Wizard’s Council: What do we think of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?

Welcome to the Wizard’s Council. Back in olden days, before the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1692, the Wizarding world was governed by the Wizard’s Council. This was the longest serving ruling body over the Wizarding World in history, and though it was disbanded in 1707 with the founding of the Ministry of Magic, it was still considered one of the wisest and august bodies to ever rule the UK and Irish Wizarding Worlds. (Sadly, the same cannot be said for the Ministry, which seems to only be as good as its current Minister.) Here at Wizards and Whatnot, we come together once again as this august body to think deeply on the issues of our time.

Philosophical Question of the Hour: What did you think of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? (Warning: Our Council’s short reviews may contain movie spoilers! Read at your own risk!)

KATHERINE WATERSTON as Tina, EDDIE REDMAYNE as Newt Scamander, ALISON SUDOL as Queenie and DAN FOGLER as Jacob in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure ‘FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Photo © 2016 Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc)

DAN: It hasn’t been a day since I saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and I’m going to try and give my unfiltered thoughts.

Stuff I liked:

• The foursome at the center of the story–Newt Scamander, Jacob Kowalski, Tina Goldstein, and Queenie Goldstein–are as charming as any characters Rowling has written. Each of the actors turned in a nuanced performance, especially Eddie Redmayne as Newt, and their onscreen chemistry was fun and frothy.
• Jacob was a particular highlight. The best scene in the movie was when he and Newt descended into Newt’s briefcase and Jacob was gobsmacked with the power of magic. Who doesn’t like some good ol’ fashioned wonderment?
• The beasts! It’s not called Fantastic Beasts for nothing. From the playful Niffler to Newt’s overly attached Bowtruckle buddy to the size-shifting Occamy, they were all well-conceived and well-realized. And they’ll probably make good toys, which should make Warner Bros. happy.
• Setting movies in New York City is nothing new, but setting them in New York City in the ‘20s was a fun change of pace. The costumes and music and even the accents were all on point.
• Really, the whole thing looked great. Rowling has a bountiful imagination and Warner Bros. provided this team with the resources to realize it. That man-eating water in the MACUSA execution chamber was freaky.

Stuff I didn’t like:

• Pretty much everything involving the Barebones and Grindelwald/Graves. It was like Fantastic Beasts was two movies: a gentle character study of Newt and his new friends on the one hand, and a muddled chamber drama about an abusive family with inexplicable wizard phobia on the other. All of these characters were underwritten and overused.
• And that climax… It’s odd–Rowling came up with several wildly creative beasts for Newt to pursue during the middle stretch of the movie, but the final confrontation is between Newt and an angry cloud with which he has no particular connection. And the fact that they gave a name to this creature–an Obscurus–just drew attention to how poorly defined it was. Does Credence control the Obscurus or is he the Obscurus? Why do kids with Obscurus usually die? Does it kill them? But how can it, if the Obscurus and its host are one and the same? It was a vague, shapeless blob of black menace–Rowling couldn’t have come up with a better metaphor for an underdeveloped idea if she tried.
• And because the movie whiffed so hard on the big finish (yet another depiction of New York City being destroyed–what does Hollywood have against that town?), it was open season on the other plot holes and annoyances. Are wizards not affected by memory-erasing rain? Why does no one cry foul when Graves condemns Newt and Tina to die without a trial? And why does Queenie have to have mind-reading powers she can’t control, anyway? She’s a witch in the Potterverse, not a mutant from X-Men.

If I had to guess, I’d say that Rowling wanted a fun movie about a magizoologist and his struggle to connect with people as easily as he connects with beasts, and that Warner Bros. coaxed her into including franchise-bait in the form of another wizarding war and a nefarious demagogue who looks like Johnny Depp. That’s showbiz, folks.

GIF image via Warner Brothers

MELISSA: I saw Fantastic Beasts with my friend Abby and we broke down the movie while stuffing our faces at Donut Pub. These were my thoughts:

Things I liked:

• The story. To be frank, my expectations of this movie were very low. My checklist for approval was literally as follows: Were there creatures? Was Eddie Redmayne good? Is there Magic? Done. Was it a caper-adventure movie? Yes. The tone was perfectly set and the casting was superb. While the A plot didn’t always line up with the B Plot, they came together in the ending in a way I didn’t expect.
• The world-building of the USA magical world. Were there things that could have been better? Sure. But for 2+ hours, I got everything I needed to get into the story and the characters. I now feel confident in proclaiming my American Wizarding pride!
• The female characters. There were four female characters and they all pass the Bechdel test. Some were terrifying, some were heartless, some were heroes. Queenie was kind-hearted and feminine; Tina wore pants and was a career girl; Madam Piquery was glam and in charge; and Mary Lou was as scary as the Trenchbull. The fact that there were different women with different qualities and different purposes gave me so much joy and happiness!
• The beasts! I want a Niffler, coz it looks like the cutest platypus imaginable. And I want the snake-like Occamy to eat all the bugs in my New York apartment!
• The clothes. Ok, let’s be real. The Erté-inspired fashions were incredible. I might just have to buy something from that Hot Topic Line.

