“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a new story in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter universe, which is fun and probably the darkest one you’ve seen so far. It’s set back in 1926, long before anything we’re familiar with, in New York City. Though this movie brings back the escape of the real world and into the magical world, there’s a big question with this movie. Can this new adaption with a whole new setting and characters keep Harry Potter fans satisfied and wanting more?

From a fan’s perspective of the Harry Potter books and movies, one of the greatest things while watching this movie was the feeling of being sucked back in to that world again, hearing the very recognizable score when the movie came on put a grin on my face, and I was ready to be back in a world of magic.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was very interesting, set back in 1926 we get to see the history of the magical world in the United States and their take on the ministry of magic and magic police, far different from what we are used to back in England from laws, relations with “no-Maj’s” which we all know as Muggles (or non-magical humans), and accents.

Though we are in new territory when it comes to this universe, it works out well learning about how magic works in the United States.

The strongest perspective of this movie were the characters and the cast, as they made every new character easily likeable, including our new protagonist Newt Scamander.

Eddie Redmayne, who is the lead role Newt, at first is a shy character, which I honestly thought I wasn’t going to like, but he opened up more throughout the movie with his love for the creatures in his briefcase and really wanted to make this world a better place with the book he’s writing.

Colin Ferrell’s character, who plays Percival Graves, is honestly one of the best in the movie. Their apparel with the 1920s looks felt like magical attire, like Colin Ferrell’s detective getup. This made the costume design really great.

The story is where this movie falls short. The idea of collecting monsters and such never really pans out, but as a movie opening up this whole new series, just like “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” I feel like it is opening fans up to a whole new story that will be promising and loved.

Another mention that made this movie great was the sound design and the visuals. The sound effects in this movie are amazing, as well as the visual effects on the magical series

creatures.

Though this movie’s plot is kind of a disappointment on where it’s trying to go throughout the movie, you tend to forgive it with the amazing casts that make the characters very likeable, as well as the creatures in this movie like The Niffler, a small little platypus that causes mayhem.

As an adaption or a spin-off, they made this movie right, with very strong aspects of the film for Harry Potter fans to love and to be excited for the next four movies.

(Four Stars)