Review of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) by Masamuneriku — 25 Nov 2016

Fantastic beasts is a movie that tries to be several things at once. It tells the story about catching beasts and about the wizardry world in the US. Even though it manages to do both it does not excel at one.

The disparate story between the two aspects results in uneven pacing in the storytelling. The first half focuses on the beast catching while the rest is about the issues surrounding the world of US wizardry. In the end none is completely fleshed out.

This movie is also heavily character driven due to the light plot. The characters in the movie are hit-or-misses. Some may like them while other may find the main characters to be ditzy and at times *oblivious*. The villains feel cookie-cutter and superficial as the story never dives deeper into them. The movie is a treat for HP fans as it expands the HP universe complete with references to original HP world. Others who find the characters likable and enjoy a light plot on wizards and imaginary beasts will find it worth the admission and time.

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In my opinion they should've made Fantastic Beasts as a TV series focusing on 'beasts' while the story on US wizardry world should be a standalone movie with a more substantial plot.