Fantastic Beasts marked another first for Rowling – the first screenplay for one of her stories, and thus the movie suffered from the issues any first time screenwriter would face, such as a weak narrative structure. It seems like the time it took to make things come together was unworthy. The second act seemed to drag and the storyline felt minor as compared to the gigantic visuals. But the movie’s effects and characters blew away the errors.
Newt Scamander, the protagonist, played by Eddie Redmayne, is an unassuming and quirky wizard who comes to New York from England, carrying a suitcase of magical creatures (reasons unknown). Instantly noticed by Tina Goldstein, played by Katherine Waterston, a former Auror who is now working in the ban and permit office at the American version of the Ministry of Magic called MACUSA (the Magical Congress of the United States of America).
The story gets its kick-start when some of Newt’s creatures of magic escape and rampage all over New York. This forces Tina and Newt to work together to round up the creatures and solve other beastly problems.
That said, the storyline isn’t the hero here. The wow factor lies solely in the cinematography. Every shot is neat and jam packed with little details that make you want to watch it again and again. There is executions and child abuse scenes that add darker shades to the movie, and references to Harry Potter that will Potter fans smiling, but truly will take you to the dark side of things in this movie. The Harry Potter reference is slightly present and sprinkled so as the potter fanbase will smile over the little memories.
The film becomes a little uninteresting when Newt and his companions begin to chase the beasts. Though Rowling fills the eyes with some magical and truly weird events but after the halfway point the plot doesn’t play off. When they decide to stop the mysterious force roaming loose in New York city, characters stronger, such as Percival Graves, an Auror with a mean streak, and Credence, who’s an introverted orphan led by an adoptive mother, who’s gathering a group of non-magical people for a group hunt.
It may seem like there’s a lot going on, and yes it’s true too, but with the film’s many storylines and characters Rowling pulls off the whole thing in the most satisfying way.
Watch the trailer here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vso5o11LuGU
