The adventures of Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards, set seventy years before the now famous wizard, Harry Potter, reads Newt’s book at Hogwarts.
Shouldering the weight of the role of Newt Scamander, is none-other than rising star Eddie Redmayne (Jupiter Ascending, The Theory Of Everything), and does not disappoint, totally becoming the character, and asserting himself as one of many reasons to be totally engrossed in the story of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
It is not long before Newt’s short stop-over in New York goes slightly awry, with the misplacing of his magical suitcase, and exposure of magic to no-majs (US word for muggle), and he is pursued by a very serious Graves (Colin Farrell – Winter’s Tale).
Aided by Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and Mary Lou (Samantha Morton) we are soon introduced to many amazing and magical creatures, some scary and some cute and funny. And while the entire story is about these beasts, and magic, there is plenty of a meaty plot to sustain any audience member. With sinister plans afoot, viewers are in for a ride of fun and wonder.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is not solely aimed at Harry Potter fans, and while having seen the Harry Potter films will stand one in good stead for this film, it would be just as easy to watch with no background of this particular film world. There are several references that will make sense to only those who do have this knowledge, but the film’s story is so entertaining and well presented, it is as fun to watch, either way.
A word of caution, is that sadly, in South Africa, many cinemas and their staff do not seem equipped to understand the requirements for presenting a film in 3D, and as such neither the hardware is correctly set up for this, nor do the staff understand the audience comments and complaints when the film is just so dark when viewed, that many important details in scenes are lost, and the potential enjoyment of the film is reduced dramatically. So, vote with your feet, and only go to a cinema that can screen the film the way it was meant to be seen. Failing that, go see Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them on Imax.
The film opens 25 November 2016 in South African cinemas, with some paid sneak peaks available.
