Review of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) by Scarlettmi — 23 Nov 2016

This movie was all over the place. Sometimes it was dark and compelling (Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller). Sometimes it was fun, energetic, and charming (Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol). And sometimes it was bland and forgettable (Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston).

I liked parts of it a lot. Even parts with wildly different tones and plots worked for me (even if they didn't necessarily work well together). In the end, however, it felt like a lot of potential and a lot of wasted opportunities. I think there could have been two really good films here, instead of one that was simply okay.

I liked more than I disliked and there's definitely a lot of material left here to build a film franchise on (as they're planning to do). Unfortunately a horrible casting decision sucked out a good deal of my enthusiasm. That character reveal evoked laughter from the audience at my theater and *not* in a good way. It's the worst misstep in a movie that wasn't exactly perfect to begin.

It was an entertaining movie and it was not a bad movie. I'd recommend it to fans of the Harry Potter universe for sure. I was mostly left wishing it had been better but I didn't regret having seen it.