Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
DVD
Review by Kam Williams
Eddie
Redmayne Stars as Wizard in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Spinoff
It's
New York harbor in 1926, which is when we are introduced to Newt
Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he disembarks a
steamship from England that's just docked at the pier. The
young wizard has to resort to a sleight of hand to slip through
customs, since his suitcase is filled to the point of bursting with a
unique brand of contraband.
Newt
happens to be hiding a menagerie of mythical creatures with unusual
names like obscurials, bowtruckles and dougals. Given the unreliable
latch on his tattered, leather satchel, it doesn't take long for a
mischievous niffler to escape. We soon observe the odd-looking
critter breaking into a bank vault where it proceeds to indulge its
insatiable appetite for gold by stuffing its pouch with glittery
coins.
Newt,
however, must get it right back under wraps ASAP, before it arouses
the suspicion of Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton). She's the
leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society, a group of no-majs,
aka muggles (meaning ordinary human beings), dedicated to the
extermination of wizards and witches.
Newt
whips out his wand to recapture the naughty niffler in front of Jacob
Kowalski (Dan Fogler), an affable Everyman applying for a loan with
hopes of opening his own bakery. Trouble is, since the unassuming
fellow has just observed the use of magic, wizardry protocol calls
for his memory to be wiped clean on the spot.
But
Jacob not only flees before being "obliviated," he
inadvertently takes Newt's bag of tricks with him to boot. Next, Tina
Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), a comely witch with the Magical
Congress of the United States of America, comes to Newt's rescue.
Thus
unfolds Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a
visually-captivating adaptation of the J.K. Rowling best seller of
the same name. Although the book was alluded to in Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer's Stone, one need not be familiar with the Potter series
at all to appreciate this delightful debut of a fantasy franchise
designed for five episodes.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence
Running time: 133 minutes
Distributor: Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Group
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