The joy of Thanksgiving this year was the chance to get to see this film. I’m a died in the wool Harry Potter fan, start to finish. I’ve ready all the books, seen and own all the films. I read the screenplay beforehand, and I can tell you outright that you won’t be disappointed with the transition from page to screen. If anything, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Eddie Redmayne is Newt Scamander, 100%. The risks this actor takes are incredible. He exudes magic from every single pore. The beasts are CGI, of course, and yet, so real. It must be terribly perplexing to react to something that you literally can’t see, but hey, that’s why they (actors) get paid the big bucks.
Set in the Roaring 20s, New York, the story takes place 70 years in advance of Harry Potter’s arrival. Newt has travelled all the way from Hogwarts on a ship. Would that we could travel as lightly as he. There’s magical murder afoot and the mystery begins, what I’m told, is a series of books and films. J.K. Rowling has beautifully incorporated our understanding of the differences between the magical communities in England and the United States. She’s introduced us to a character who is environmentally conscious, and shows us that compassion for animals is something that transcends the “real” world, and love is love whether you’re a muggle or a no-maj, a witch or a wizard.
I don’t know how many of you have seen The Hudsucker Proxy (you know, it’s for the kids); this gave me the same feeling and I’m looking forward to many more stories and films to come. As Billy Joel sang, “It’s just a fantasy, whoaoaoho, it’s not the real thing, ohohohoh. Sometimes a fantasy, is all you need”. Thank you Ms. Rowling…I needed that. Rating: a Niffler, an Erumpent, a Demiguise, and of course, Frank.
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