FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM : Monday 21st November 2016.

'FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM' which I caught earlier this week takes place in the 'Potterverse', albeit some 70 years or so before the advent of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Grainger and their exploits at Hogwarts across eight groundbreaking films taken from the seven source novels by one J.K.Rowling. 'Fantastic Beasts . . . ' was written by J.K.Rowling and published in 2001 under the the pseudonym of the fictitious author Newt Scamander about the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. It claims to be Harry Potter's copy of the textbook of the same name as referenced in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' - required reading for first year students to Hogwarts. The Screenplay for the film was written by Rowling in her screenwriting debut, and Co-Produced by her too. This is the first spin-off of the Harry Potter series and said to be the first of five films. Directed by David Yates who also Directed to critical acclaim and huge commercial Box Office receipts 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', '. . .  and the Half Blood Prince' and '. . .  and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2', this film was made for US$180M and went on general worldwide release last week, and has so far grossed US$261M.

Set in 1926 New York and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in The Big Apple nearing the end of his travels around the world to seek out, rescue and document the fantastical and magical creatures that share our world, albeit generally hidden from view. He's in NYC for only a brief time, and while walking the streets getting his bearings he comes across a corner where Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton) is up on her soapbox warning the gathered crowd of on-lookers about the dangers of wizards and witches who exist among the general population. Mary Lou is the sinister dark leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society whose mission in life is to dispense with pesky wizards and witches. She operates under the guise of a shelter and soup kitchen for young street kids. Mary Lou has three children of her own - each troubled in some way - Credence (Ezra Miller) the mysterious and brooding adopted son; Modesty (Faith Wood-Blagrove) the youngest adopted daughter who is not all she seems; and Chastity (Jenn Murray) the oldest of the three.

While listening intently to the ramblings of Barebone, a Niffler (a black furry cross between a beaver and a duck billed platypus) escapes from Newt's deceptively nondescript leather suitcase, and goes on the rampage secretly stealing anything shiny and bright it can line its impossibly deep pouch with. On the search for the speedy little critter, Newt inadvertently bumps into Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) a 'No-Maj' (the American term for a Non-Magical human, aka, a 'Muggler' in Great Britain) carrying a matching suitcase to Newts, loaded with hand crafted pastries and baked goods to show the Bank Manager with whom he has an appointment with to secure a loan on a new bakery store. Whilst attempting to retrieve the Niffler, Newt is being watched by Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) a demoted Auror (an employee of the Ministry of Magic whose purpose is to chase down and apprehend Dark Wizards). Tina promptly arrests an unsuspecting Newt for being an unregistered Wizard and carts him off promptly to MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) in the hope that this arrest will see her regain her old job. Needless to say it doesn't.

Back in Kowalski's apartment after being rejected by the Bank Manager for a loan, a number of creatures escape from Newt's suitcase, that got switched in the ensuing fracas whilst Newt was chasing the Niffler. This in turns leads Newt on the search for his escaped beasts (large and small) that takes him all over New York City, aided by Kowalski as the unassuming accomplice.

Tina meanwhile is now on the run having raised the suspicions of Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) - the Director of Magical Security at MACUSA. Graves has a hidden agenda however, and is in cahoots with Credence Barebone and offers him a way out of his downtrodden abusive existence at the hands of his adoptive mother Mary Lou, in exchange for him locating the host of the Obscurus (a dark and powerfully destructive force that young magical children sometimes inadvertently manifest to hide their powers). One such Obscurus has been running amok in New York causing widespread destruction as was seen in the opening scene of the film.

With Newt, Kowalski and Tina on the run, the three rest up in Tina's apartment with her free-spirited mind-reading sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) - who instantly falls for Kowalski and vice versa. Newt and Kowalski disappear down into the hidden depths of Newt's suitcase and emerge down below in a cavernous menagerie of wild creatures, fantastic beasts and unusual animals of many differing types and sizes - all of which have been rescued, cared for, nursed back to health or hidden from danger. Here Newt and Kowalski spend some time getting to know each other and the latter gains an insight into the magnitude of the formers work, whilst encountering the myriad of fantastical beasts. They then re-emerge and seek to recapture the Niffler and a Erumpent (a massive Rhino like beast, that will trash anything in its path, and has a deadly liquid in its horn). The pair are successful, and then they stow away again in the suitcase to be taken off to MACUSA by Tina with the view of clearing their names now that all escaped beasts have been successfully recaptured.

