nothing i can say to be honest. They are like the same person but quite different, Newt is the awkward, adventurous one while Tina is a witch who is working a MACUSA as an investigator but lost her job because she tried to save Credence and did a spell on his adoptive mother and she tried to bring Newt to the headquarters to tell that he is an unregistered wizard who release creatures, hoping he could get her job back. She is the strict, controlled and serious one. You know, just two boring people met each other and it actually worked out. Tina has a sister, Queenie. She is a Legilimens, she reads minds and love to cook and that makes her more interesting than her older sister (for me though). She also works at MACUSA at the Wand Permit Office, when Tina brought Newt and Jacob to their house, that is where Queenie and Jacob met. Jacob is a no-maj, who works at a canning factory and just went to the bank to loan for his bakery business until Newt performed magic in front of him and they couldn’t just leave him. I love this two more than Tina and Newt, really. It was the typical love at first sight and the chemistry was just there, they are the fun couple, they are too cute and their personality just complement each other and builds a strong connection and you knew that they just fell deeply in love with each other when the tragedy is over and Jacob needs to be obliviated and all of what happened needs to be erased from his memory, it was just heartbreaking. Another love team i approve is the bromance between Newt and Jacob. Jacob is one of the most pleasing characters from the story, he’s the one who brought joy around. Their friendship is one of the most beautiful thing in the movie. The fact that Newt didn’t want to obliviate Jacob at the first meeting, even though it is the rule, it just shows how Newt trusts and likes Jacob the first time they met. He even showed Jacob the magic inside his suitcase that secure that bond between them. Even after the tragedy when the whole city has been obliviated, Newt gave Jacob a case of silver ocammy eggshells to give as a collateral to the bank to start his baking business. You know that two people who just clicked the first time they met and just really bonded, they were like that and it was just beautiful.

The last major character is Percival Graves. He was an Auror and works at MACUSA too as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He acts as the antagonist and almost killed Tina and Newt. He also played a major role in Credence’s life, he was manipulating Credence to look for the obscurus not knowing he was the one he was looking for. He thought that Credence was just a squib which reveals Credence into his obscurial form in front of Percival. When Credence was out of control at the end the MACUSA Aurors killed him and it seems that Percival was unhappy about it. In the end, Newt revealed Percival and he was Gellert Grindelwald all along, who was played by Johnny Depp. (I was actually fangirling when it happened).

The first franchise was just beautifully made and will make you anticipate. I want to see the battle between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, and i also hope to see more of Jacob but i think that would be impossible. All in all it was amazing. I just can’t wait for the other 4 films that will be next, and how the story will turn out.

original post from eighteenandbeyondblog.wordpress.com