Move over Harry, Ron and Hermione - there are some new wizards (and a nomaj) in town...
When Harry Potter first hit cinemas in 2001, it cast a spell upon millions the non-wizarding-world over, and even with the series’ last entry in 2011 marking the end of the era of the boy who lived, the spell still hadn't dissipated. Based on the seven record-breaking bestsellers by J.K. Rowling that spawned eight films, a theme park, a studio tour, countless merchandising lines, spin-off books and so much (Potter)more, there's no argument that Harry Potter is the most magical franchise in cinematic history. And now, five years since the last instalment, that spell remains as unbreakable as ever, with the new West End play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child filling theatre seats quicker than a Quidditch match, its respective book flying off shelves faster than any snitch, and now, the release of the eagerly-anticipated spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Set some seventy years before Harry first sets foot inside Hogwarts, Newt Scamander arrives in 1920s New York with a suitcase filled with magical critters. But when he bumps into a "nomaj" - that's "muggle" to us British folk - his suitcase is opened, releasing a barrage of pesky beasts into the city. To round up the unusual contents of his suitcase before the magical world is exposed, Newt must enlist the help of former-Auror of the MACUSA (America's answer to our Ministry of Magic), Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), her sister Queenie (Fine Frenzy) and the nomaj himself, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). But there are also dark forces at play, with friction between Auror Mr. Graves (Colin Farrell) and witch hunters the Salemers reaching an all-time high, thrusting the fate of the wizarding world into uncertain territory.
From director David Yates, the man at the helm of the last four Potter entries, the ninth instalment in the series wields more than enough power to evoke nostalgia from the get-go. And while the film strikes familiar chords aplenty, there’s no sense of a contrived franchise-celebration of sorts like many late and usually unasked-for sequels and prequels tend to have. Beasts is a film in its own right and comes armed with a sense of something much grander - and far more spectacular - than Harry or Hogwarts. But the film also does a tremendous job at building on what’s been before (or technically hasn’t yet been) using a perfect blend of crisp cinematography, mind-blowing special effects, and its use of '20s New York’s charmingly-elegant, stylistic architecture, the latter complimentary to the somewhat Victorian London-esque style of the original books and films.
But beyond the splendour of its other(wizarding)worldly aesthetics, the film is a tale worth telling, despite fans – myself included – initially taking umbrage about it being based on the almost-pocket-sized encyclopedia of the same name. In fact, the film is not based on said-book at all, and rather cleverly acknowledges the book's existence with the instantly-loveable Scamander penning it. Surprisingly, the other central characters here are also far more charming, upbeat and narratively-absorbing than those of the originals (arguably not hard considering they were all annoying teenagers for the most part). There's the airy Queenie Goldstein and the endearing Jacob Kowalski, along with their perfectly subtle love story, something undeniably more convincing than the afterthought that was Ron and Hermione’s chemistry-less romance.
With its diamond cast, a heart-warming score that echoes Edward Scissorhands and which gives the film its own melodic identity without abandoning those ever-familiar keynotes, and a world so brilliantly and ingeniously-crafted, the spellbinding concoction that is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is yet another chance for you to marvel at one of your favourite franchise’s seemingly-endless supply of wonder in truly magical, breathtaking 3D. And thankfully, it even leaves its suitcase wide open for future instalments.
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