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Five years after the epic eight-part "Harry Potter" series came to its affecting
conclusion, author J.K. Rowling has returned (now as first time screenwriter) to
the world of witchcraft and wizardry with prequel spin-off "Fantastic Beasts and
Where to Find Them." Loosely inspired by her creature-filled 128 page textbook
of the same name, this opening chapter of a planned cinematic quintet tonally
reminds of 2001's inaugural "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," before the
boy wizard's battle against the evil Lord Voldemort threatened to destroy him
and everyone he held dear. Even as Rowling and director David Yates (who
previously helmed 2007's "Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," 2009's "Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," 2010's "Harry
Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 1," and 2011's "Harry
Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2") craft a magic-tinged parable
on prejudice and oppression, the film is so airy and light-hearted it verges on
inconsequential. That is not to suggest it isn't enjoyable, though, because it
is.
The year is 1926 when former Hogwarts student Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne)
arrives by boat to New York City with nothing more than a suitcase filled with
fantastic beasts in his possession. When his attaché is unsuspectingly swapped
with that of aspiring bakery owner Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler 2009's Kung- Fu
Panda), it sets into motion a potential disaster as the creatures inside are
accidentally unleashed upon Manhattan. Aided by new ally Porpentina Goldstein
(Katherine Waterston), an investigator working for the Magical Congress of the
United States of America (MACUSA), Newt sets off to retrieve the runaway
mystical animals. At a time when tensions are on high for Majes to keep their
abilities private, these supernatural disturbances around the city risk
wizarding exposure from the No-Maj population. Complicating matters is an even
graver threat in the form of an obscurus—a dark, deadly force inadvertently
brought about by a Maj's attempts to suppress their abilities.
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is really rather quaint, but there is
a certain charm in that. While Muggle viewers will find enough to divert them,
it is devoted readers of Rowling's books whom will get the most out of the
picture, the incorporation of and references to supporting characters from the
novels serving to inform and give some weight to its confectionary touch. As the
first in a presumably sprawling new franchise, the film suggests a bridge to
better things for Yates and Rowling, who eventually reclaim their footing but do
spend a fair amount of time meandering as they introduce and try to juggle their
cast of characters.
Through little faults of their own, leads Eddie Redmayne (2014's "The Theory of
Everything") and Katherine Waterston (2015's, “Steve Jobs”) are the weak links.
Little is divulged about Newt and Porpentina's pasts or who they intrinsically
are as people—for a protagonist, Redmayne, who seems to be screen testing for
Doctor Who is especially left adrift—and as a result, the viewer has trouble
emotionally warming to them or caring about their cause. Far more involving are
Dan Fogler (2011's "Take Me Home Tonight"), as sympathetic No-Maj Jacob, and
Alison Sudol, as Porpentina's bubbly, vaguely Marilyn Monroe-ish psychic sister
Queenie. Separate or together (the romance that blossoms between them is the
movie's best element), Fogler and Sudol are quirky charmers, so genial one
cannot help but root for them. As Percival Graves, the scheming director of
MACUSA, Colin Farrell (2003's "Daredevil") brings his signature intensity to the
role, but is sadly underused. More memorable is Samantha Morton (2002's
"Minority Report"), cutting a calmly imposing figure as Mary Lou Barebone, the
leader of an anti-Maj extremist group calling themselves the New Salem
Philanthropic Society.
Reminding often of 1995's "Jumanji" (minus the board game), "Fantastic Beasts
and Where to Find Them" hedges its bets on the rampaging computer-generated
beasts of the title and their silliness/adorability factor. Because it is
understood that they aren't a fiendish sort (they generally do not mean to harm
others, but do cause plenty of destruction), urgency and peril take a backseat
to technical spectacle. Rowling is far from evasive in her allegorical,
real-world motives—the opening montage of newspaper headlines lay out the
bigoted anti-wizard era in which it is set—yet the film's pacing and pitch are
noticeably laid-back. The results are unforced and likable. And for all of its
problems, there’s no denying that when it fires on all cylinders, Fantastic
Beasts & Where To Find Them is hugely entertaining. That it grows more
comfortable as it goes is a positive sign; feeling like it could be a standalone
feature but clearly not, the sky's the limit on where Rowling chooses to take
her series from here. |
