It's too bad this film falls short from those that came before it.
Let's start by discussing the characters. Starting off with Newt Scamander, who unfortunately doesn't work as well as a lead character should be. He's definitely confident, but only in certain scenarios, particularly with the creatures of the film. Not that a character should have to be incredibly confident in each and every scene, but in scenes when he's interacting with others and proving to be incredibly awkward, and even sometimes cold, it just rubs me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, I like Newt and the job that actor Eddie Redmayne did, I just don't like him all the time.
Katherine Waterson's Tina Goldstein is a little bit more closer to the adventurous type of wizard that we love to see in these movies. She's tough, she's smart, but she's reckless, and it gets her in trouble, particularly when she meets Newt. The film definitely picks up when folks like Tina, her sister Queenie, and their new muggle (or no-maj, 'cause what we definitely need is another dumb name) friend Jacob, join Newt in the rush to re-capture all of the beasts. Jacob, in particular, acts as the 'Harry Potter' of this series, where there is a new character rushed into this fantastical world, and acts as a lens for the audience, someone we can relate to the most. I certainly did, and I thought the job that Dan Fogleman did with the character was awesome. He was certainly the most engaging character.
Now, while these characters weren't as enjoyable or engaging overall as the original trio from the past Harry Potter films, I still liked it. The same can be said for the action, story, and music. There's less action that's truly coherent in this movie, less wand-play, so to speak. Spells don't fly as freely or as excitingly as they have in the past. And the special effects, generally relating to the fantastic beasts (y'know, the title characters), don't look all that great. They don't have the power, the impact, or the gravitas of other CGI character's that I've seen in the past, like the Incredible Hulk, the Transformers, or even the dragons from the original Harry Potter series. It probably has something to do with the cinematography of the film which, granted, reflects the 1920's in a believable way to me, the coloring and camera angles never really express the power or swiftness the creatures should be having.
The narrative itself was weak overall as well, which was so disappointing out of J.K. Rowling. Understanding that a novel is an incredibly different work of writing than a screenplay is, I would have assumed her transition, while rocky, would have overall been done well. And while the story isn't a disaster, it's bland and has too much going on to be able to focus the really interesting stuff. The conflicts that Newt runs into get resolved quite quickly. Characters are introduced and killed rather quickly. The one interesting story line that developed rather interestingly was the one of Credence, who bears with him several analogies about modern social issues.Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a fun adventure back into the world of Harry Potter, but it's an overall frivolous one. Characters aren't very well-developed, the special effects of the creatures are sub-par, the exploration of Magical America is little, and offers a weak narrative of a journey. Make no mistake, the magical world of Harry Potter holds that same nostalgic place in my heart, this venture was just a little less magical.
Rating: 7/10
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