JASMINE's THOUGHTS on Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2016)

Genre:

Family

Fantasy/Adventure

Rating:

PG-13

Run Time:

133 minutes

Release Date:

November 18, 2016

Worldwide Release Dates

Distributor:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by:

David Yates

Written by:

J.K. Rowling

Social Media:

   

Synopsis:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them takes us to a new era in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, decades before Harry Potter and a half world away.

Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) stars in the central role of Magizooligist Newt Scamander, under the direction of David Yates. who helmed the last four Harry Potter blockbusters.

There are growing dangers in the wizarding world of 1926 New York. Something mysterious is leaving a path of destruction in the streets, threatening to expose the wizarding community to the Second Salemers, a fanatical faction of No-Majs (American for Muggles) bent on eradicating them. And the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, after wreaking havoc in Europe, has slipped away ... and is now nowhere to be found.

Unaware of the rising tensions, Newt Scamander arrives in the city nearing the end of a global excursion to research and rescue magical creatures, some of which are safeguarded in the hidden dimensions of his deceptively nondescript leather case. But potential disaster strikes when unsuspecting No-Maj Jacob Kowalski inadvertently lets some of Newt's beasts loose in a city already on edge -- a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy that former Auror Tina Goldstein jumps on, seeing her chance to regain her post. However, things take an ominous turn when Percival Graves,, the enigmatic Magical Director of Security at MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA), casts his suspicions on both Newt...and Tina.

Now allied, Newt and Tina, together with Tina's sister, Queenie, and their new No-Maj friend, Jacob, form a band of unlikely heroes, who must recover Newt's missing beasts before they come to harm. But the stakes are higher than these four outsiders - now branded fugitives - ever imagined, as their mission puts them on a collision course with dark forces that could push the wizarding and No-Maj worlds to the brink of war.

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Cast:

Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman, Carmen Ejogo, Jon Voight, Samantha Morton, Jenn Murray, Faith Wood-Blagrove

See Full List of Cast & Crew on IMBD

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

Wow... The Wizarding World in the U.S.A.! It seems to stay true to J.K. Rowling's vision. Well, it did help that she wrote it...haha! She continues to bring to life this world of magical beings, including the beasts. Of course, the magical world is different in the U.S.A. This film makes it very aware that the community and the laws are completely opposite of where Newt is from. I already fell in love with this world J.K. Rowling created with the Harry Potter films, but now, she has expanded this world to the U.S.!

Yes! It does seem reminiscent of the Harry Potter films/world... But hey! It is the Wizarding World! It is the world that we all fell in love with! All these characters live in the same world ... just different generations and different parts of the globe. The magical and whimsical feel/atmosphere of these characters and beasts continues to be present in this new film.

The story flowed with its fair share of humor, then there's the plot twists. Well done! I was definitely surprised with the storyline twists with these characters. Loved the cast!! I was definitely drawn into their magical world... in New York City, no less! But, the mystery and conflict that these characters had to face was intriguing enough to keep me guessing... and definitely amazed at how well these twists played out...to the end!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an enjoyable and fun film that got me watching it in awe with all the magical beasts in all its colorful and fantastical splendor. I think... Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will fall in love with this branch of the Wizarding World that J.K. Rowling created. This magical world has just gotten bigger... and it is worth exploring!

My rating: