New world of magic

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
English (U/A) ¬¬¬¬
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell
Director: David Yates

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a spin-off from the Harry Potter series and set in 1920s — years before the Potter story.

In 1926, British magizoologist Newt Scamander (Redmayne) lands in Manhattan. And with him comes his special briefcase which is full of magical creatures. However, some of Scamander’s creatures that are illegal in the United States escape at a crucial time when the Magical Congress of the USA is probing acts of dark forces across the country.

Meanwhile, a disgraced magic law enforcement officer Tina (Waterston) finds out that Scamander not only lost some of his magical creatures but had also introduced a ‘no magic’ bystander Kowalski (Fogler) into the world of magic. Things become worst as she is rejected by her superiors when she tries to bring in Kowalski.

Now, pushed together by the turn of events, Scamander, Kowalski, Tina and her sister Queenie ‘the mind-reader’ (Sudol) must find the missing creatures in order to prove they have no connection with the dark forces which have murdered a prominent no-maj (no-magic) person. In the meantime, chief of Magical Security Percival Graves (Farrell) tries to unravel the source of the dark force.

J K Rowling’s magical world has been mostly awesome and pleasing to the eyes and for children. However, in her screenplay debut, she presents a magical world in America that clearly is for grown-ups. There is a huge contrast between the worlds of Harry Potter and the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. You will see that the settings are not child-friendly as we have seen in Hogwarts. Besides, there is a clear and present tension between those with magic and no-maj persons on the one hand and both against the dark force on the other hand. A whole lot of lovable characters are also introduced — from a cute Niffler, who loves things that are shiny to the hippo-like Erumpent and others.

And as expected, the cast can’t go wrong when you have the talented Redmayne playing Scamander, who is totally in love with magical creatures. His sidekick Fogler also fits perfectly in the role of a good no-maj friend. Waterston as Tina and Sudol as Queenie play their parts like a cheerleader who displays signs of optimism. And finally, among the villains, Ezra Miller who dons the role of magic-curious Credence, is creepy.

The film maybe too violent for young Potterheads, but is a total joyride for Rowling fans as they are taken into a whole new world of magic and adventure.