“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

Harry Potter spin-off enchants audience, but goes too far with plot complexity.

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Abby Neal, Web Editor-In-Chief

From Nifflers and Thunderbirds to the Roaring 20s and dark magic, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” expands the Harry Potter universe in ways that are, indeed, fantastic. While some qualities of the movie are compelling and magical, other aspects of the plot did not quite meet my (admittedly high) standards.

“Fantastic Beasts” follows young magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he arrives in New York City in 1926 with an enchanted trunk full of magical creatures. The movie also explores social unrest between the American magical and non-magical communities.

The character of Scamander was the highlight of the movie. The author of a textbook in the Harry Potter series, Scamander is a scatterbrained, quirky and endearing protagonist who gets himself into trouble at every turn but proves himself as someone who is genuinely concerned with the well-being of the creatures in his care.

The spin-off of the Harry Potter series also doesn’t disappoint in its references to the original, as we hear mentions of iconic aspects of the world such as Albus Dumbledore, quidditch and Hogwarts. In fact, the larger plot of the series is connected to the dark wizard Grindelwald, whose story is briefly mentioned in the Harry Potter books.

However, the plot of the movie (the first in what will become a five-part series) quickly becomes convoluted as multiple plot lines become increasingly intertwined. One of the strong points of the original Harry Potter series was the gradual transition from a whimsical, lighthearted tale into one that was extremely dark and high-stakes.

“Fantastic Beasts,” by contrast, attempts to channel the whimsy of an introduction to the magical world of America in the 1920s, the seriousness of the rise of dark wizard Grindelwald and the fanaticism of the witch-hunt movement that threatens exposure of the wizarding world and outright war. The result is a movie that feels disjointed and awkward. At times, for example, lighthearted scenes exploring the creatures in Scamander’s care transition sharply into scenes of abuse and murder.

Overall, however, the movie is enjoyable to die-hard Harry Potter fans and newbies alike. The foundations for the plot of the rest of the series, although imperfectly executed, have been laid in a way that makes me excited for the remainder of the movies. Despite its flaws, the latest installment to the Harry Potter universe is deserving of the word “fantastic.”