That plan doesn't quite pay-off when the three are arrested with Newt being accused of the death of Senator Henry Shaw Jnr. (Josh Cowdery) the son of wealthy Henry Shaw Snr. (John Voight) at the hands of one of the escaped beasts, when in fact it was an Obscurus. As a result Newt's suitcase is ordered to be destroyed containing everything therein, while Newt and Kowalski are locked up in a cell in the bowels of the building, while Tina is interrogated by Graves. Newt is accused of conspiring with Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald (one of the most dangerous Wizards of all time, and second only to Lord Voldemort). Newt and Tina are sentenced to immediate execution, and Kowalski is to have his memory obliviated (a spell used to erase a memory of a certain event). However, Queenie with her mind reading powers hatches a cunning plan to help them escape, and they do.

Meanwhile, Graves is applying more pressure on young Credence to locate the young source of the Obscurus. Snooping around Mary Lou's shelter, Credence comes across a wand under Modesty's bed. Mary Lou intervenes and assumes that the wand belongs to Credence and is about to whip him once again, when Modesty reveals it is hers. When Mary Lou is about to vent her displeasure upon Modesty, the Obscurus is released destroying everything within the shelter and killing Mary Lou in the process. Graves arrives after the fact and chastises Credence as a squib (a child born of magical parents, but who has grown with no magical abilities), and therefore renegs on his commitment to teach the young lad in the ways of magic. At which Credence looses his cool and reveals that he is the host of the Obscurus, and in his anger, unleashes widespread destruction on New York.

The Obscurus comes to rest in a subway tunnel, chased down by Newt and Tina, who knows Credence and attempts to calm him down and restore him to his human form. In doing so, Graves arrives with a delegation from MACUSA including Seraphina (Carmen Ejogo) the President of that esteemed and august organisation. It is decided that Credence must be destroyed to keep the magic hidden from the No-Maj. Graves comes on strong with his views to use the Obscurus to expose the magical community to the No-Maj claiming that MACUSA serves to protect them, rather that itself. Seraphina orders that Graves be apprehended, and as a fight breaks out Newt overpowers him with a spell that binds his arms. He drops to his knees now powerless and Newt uses the power of revelio to reveal Graves hidden identity - to be that of Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

After Grindelwald is carted off muttering a few words to his captors, setting up the second instalment in this franchise, the MACUSA claim it is now too late, and that too much has happened to keep their secret magical world hidden from the No-Maj. Newt though has one more trick up his sleeve and he summons his Thunderbird to release a potion over the city that will rain down in an almighty storm erasing the memories of these most recent events from the city's No-Maj population. In the meantime, the Wizards will magically go about repairing the city to its former glory before the Obscurus attacked.

In the closing scene, we see Kowalski have his memory obliviated but his bakery dreams come true thanks to a parting gift from Newt. Tina and Newt part company at the dockside with a tear in the eyes before Newt boards his ship bound for England where he is to write his book 'Fantastic Beasts, and where to find them'. He commits to delivering a personal copy to Tina when his work is finished.

I enjoyed 'Fantastic Beasts . . . ' but not as much as I thought I would going in. It has all the touchstones of the Harry Potter world that provide an assurance of familiarity, consistency and continuity, but without the children, making this a more adult oriented offering. It is effects laden as to be expected about a film featuring fantastic beasts, mythical creatures, weird animals and some sort of magic at every turn, and these effects are all very well realised and serve the escapism factor no end, and as such is sure to attract Harry Potter fans the world over. But without these, this film would be pretty one dimensional and over in half the time, with a plot that is pretty simple and relies heavily on the creature features to deliver the films set pieces. For me, the nifty little Niffler steals the show as well as just about everything else it can lay its escaped claws on, with Redmayne playing the goofy, nervous, shy, fish outta water yet highly intelligent Scamander. It is good to see David Yates keeping us grounded in the Potterverse given his success in that space, but at the same time taking us off in a whole new direction with this film, with its more adult themes and underlying messages. For the first of a five film franchise, there is a strong foundation here that hopefully can be built upon for create success moving forward. The second instalment, to be set in Paris is slated for November 2018.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-