Review of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) by Foxgrove — 18 Nov 2016

'Don't do anything that's predictable' states Eddie Redmayne's bizarrely named Newt Scamader, a piece of advice that the movie itself was never going to follow. And therein lies the problem with this formulaic, but not unlikeable Potter spin off. The trouble with these franchises or big blockbuster films is that they are all just constantly rehashing old story lines or ideas to the extent that one often knows before viewing exactly what will be on offer. This lack of originality began to pall ages ago for the casual viewer, but as freshness and surprises are no longer considerations maybe even the faithful fan will become bored with all the repetition.

Still, I'm sure the plentiful supply of Potter stalwarts will lap it up and, in fairness, it is actually a better film than some of those were. Eddie Redmayne follows up on his Oscar nominated roles in 'The Theory of Everything' and 'The Danish Girl' with a somewhat limp and inattentive performance, or maybe that's just the character he plays. Whichever, he doesn't impress. Far better is the supporting turn of Dan Fogler as prospective Baker Jacob Kowalski who gets unwittingly caught up in the world of magic and fantastic creatures. One scene involving him is actually very moving. The film cannot be faulted at all on its visual effects and Art-Direction. They often take one's breath away and are constantly eye catching. Both crafts go a long way in sustaining interest in a so-so story. Also prominently drawing attention, although not for the same reason, is the rather dark cinematography. Whilst the script's tone is intentionally sombre, dealing with wizards and magic as it does, the 3D visuals of the print under review are frequently so colourless that I had to remove my glasses on more than a few occasions in order to check that this effect was intentional. This aside, however, as franchises go you could do a lot worse than to commit to this initial instalment. As for the promised four sequels, I suppose we'll have to wait and see.