Review: FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Eddie Redmayne Is A Truly Fantastic Beast  

3.5 stars

Mini Review: :

Eddie Redmayne and his magical suitcase bring alive magic that J.K. Rowling has penned as part of Harry Potter history. In 1920s New York a visitor with an interesting suitcase shows up in search of a person who will sell him an exotic creature. He breaks all rules of the magic world and Tina Goldstein of the Ministry makes many futile attempts to contain him and his fantastic creatures. What we get to a spectacular ride with an awestruck muggle… Good in 3D but even better in 2D

Main Review:

Set in New York where street corner evangelists rant against witches, we accompany the terrifically cute Eddie Redmayne and his magical suitcase in his search for some creatures who have escaped. The city is already being terrorised by ‘a black cloud with white eyes’ that has broken buildings and uprooted roads, toppling cars and mangling scaffoldings and train tracks.

The ministry of magic is worried, they know it is some evil magic but they don’t know who is responsible.

Eddie Redmayne is so cute, so British, you begin to like his demeanor as he doesn’t really look at you when he speaks at you. You love the sharp, witty writing and he delivers the lines rather cutely. He is rather cute, you realise. Yes, even when he walks everywhere with his suitcase, you know he is cute. Yes, the word ‘cute’ needs to be used again if only to emphasize the immense likeability of his character. Even the very rotund Mr. Kowalski is compelled to respond to the cuteness when Eddie calls him with a hand gesture from inside the suitcase!

No! Shan’t give away the secrets of the suitcase. You will want to make those discoveries yourself.

The magic is what you have come to expect from Potter films, but I cannot resist telling you that you would want to rush out to a concession stand and buy an apple strudel after you watch it being made in the movie.

Yes, the pace initially is slow, but patience pays, and you are soon ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ at the goings on. The dark magic scenes are rather gobsmackingly scary for little children, but grown ups will understand the motives of the dark magic and know how it operates. The reveal is surprising and makes you look forward to the sequel.

The special effects are superb. Spectacular in fact. And the fantastic creatures are so endearing, you wonder if there are plush toys in the market already. 

(This review appears on nowrunning dot com)