Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.

Director:

David Yates

Writer:

J.K. Rowling

Stars:

Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 52 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Redmayne	...	Newt
Sam Redford	...	Customs Official
Scott Goldman	...	Customs Official (voice)
Tim Bentinck	...	Witness
Tristan Tait	...	Reporter
Colin Farrell	...	Graves
Tom Clarke Hill	...	Photographer 2 (as Tom Clarke-Hill)
Matthew Sim	...	Photographer 1
Katherine Waterston	...	Tina
Samantha Morton	...	Mary Lou
Dan Fogler	...	Jacob Kowalski
Ezra Miller	...	Credence Barebone
Faith Wood-Blagrove	...	Modesty Barebone
Jenn Murray	...	Chastity Barebone
Cory Peterson	...	Bank Employee

Storyline

In mid-20s New York, Newt Scamander, the British young activist wizard, arrives in town, holding a mysterious leather suitcase which shelters a wide array of diverse and magical creatures that exist among us. Amid an already fragile equilibrium of secrecy, and the increasing disasters ascribed to the dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald, Newt's precious suitcase will be lost--and to make matters worse--several creatures will manage to escape. Before long, this situation will catch Senior Auror Percival Graves' attention who will target Newt, in the background of an invisible, devastating, and utterly unpredictable menace that still wreaks havoc on 5th Avenue. In the end, is there a hidden agenda behind Graves' intentions; moreover, what will happen to the remaining fantastic beasts still loose in the streets?

---

Plot Keywords:

suitcase | new york city | magic | wizard | based on novel | 

---

Taglines:

Explore a new era of the wizarding world before Harry Potter.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some fantasy action violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Khmer

Release Date:

18 November 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Animales fantásticos y dónde encontrarlos

Filming Locations:

Leavesden Studios, Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$180,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$74,403,387, 20 November 2016, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$234,037,575

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$814,037,575

Company Credits

Production Co:

Heyday Films,Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (DTS: X) Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1 12-Track Digital Sound IMAX 6-Track Auro 11.1 Sonics-DDP

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The picture of Hogwarts on the Daily Prophet is archive footage from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).

---

Goofs

When Newt first goes to the sisters' apartment, a record of Ruth Etting singing "You're the Cream in My Coffee" is playing. However, this song was not published until 1928, and Etting didn't record it until 1929---though the film is set in 1926.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Newt Scamander: [whispers to his case] Dougal... settle down now, please.
[Dougal grumbles]
Newt Scamander: It won't be long.

---

Crazy Credits

An occamy slithers into the film title to form the S in "Beasts".

---

Connections

Followed by Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

---

Soundtracks

You're The Cream In My Coffee
Written by Buddy G. DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson
Performed by Ruth Etting
Licensed courtesy of Wyastone Estate Limited, Trading as Retrospective

User Reviews

I liked it

I really want to draw attention to the title of the review above. I'm sure many die-hard potterheads would want every review on this site to score this movie 10/10 and say it is a masterpiece. Well I can't do that, since that isn't my honest opinion. What I can say though is that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a thoroughly entertaining affair that is well worth a watch, especially if you're a fan of J.K. Rowling's magical world.

For starters the cast was great. Eddie Redmayne feels perfectly cast in main role as Newt Scamander. A very awkward and introverted person who prefers the company of animals rather than humans. He has the quirkyness down to a tee. I also really liked the muggle (or no-maj as the Americans call him) played by Dan Fogler. How he reacts to the whole wizarding world and the events that happen around him is actually really funny. I also thought Katherine Waterstone and Alison Sodul did great playing two sisters who wind up roped in to the whole adventure.

The creatures are the best part of the entire movie by far. They CGI on them looks kind of fake, but it's more than made up for by the concepts alone. Almost all of them have some clever twerk that keep them from feeling generic and they're all filled with personality. The sequences when they're catching these creatures are all really fun to watch.

However there are some problems with this movie. For one it has way too many side characters. A lot of them feel completely underdeveloped and add basically nothing to the overall story (*cough* Jon Voight *cough*). There's also a magical threat that becomes more central towards the end but it honestly kind of left me scratching my head. I just wasn't that engaged in that part of the story to be honest.

Still these problems are not enough to ruin the movie by any means. It's filled with wonder and creativity and being back in the world of witchcraft and wizardry is worth the price of admission alone. I enjoyed the characters, the humour and the creatures a whole lot. I also want to give J.K. Rowling huge credit for not just rehashing the Harry Potter story again. This is fresh and new and while it isn't flawless by any means it's certainly entertaining!