Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Director: David Yates
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler
Four stars
For those who have been bereft since the release of the final Harry Potter film five years ago, creator JK Rowling has found a way to ease the pain – and it is, as the title proclaims, fantastic.
The film is set in different time and a different place, but this spin-off – the first of five films which will recount the adventures of Newt Scamander, played exquisitely by Eddie Redmayne – is unmistakably part of the Potterverse.
Right from the opening credits, with those familiar ever-shifting newspapers, it all feels comfortably familiar. Director David Yates, who helmed the final four Potter movies, makes sure of that.
Rowling’s screenplay is set in 1926, long before Scamander was inspired to write his famous textbook, from which the film takes his name.
Returning from a research trip, he arrives in New York with a suitcase full of lively magical creatures. It is a city where magic has been driven underground and “no-majs” (regular humans) live blissfully unaware of the existence of spells and incantations.
When Newt bumps into would-be baker Jacob (Dan Fogler), a series of mishaps occur, and before long the beasts are set loose. This charming double-act joins forces with two magical sisters to recapture the creatures, but there is a lot more to this film than simply a monster hunt.
Dark forces are amassing, with Rowling touching on themes of segregation, oppression and intolerance that make this a far more mature tale than any of the Potter films.
If Rowling’s politics are a touch heavy-handed – the anti-magic sect, the New Salem Philanthropic Society, is a too-blunt allusion to the Salem witch trials and more besides – the heart in this story is deftly portrayed.
Romance and some welcome comedy (thanks in no small part to Newt’s scavenging beast, the Niffler) help to lighten the tone.
There is also a strong eco message, plus some beautiful CGI to bring Newt’s beasts to life.
Aside from a midsection that sags a little, this is impeccably crafted storytelling. The magic is back.
