I have been an avid fan of Harry Potter since childhood and to return to this world, I was beyond elated but also a bit scared. I know a lot of fellow fans were disappointed with the latest return to Harry and the gang in The Cursed Child and I felt like J.K. Rowling might just be milking this franchise for money. I was completely and utterly wrong. This movie exceeded my expectations and was full of three dimensional characters, a strong plot, and breathtaking special effects. A great thing about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is that it is a film written to be a film. You can’t compare this movie to the book because the book is just a field guide written by Newt Scamander. J.K. Rowling wrote the entire script and it shows in the movie. This movie is actually completely different from Harry Potter. You don’t even have had to have seen the Harry Potter movies to enjoy this cinematic masterpiece. There is no wizarding school and we follow adults on this journey, not students.

Now onto the characters. I absolutely adored Newt Scamander within the first five minutes of the movie. Newt is an absolute dork who loves each and every one of his creatures and will do anything to protect them. Newt is unafraid to be himself and even performed an absolutely hilarious mating dance to lure one of his creatures back into his case. Newt is the epitome of being a Hufflepuff. I am so happy that Hufflepuffs will finally have an amazing main character to represent them and Hufflepuff merchandise will be common. Newt is an incredibly sweet character and I can’t imagine how anyone could ever hate him. Speaking of sweet characters, Jacob Kowalski is one of the most well rounded characters in the film. I expected Jacob to tag along and just be the comedic relief of the film but he was so much more. Jacob was a friend to Newt, provided laughs, created a romance with Queenie, and was an accurate representation of what a muggle would do when surrounded by a world of magic. Jacob wanted to start a bakery because he believes pastries make people happy and the fact that all he wants to do is make people happy is absolutely heart wrenching in the best way. I think Queenie was another favorite of mine. Queenie was a gorgeous witch who reminded me of Marilyn Monroe and she shattered my first impression of her. I thought Queenie would be a ditzy romantic interest and nothing more. Again, the queen that is J.K. Rowling proved me wrong. Queenie is a legilimen, which means she can read minds. She utilizes this and saves the day multiple times, plus she is absolutely adorable. The last main character is Tina, who is Queenie’s sister. Tina seems very uptight and no fun at first, but she turns out to just be a passionate witch who loves her job. When she messes up, she is quick to admit it and apologizes. The romance was subtle in this film, but I loved the slow build up between Queenie and Jacob. They immediately had a spark but they continued to grow closer throughout the movie and I appreciated that. Newt and Tina also had a hint of romance, but more so towards the end of the film and I look forward to seeing their relationship blossom in the future movies. I was always put off by Mr. Graves and Credence’s whole family but as the movie went on, I wanted to protect Credence more and more. The main villain kept me on my feet and I was sure I knew who the villain really was, but I was never confident in my suspicions until the end. Also, I know it sounds a bit morbid to say this, but the way people were killed in this movie was really cool. I won’t spoil who got killed or how, but trust me when I say it’s cool to watch. The movie gets pretty dark at times and I appreciated that I could be in awe of the creatures and magic, but I could also be also horrified of the darkness magic could create and I was reminded of my extreme fear of Voldemort as a child.

Onto the real stars of the movie, the beasts. I adored each and every creature Newt kept in his suitcase, but I have to say that the Niffler (pictured above) was my favorite creature. I mean, just look at it. The Niffler is the most adorable gold digger in existence. The Niffler provides much needed comic relief without being cheesy. Each creature possessed its own unique personality and Newt’s case was like a magical zoo/recovery center for magical creatures. Overall, I absolutely loved this movie and I eagerly await the sequels. I give this movie 9/10 stars. The only reason I did not give it 10/10 stars is because I was left with a lot of unanswered questions and at times I wish they didn’t use CGI, but I’m sure my questions will be answered in the future films. I highly encourage everyone to come out to the theatre and see this amazing movie, even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan. Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments down below what you thought of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them if you have seen it.