“We’re going to recapture my creatures before they get hurt. They’re currently in alien terrain surrounded by millions of the most vicious creatures on the planet; humans.” –Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

This movie is obviously not going to be a comparison to the book because the book was written as a textbook for the Harry Potter universe. But the book was written by Newt Scamander, who is played by Eddie Redmayne, and the movie’s story follows him as he comes to America with his briefcase of magical creatures.

SPOILER ALERT

I think the thing I loved the most about this movie was that there was old magic and new magic. So it was familiar but not boring. The characters were fun and relatable (if you don’t love Kowalski, you don’t love happiness) and I am excited to see where their stories take us.

The end of the movie definitely threw me for a loop. I was certain that Graves was working for Grindewald… not that he WAS Grindewald. I thought Johnny Depp was perfect as Grindewald and will add an air of mystery and evil to the character that we haven’t been able to see in the original universe since we have basically only heard stories of how evil he is and not been able to see it.

SUMMARY

If you love the Harry Potter universe, this is a great addition. It is packed with magical people and creatures in a older world. I loved the little references to the original stories but was glad to see that it is a story and a movie that stands on its own.

GRADE: B+