Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1559. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016)

    1559. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on November 25, 2016 130-139 mins, 2016, 6 - 7.9, Action, Fantasy, Movies Of 2016, Nov 16, Review, United Kingdom, United States
    7.8 Pretty fantastic
    • Acting 8.0
    • Directing 7.8
    • Story 7.7
    • User Ratings (3 Votes) 8

    Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler

    Director: David Yates

    Running Time: 133 mins


    Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is a British/American film about a British wizard who travels to New York City in the 1920s, carrying with him a suitcase full of magical beasts. However, the beasts in question soon begin causing mayhem across the city, heightening already strong tensions between so-called no-majs and wizards.

    This film is so good until it really isn’t. I’m not a Harry Potter die-hard, but I can say that, for the most part, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is a near-perfect series opener for this spin-off franchise to the Harry Potter series. For over an hour and a half, it’s a film filled with glee, humour and imagination, as well as brains, strong directing and acting, and visuals, something that I absolutely loved until its crushingly disappointing final act, putting a real taint on the film as a whole.

    But before I get into that, let’s talk about how this film works in comparison to the Harry Potter series. Thankfully, this film takes an almost totally different direction. With only hints and references to things we all know and love, this is a completely separate world and story from Hogwarts at the turn of the 21st Century, something that I was utterly delighted to see, as it allowed not only for more unpredictability and excitement in this film alone, but also opens up an endless world of possibilities for the films ahead.

    Of course, we know that we’ll be getting many Fantastic Beasts sequels in the future, but I’m glad to say that this is a fantastic footing to start the franchise from. Despite the return of director David Yates from the last four Harry Potter films, the film has a distinctly different atmosphere in all ways from those movies. Save for one side plot, the film is wonderfully light-hearted, full of bright colours, and has a wide array of funny, energetic and interesting characters.

    Because of that, I was smiling and having a great time for the first two acts of this movie. David Yates does an excellent job at confidently giving the film that vibe, whilst J.K. Rowling’s script isn’t just an entertaining adventure, but also features some intriguing elements about the wider context of the wizarding world in 1920s NYC, leaving the door open for a fascinating story arc.

    Also, the performances here are excellent. Every one of the lead actors is brilliant from start to finish, adding to the film’s wonderful vibrancy and imagination. Redmayne, Waterston, Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol are a dynamite leading quartet, all with fantastic chemistry at every moment, reminiscent of the good old days fromĀ The Philosopher’s Stone where Harry, Ron and Hermione were all having fun and adventures, something that relit the joy in my heart that was missing in the later films of the Harry Potter series.

    In short, there’s so much to love and enjoy about Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, right up until its final act.

    In a few seconds, the film switches from a bright and imaginative adventure to the most generic and dull blockbuster climax you can imagine. Apart from the genuinely painful overload of CGI throughout (there are moments when you can see nothing but it on screen), the story takes a dive, losing the camaraderie and intelligence of the earlier acts, in exchange for a city destruction sequence against a cloud of metal.

    Whilst the final few minutes return the film to its earlier glory, the entire final act felt like it dragged on for an eternity, adding very little to both this film’s story and options for the future, showcasing loud, brash and boring action again and again. Having been so enchanted by this new world for so long, I was absolutely crushed by the final act’s disappointment, but I hope that it can be recognised as a simple fix for future films.

    Overall, I really enjoyed the majority of this film. Imaginative, intelligent, bright and beautifully light-hearted, it’s a film that will warm your heart and put a smile on your face. Its strong directing, screenplay and acting all go a long way to making it even better, but it’s just the terrible disappointment of a final act that brings it all down a peg, which is why I’m giving Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them a 7.8.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    December 3, 20150

    1170. Rocky (1976)

    8.1
    Review
    November 29, 20130

    364. Quiz Show (1994)

    8.2
    Review
    October 23, 20140

    728. Fury (2014)

    8.6
    Review
    January 1, 20140

    401. American Hustle (2013)

    8.3
    Review
    December 26, 20170

    1995. Lady Bird (2017)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.