Photo Courtesy: Lainey Gossip
Hayley Smith
Editor-in-Chief
From the very beginning when the all too familiar Harry Potter theme song, “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams, started to play, I was captivated. I was instantly brought back to the Harry Potter world, even though there was no Harry Potter to be found. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is set nearly 70 years before the original series, and the story, written by J.K. Rowling, is set in New York, N.Y.
Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, comes to America with a suitcase full of wonderful, magical creatures that escape after a little mishap with your average Joe who works at a canning factory, Jacob Kowalksi, played by Dan Fogler. The two, along with witches, Tina and Queenie, played by Katherine Waterson and Alison Sudol, work together to capture all of the creatures all while fighting against something much more powerful.
While this is happening, evil wizard Gellert Grindenwald is at large. Mentioned in the original Harry Potter series, this wizard is not a huge part of this movie, but it can be assumed that he will be the focal point of the movies that will follow. You can expect for there to be four more movies, so that is exciting.
Based on a screenplay written by J.K. Rowling, this movie is magical. The movie is directed by David Yates, who also directed the last four Harry Potter movies. Every scene is perfectly executed and definitely brought the Harry Potter world back for fans.
These magical creatures are some of the best creatures I have seen in every movie. They range from tiny twig-like ones to ones that are so huge they can destroy buildings in one movement. Each one of them is so interesting, and I was amazed by the variety of creatures that were found throughout the film.
There are little pieces scattered throughout the movie that fans of the original series will notice and have a smile spread across their face. Some of these are the appearance of the sign of the Deathly Hallows and the mention of Albus Dumbledore. If you are not a Harry Potter fan, don’t worry, you won’t be confused by them as they are not important to the plot.
There was so much that happened during this movie, I can definitely say that I will be seeing it again…and hopefully soon. Truly, I believe that Harry Potter fan or not, anyone will enjoy this movie. I definitely give it at least 10 out of 10 wands, if not more.