Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

[CJohn]

Discuss it

[Giesi]

Nevermind

Edited November 17, 2016 by Giesi

[Giesi]

Just now, Giesi said:

I like Eddie Redmayne in this. He played Newt like he was autistic or something, had little to no charisma and barely even speaks. The muggle was ok, but they didn't give him enough to do, he could be easily removed. The plot was a bit thin, acceptable CGI and nice beasts. Overall I expected more from it, this had the potential to be really fast paced and fun, but they squandered it!

5/10

 

Oh and fuck Johnny Depp, he just looks so goddamn out of place in this movie. What a bad casting decision.

 

[Deep Wang]

It was fine.  

[Goffe]

Yeah, it's bad.

 

I will start the review with the main reason why it doesn't work. The Characters. They are fucking THIN. Character development, an arc, DRAMA? Sorry, it's for the sequels. Our protagonist, Newt, whispers and is an animal lover, that's his characterization. An old/lost lover is mentioned for the first time 2/3 into the movie and he shuts down the conversation with an "I would rather not talk about it". Waterston's character is a nothing despite the actress best efforts. Chubby Guy is the movie's expository device. Queenie, to my surprise, is the most interesting person in the quartet, mainly because Alison Sudol is so fucking charming and charismatic. 

 

Colin Farell gives us an intimidating and imposing villain. Could have easily reached higher heights in the sequels. But as a wise man once said, we can't have nice things... and that's why Johnny Depp happens.

 

FB also doesn't know where it wants to go. Does it want to be about the Beasts? about political intrigue? Humans vs Wizards? Self-repression? Race supremacy? All those subjects could have been a separated movie. Instead, it tries to cram everything in, and the result is a half-assed job in every single topic tackled. FB feels like an origin movie that acts like just another chapter in an ongoing series. 

 

JNH gives a B- effort. The Beasts part are LETHARGIC, save for the shrinking bird sequence. The Mating Dance is probably the worst and most embarrassing moment of a major picture in 2016.

 

The Obliviate Rain sequence was pretty good, even if a bit of a Deus ex Machina.

 

Might be worse than OOTP.

 

50/100

Edited November 18, 2016 by Goffe

[antovolk]

Really enjoyed it. Absolutely tremendous world building and characterisations from Rowling, this is a great introduction to the history of the Potterverse so to say. Great performances from Redmayne and the other members of the main quartet - Fogler MVP, Farrell was great to watch, surprises were Ezra and Sudol. Need whole gang back for all 5 please. Story felt tad jumpy though in the first half and it's obvious the Beasts are just there to serve as an intro to Newt (and justification for the title) and a side distraction from the main story which I hope takes far more centre stage in sequels. And the ending was faaaar too dragged out (classic JK). But super enjoyable stuff. IMAX 3D and the frame breaking was really well done and added to the experience for sure, hope Yates keeps doing it for the sequels, and nice score from JNH. 
Overall - incredibly solid and enjoyable franchise starter where the characters and world building are the focus (and both excel and compensate for some of the flaws), and definitely among the stronger blockbusters this year. And may be the strongest, actually. Until Rogue One anyway.
8/10

[DeeCee]

It rises to the mediocrity to which it aspires.

 

Redmayne talks too quietly throughout the movie and you often miss what he is saying.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2016 by DeeCee

[Water Bottle]

Fantastic Beasts was good but it's major issue is no real sense of urgency, danger, or stakes.

 

B

[JohnnyGossamer]

While I liked it much more than Goffe, a valid point is made regarding how overstuffed and confused it is with where it wants to go and whether it gives us anything remotely self-contained. Just kind of tosses a bunch of stuff out there, lacks any of the mystery and intrigue of the Potter flicks and slaps it on the canvas. It's winning group of characters for sure but they are more caricature than anything.

 

I love the Depp reveal. Honestly, wish he'd been it in more. He felt more at home there than Farrell did as Graves.

 

B-

[DeeCee]

When I saw mentions of Depp I thought it was about him being signed for the next film not a brief appearance in this one. 

[RobinHood26]

Pretty much more with Goffe, still thinking it over, but its a borderline movie not as a good as any of the Potter films.

 

C+/B-

 

 

[Noctis]

It was very good, and I found the second half superior to the first. The last ten minutes are so endearing. 

 

Visual effects were top-notch and the production design was stunning. Performances were great all around, especially from Waterston and Fogler. It did its job well...it's a strong start to the franchise and Rowling truly knows how to make you love her characters by the end. The only scene I didn't like was the mating dance scene which was horrible and should have been cut for how awkward it is, but other than that, the movie was interesting. I really can't stress enough how heartwarming and touching the final ten minutes were. 

 

I'm satisfied, and I really can't stress how great the finale is and is filled with so much emotion. A-

 

DH1

DH2

PoA

HBP

FB

SS

OoTP

 

 

GoF

CoS

 

 

[JohnnyGossamer]

http://www.vulture.com/2016/11/review-fantastic-beasts-is-a-tedious-slog.html

 

Edelstein's thoughts fall in line with my own. That said, I think I liked it a bit more. But, his criticisms are apt. As in...

 

" The Dickensian simplicity of the Harry Potter films has been replaced by a lot of desperate mugging."

" From the start, Rowling tries to keep a lot of balls in the air, but gravity’s a bitch for a neophyte screenwriter."

"The director, David Yates, did well with the last four Potter films (excepting The Deathly Hallows, Part 1, which was padded to squeeze another billion from the series), but here seems little more than a traffic cop who’s out of his depth. The script is partly at fault. On the ________ films, for example, the studio brings in million-dollar streamliners and gagmen for last-minute rubbing and buffing, but who’d dare rewrite Rowling? I miss the Potter series’ screenwriter Steve Kloves, who’s here a credited producer."

" Those looking to find fantastic beasts from a movie called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them might be disappointed. Apart from a small green twig creature that scampers around Scamander and an immense griffin that appears in the climax, they aren’t especially fantastic and the effects are too blandly corporate to be exhilarating."

[Jim Shorts]

So was Graves part wizard part Jedi?

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Are there any gigantic beasts/monsters in the movie?

[JohnnyGossamer]

Yes^^^

 

The next best have a compelling narrative through line that re-establishes Newt, introduces Dumbledore as a major player and allows Depp to sinister it up as Grindewald. That's what I think auds kind of wanted with this one to be honest. Will the Obscurus reappear? If so, that's cool. I like it. Wish they'd given that development more attention. And, Farrell and Morton's treatment of Creedence more attention. And, hell, Tina backstory and feelings toward Creedence more attention. SHE should've been the one calming him throughout the ending. Not Newt! Newt should've helped her with his beast and mostly been a bystander. Ugh. Just... Man, a few more re-write and less nonsense with the beasts and this is a hell of an opener to a three part series.

[4815162342]

Heard about the twist with Farrell and damn that sounds lame.

[JohnnyGossamer]

27 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

Heard about the twist with Farrell and damn that sounds lame.

I mean, it's very abrupt. But, had Grindewald been given more than a few newspaper headlines in a montage, it may've worked very well. I like the look of Depp and the delivery of his sole line.

[WrathOfHan]

I enjoyed the movie. It's definitely not perfect, but there's a lot to like in it. All of the cast was solid, especially Dan Fogler. Some parts felt a bit expository, and I'm not a fan of some plot choices. HOWEVER, you can bet that I was laughing my ass off during Redmayne's mating call and the transformation from Farrell to Depp. I can't wait for the sequel! 7.5/10 | B-

[James]

SO this is the best movie of the past 5 years. 

 

A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ETC ETC ETC