Things I didn’t like:

• I left with so many questions that will probably not be answered by the sequel. Where was Creedence adopted from? How long had Graves been Grindelwald? Why did Queenie keep her Legilimency powers a secret (coz she kinda did, right?)? So many questions!
• Jacob’s ending. Even though I was glad he got his dream bakery (shout out to LES), I wanted him to be packed into the Tardis suitcase and stay part of the group. I don’t see why he had to be Obliviated. That could have been the great transition in Magi/No-Maj relations!
• Eddie Redmayne. Yes, he’s an adorable, freckled ginger cinnamon bun with a Hufflepuff scarf. But as an actor, he only has 4 or 5 things he’s great at. Like Oscar-worthy great at. But once you know what his tricks are, he’s rather bland. The sotto-voce, and lack of eye contact all seem like vulnerable shyness at first. But this is my fourth or fifth Eddie Redmayne movie and I’m over it. Is he an adorable Newt? Yes, and I can’t imagine anyone else in the role. But I’m already losing interest in his sequel because I can guess exactly what his performance will be. And what’s the point of being predictable in the magical world?
• Johnny Depp. Gellert Grindelwald was barely there, but just seeing the alleged woman-beater Johnny Depp took me right out of the movie. How the mighty have fallen.

Overall, I highly recommend Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Initially, I was not sure about this series, but now that I’ve seen what JK has to offer, I’m all in. It’s nice to see a series about adults, not children. And this movie definitely benefitted from not having direct source material. So go forth and enjoy, witches and wizards!

RACHEL: This is just going to be about how much I love Jacob Kowalski. He is all of us. He just wants to enjoy the magical world and he falls in love with a witch. Honestly, I’ve had that dream and it is great but Jacob got to live it.

For me, the movie was fantastic. So my list of things I liked is as followed: Everything. Yeah there were some faults in the series but I honestly wouldn’t have that movie any other way. It was perfect to me.

Image via Warner Brothers Pictures

JAZZMINE: I’ve seen the movie twice now, yes twice, and with a few days to process everything I’m ready to dissect the film.

What I liked:

-The beasts! Particularly the adorable niffler. Honestly, I could watch a 3-hour film about that niffler. But I really loved all of the beasts we saw and how much Newt loved each and every one of them.

– I was very wary of Newt going into the film because he didn’t strike me as a typical Harry Potter hero. But after much thought I realized he reminded me a bit of Neville in his quiet, awkward bravery and love for the natural world. Newt was a refreshing character to re-enter the wizarding world with as he brought an adorably awkward personality, Hufflepuff pride, and so much care for everything. He ended up being my favorite character by the end.

– While Madam President Piquery did not have as much screentime as I would have loved, she commanded the attention of everyone in the small moments she was on screen. With our current political climate, I was overjoyed to see a strong black woman in such a high position in a time period where in the No-Maj world, black women had little to no rights nor ability to work.

– The magical underbelly of 1920’s America. While the wizarding world of the UK will always be my first love, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the magic of the American wizarding society. From the quirks in language (No-Maj instead of Muggle) to the prohibition wizard Jazz scene, I thoroughly enjoyed it all and wanted to know more about the wizarding world outside of the UK.

Things I didn’t like:

• Grindelwald turning out to be Graves was a great shock but I was a little disappointed. I loved the Graves character when I thought he was a rogue wizard but when it was revealed that it was actually Grindelwald I felt we missed out on so much. How long was Grindelwald pretending to be Graves? Was the real Graves trying to help Grindelwald or was he just an innocent man fooled by the wizard? I don’t think we will ever find out since the sequel film will take place two years into the future in Paris.
• The mixing stories were a bit disorienting. It seemed odd to have Newt’s missing beasts story thrown in amongst the Credence story. While they did eventually intersect, it felt a bit off for me. I hope the following movies will have more cohesive plot lines that flow more naturally than this first one did.
• The Shaw Family. Ok, what? I can understand that plot point on some level: needing to introduce the Obscurial as either Modest or Credence. But why give the Shaw family so much attention? I waited the whole movie to see if the youngest son of the Shaw family would be used in the plot in a new way but I was disappointed to see that what felt like a lead-up to a reveal or climax was inevitably thrown out as the No-Maj world is obliviated.

With all that being said, I still really enjoyed the movie and am genuinely excited to see where the rest of this series will take us with both Newt and Grindelwald.

Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Image: Warner Bros.

GINA: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is one of those movies where I had an absolute blast watching it from start to finish. J.K. Rowling always provides such gripping and fun characters to view and I see so much potential for another dynamite series to take off. The special effects alone in this movie were enough to keep me entertained, and every actor I felt hit a home run at least once. My main concern came within certain parts of the story line. Things did feel kind of mashed together, especially regarding Percival and Credence’s interactions, and the Obscurial plot point fell just a smidge flat for me. Still, it’s the first of five films, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us. Rowling does a phenomenal job at connecting points within her stories so we’re sure to see a whole lot of callbacks and points of remembrance as we wait for the next movie.

Next: Older Harry Potter Fans Make Up Bulk of Fantastic Beasts Audience

Our Wizard’s Council meets at least once a month. Check out our other entries here.