FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM REVIEW
Confusing but Intriguing
Story:
The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, and a dangerous wizard, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
Positives:
The cinematography is definitely top class. Special mention needs to go out to Philippe Rousselot for his superb visuals. They completely take the movie to a new level and make you actually feel that you are part of the movie. The second half of the movie completely changes the tone and keeps you hooked. The movie becomes intriguing and captivating because of the second half. It is fair to say that the second half lifts the movie up on its shoulders. The story is another bonus. It has so much depth that you are unintentionally hooked. Lot of comedy is generated in the movie which is a fresh breath in times of confusion.
Eddie Reymane is good. His expressions perfectly suit the role of Newt Scamander. However, his expressions are a bit stone-faced in expressive scenes. Dan Fogler is definitely the star of the movie. His expressions as the innocent Kowalski steal the show, and you can’t help but think that he is going to go places. He is just wonderful in the emotional and funny scenes. Katherine Waterson is expressive and is tailor made for a role like this. Collin Farrell performs his role nicely. Ezra Miller shows his talent in the role of a pained teenager. Johnny Depp makes a short cameo as the dark wizard.
Negatives:
One of the biggest drawbacks is the confusion. Three stories are run at the same time which leaves you kind of flabbergasted. The entire first half has no point and is very, very confusing. Looks like the director put his entire focus on the second half. I actually lost interest in the movie until the second half hooked me in. The first half is boring with irrelevant scenes and a whole lot of confusion. The story also plays a part in this. It has so much depth that it can lead to a lot of confusion in the proceedings. However, you still are somehow hooked to the movie.
One thing that needs a mention is the dialogues. Eddie Reymane is the main character and has so many dialogues, but along with his stone-faced expressions, he also mutters half of his dialogues, which are hard to understand. Alison Sudel, or Queenie Goldstein, has no point in the story except to serve as another wizard and the love interest of Kowalski. Colin Farrell did well, but his role is not powerful enough as the main villain.
Another thing is the visual effects. They are definitely below par. In a time where movies like Doctor Strange and Arrival are releasing, the visuals need to be top notch. Sadly, for a movie that is based on visual effects, they are not good enough as the average movie-goer can see the blemishes of the visual effects.
Other Departments:
There are no songs in the movie, but the background score by James Newton Howard is top notch and play a major part in the presentation of the movie. As mentioned, cinematography by Philippe Rousselot is a major positive in the movie. Editing is okay, but the movie is a bit lengthy. Some scenes should have been easily cut out. Production values are top notch as expected from HeyDay films and Warner Bros.
Coming to the story by J.K. Rowling, it is definitely deep, but maybe too deep for this subject. However, the director did a good job in the handling. He(being the director) put too much emphasis on the second half, leaving the first half very boring and bland. But the emphasis put on the second half is worth it, as it is very racy and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
If I had to rate the first and second half, I would rate the first half as 2/5. But the second half, I would rate as 4.5/5. This says a lot about the movie.
Final Verdict:
Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them leaves a horrible first impression, but you leave the theater with a smile. Positives are the second half, few performances, cinematography, and the intrigue factor. Negatives are first half, confusion, few pointless characters and scenes, and visuals. But despite the negatives, the second half leaves so much of an impact that you want to watch the movie more than once.
Rating: 3.25/5
Conclusion: Start the movie bored, end the movie fascinated!!!
