It’s been about 15 years since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was unleashed on millions of young movie goers. Along with the movies, this audience has since grown up. Young’uns who were once waving wands and donning capes on Halloween are now… well, adults still waving wands and donning capes on Halloween. Harry Potter fever just won’t go quietly into the night. With J.K. Rowling’s newest project, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, hitting cinemas worldwide this month, we can safely say that Harry Potter fever is still alive and well. And boy, look at how much it’s matured.
The Rowling-penned screenplay is directed by Harry Potter alum David Yates. Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne stars as magizoologist Newt Scamander. The film also stars Katherine Waterston as Porpentina Goldstein, Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, Ezra Miller as Creedence Barebone, Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery, and Colin Farrell as Percival Graves.
Fantastic Beasts is set in 1920s New York. Newt Scamander arrives in the city to propagate his mission of researching and rescuing magical creatures, some of which are safeguarded by his magical valise. Disaster strikes when an unaware No-Maj (America’s term for Muggles) Jacob Kowalski lets loose a bunch of Newt’s creatures to a city already on edge with magical occurences. Eager to regain her position as an Auror, Tina Goldstein jumps on Scamander’s case as a breach of the Statute of Secrecy that keeps No-Majs from discovering the Wizarding World. All the while, a series of magical attacks rocks New York, increasingly threatening the possibility of a war between the wizards and the No-Majs. Oh, and did I mention the dark wizard Geller Grindelwald is loose somewhere in the world?
Narratively, Fantastic Beasts is a hodgepodge of subplots that culminate in a satisfying conclusion. There are moments when the plot can seem disjointed, but the way the film wraps up its loose ends is fair in both finishing its own story and setting up a potential sequel. As far as I can count, there are three subplots happening simultaneously: Newt Scamander’s hunt for the missing animals, the tense political instability in America, and the antagonistic forces working against the Wizarding World. Let’s break them down.
Newt’s subplot is basically Pokémon Go in real life. Or at least, in a live action movie. Along with Jacob and Tina, Newt scours New York to find his missing creatures and “recapture” them inside his valise. Tonally, this subplot is reminiscent of the first Harry Potter films; light-hearted and amusing. All of Newt’s creatures are either majestic or downright cute in all their CGI goodness. Fuse them with Eddie Redmayne’s mastery of the role, Fogler’s lovable No-Maj character, and Waterston’s hardy ex-Auror and presto! You’ve got a tandem that fans of the original series can empathize with.
The political scene in America is a jewel in itself. Scenes that portray the Magical Congress of the USA (or MACUSA) are astonishing dramatic shifts. At times, the MACUSA are plot devices that expand the universe’s lore and set up a sequel. Sometimes, they’re brilliant jabs against current events in America: discrimination, racism, bigotry. Also, they can be absolute horror shows. We’re not in Hogwarts anymore, kids. Back in the day, we knew that the Ministry of Magic operates somewhere in the world, but we didn’t see much of it. The MACUSA shows exactly how magical governance work. It can be terrifying. For example, did you know that the MACUSA has terrifying execution chambers that can make your heart drop?
The film quickly establishes the Second Salemers as forces to be reckoned with. Mimicking fanatical cults in America, the Salemers are obsessed with eradicating “witches” from the world. The fact that they’re against magic is a clear sign that they should be antagonists, but we don’t feel their effect as much as we should. Meanwhile, an invisible force is wreaking havoc on New York. It threatens to upset the balance between No-Majs and the Wizarding Worlds in a catastrophic way. The number of antagonists we’re introduced to can be overwhelming, but at least they’re resolved one way or another towards the end.
Unlike the original Harry Potter series which gradually moves from lighter themes to darker ones with every movie, Fantastic Beasts delivers as much of the tonal elements of the series in one film. It can be light, dark, or depressing as it wants. You can say that it’s because of the pressure to shoehorn the American Wizarding World into one movie, but it’s also a way for the film to cater to any audience. No matter which Harry Potter film you most resonated with, you’ll find something to like in Fantastic Beasts, whether it’s the light-hearted Pokémon hunt or the mature pacing of the plot. It’s a fun, family-friendly film that both old and new fans of the Wizarding World will love.
