The beasts are fantastic. But if you want to know where to find them, you have your work cut out for you.
Unless your name is Newt Scamander, and you carry a wizarding wand and a bottomless suitcase.
The name gives it away: Yes, we are back in the J.K. Rowling-penned realm of wizards and Muggles and magic. But there’s no Harry Potter here — a new cast of characters awaits.
A blockbuster franchise drawn from a throwaway reference in one of the “Potter” books (Rowling wrote a tie-in “textbook” with this title), “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is the launch of another big Rowling mythology. It lacks the coming-of-age resonance of the “HP” series, but this first chapter is good fun.
Except for the central character, “Fantastic Beasts” also lacks the wall-to-wall Britishness of Rowling’s previous gold mine. We’re in New York in the early 1920s, where a young Englishman arrives with a most interesting piece of luggage.
Newt Scamander (Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne) carries a satchel full of zany creatures. He gets in trouble with an American wizard investigator named Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston, from “Inherent Vice”), which means of course they are destined to be together.
The U.S. branch of wizardry has its hands full, as some disturbance in the force is causing destruction in Manhattan. Also, there’s an anti-witch agitator (Samantha Morton) making life miserable for her spooky ward (Ezra Miller).
Newt goes around chasing his beasties, aided by a likable No-Maj (Dan Fogler), which is the American term for Muggle. A Muggle is someone who can’t do magic, as if you didn’t know.
Rowling wrote the screenplay — her first — and the film is directed by David Yates, who did the last few “Potter” titles. This is why everything seems familiar, even though we never see Hogwarts.
“Fantastic Beasts” has a lively cast, led by the childlike Redmayne. Alison Sodul does a Marilyn Monroe-ish turn as Porpentina’s sister, Colin Farrell strides about as an important wizard, Jon Voight huffs and puffs as a power broker with a nefarious plan.
We’re not quite sure what that nefarious plan is, and this is where the movie falls short. As ever with these franchise installments, too much time is spent setting the stage for future developments. There are characters here who get soulful close-ups and story beats, indicating that they will play a significant role someday. But what they’re doing in this movie, I don’t have a clue.
“Fantastic Beasts” is wild enough to freak out young kids, but that was true of the “Harry Potter” flicks, too. At least there’s plenty of comedy — not to mention those creatures, the real stars of this movie.
+m+m+m “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
A lively start for another J.K. Rowling wizarding franchise, this time set on American soil. A collector of outlandish creatures (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in 1920s New York, just as the world of magic is erupting. Too much time is spent on setting up future installments, but the beasts are good fun.
Rating: PG-13, for violence, subject matter
Showing: Alderwood Mall, Cinebarre Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds Theater, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood Cinemas, Pacific Place, Sundance Cinemas, Thornton Place Stadium, Woodinville, Cascade Mall, Oak Harbor Plaza
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