Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

The best parts of this movie are most definitely the 15 minutes on either side of the film. The beginning and ending are both magical (haha!) and support an otherwise weak middle. My problem with the middle is that it feels like two completely different writers wrote unrelated screenplays, and then mashed them together by simply alternating scenes between the two and hoping it made sense. It did at the end in all fairness,  which is why the ending is so satisfying, but I still feel one or the other should have gone.

This is not to say it wasn’t superbly acted; there wasn’t a single poor performance on screen. The music was also superb, although the effects were middling.

My main issue with Fantastic Beasts, however, stems from the lack of… magicalness. In Harry Potter, we’re always in Hogwarts, or someplace else magic, like the Weasley’s, or Diagon Alley. The scenes in the muggle world are brief, and rather unmemorable.

Here, the entire movie is in the muggle world, with people pretending not to be wizards. I can think of only three short exceptions (one of which was kinda weird and made no sense, but no spoilers). And for a movie resting on its “Magical 1920s” setting, it felt painfully self conscious. Only rarely did it seem really comfortable in its own setting skin (and, in all fairness, those scenes were excellent).

Overall? It was good. I enjoyed it. You should probably see it. As a series it has a lot of promise. But it wasn’t great. Except the beginning and ending.

Dinner Recommendations:

Baked ham, cake for desert.

For a real prohibition-themed experience, try serving alcohol to a minor. Please note that I can’t endorse this option and, if asked, advise strongly against it.