Movie Date: Fantastic Beasts + Where To Find Them

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We Potterheads are all excited about the spinoff film from our most favorite wizarding world and cannot wait to see how the film adaptation of Jo Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them would look like. Good thing we do not have to wait much longer as it opened in local cinemas recently. I was grooming the little man to be another Potterhead so, of course, I tagged him along to watch the film 2 weekends ago. Good thing my siblings {who’ve previously seen the film} were keen on seeing it again and willingly tagged along with us.

The film was based on a textbook that Harry Potter and  his friends used in school, so I did not know what to expect from its film version before I got to see the trailer. From what we’ve heard, this film will involve the book author, Newt Scamander’s adventure as he embarks on a trip to New York City and tells us of the exciting wizarding world in the United States.

When the film opened, the Potter world was abuzz with great reviews about the film with people raving about the story and the actors. The story re-acquainted us with the endearing creatures from Harry’s world, and introduced us to new characters we have not encountered before, including the thunderbird and the

Here is a brief synopsis I got from Wiki:

simple pleasures, movies, movie date, Harry Potter, Harry Potter world
image is from Google

In 1926, British wizard Newt Scamander arrives by boat to New York City en route to Arizona. He encounters Mary Lou Barebone, a non-magical woman {“No-Maj” or “muggle”} who heads the New Salem Philanthropic Society, which claims that witches and wizards are real and dangerous. As Newt listens to her speak, a Niffler escapes from his magically-expanded suitcase, which houses multiple magical creatures. As he attempts to capture it, he meets No-Maj cannery worker and aspiring baker Jacob Kowalski and they accidentally swap suitcases. Demoted Auror Tina Goldstein arrests Newt for being an unregistered wizard and takes him to the Magical Congress of the United States of America {MACUSA} headquarters, hoping to regain her former position. However, President Seraphina Picquery and Director of the Magical Security Percival Graves dismiss the case. At Jacob’s apartment, several creatures escape from Newt’s suitcase.

Graves approaches Credence Barebone, Mary Lou’s adopted son, and offers to free him from his abusive mother in exchange for his finding the host of an Obscurus, a dark, destructive force inadvertently manifested by young magical children forced to conceal their powers. The force can be unleashed during periods of anger and stress; Graves believes that it has caused several mysterious destructive incidents around the city.

After Tina and Newt find Jacob and the suitcase, Tina takes them to her apartment and introduces them to Queenie, her Legilimens sister. Queenie and Jacob are mutually attracted, though American wizards are forbidden to marry No-Majs or interact with them. Newt takes Jacob inside his magically-expanded suitcase, where Jacob encounters a contained Obscurus that Newt recently extracted from a girl who died. Newt persuades Jacob to help search for the missing creatures. After re-capturing two of the three escaped beasts, they re-enter the suitcase, which Tina takes to MACUSA. Officials arrest them, believing one of Newt’s beasts to be responsible for killing Senator Henry Shaw Jr., and decide to destroy Newt’s suitcase and obliviate Jacob’s memory. Graves interrogates Newt and Tina and accuses Newt of conspiring with the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Newt and Tina are immediately sentenced to death, but they escape and meet up with Queenie and Jacob; the foursome then capture the last of the creatures after receiving a tip from the goblin gangster Gnarlack.

Credence finds a wand under his adopted sister Modesty’s bed. Mary Lou assumes the wand is Credence’s, but Modesty claims it is hers. When she is about to be punished, the Obscurus is unleashed, killing everyone except Modesty and Credence. Graves arrives and dismisses Credence as being a Squib (a non-magical person of wizard ancestry), and refuses to tutor him in magic after they enter Modesty’s biological family’s home. Credence then reveals himself as the host of the Obscurus, the real cause of Shaw’s death, and unleashes it upon the city in a rage.

In a subway tunnel, Newt talks to Credence but is attacked by Graves. Tina, who knows Credence, arrives and attempts to calm him, while Graves tries to convince Credence to listen to him instead. As Credence begins to settle into human form, Picquery arrives with Aurors and decides Credence’s life must be forfeited to keep the existence of magic hidden. The Aurors apparently disintegrate him, but Newt notices a tiny wisp of the Obscurus fleeing. Graves admits to unleashing the Obscurus to expose the magical community to the No-Majs, and angrily claims that MACUSA protects the No-Majs more than themselves. He repels the Aurors but is subdued by one of Newt’s beasts and revealed to be Gellert Grindelwald in disguise. Grindelwald is then taken into custody by MACUSA Aurors.

MACUSA fears it is too late to protect their secret world, but Newt releases his Thunderbird to disperse a potion over the city via a downpour that will erase all New Yorkers’ recent memories. MACUSA wizards repair the destruction, and Jacob reluctantly agrees to let himself be obliviated as well. Queenie kisses Jacob goodbye as the rain erases his memories. Newt departs for Europe, but promises to return and visit Tina once he finishes his book; he also anonymously leaves Jacob a case of Occamy eggshells {made of silver}, allowing Jacob to fulfill his dream of opening his own bakery. His breads and pastries are unknowingly inspired by Newt’s creatures, and Queenie visits him in his shop, to which he gives a look of remembrance.

It was an epic movie experience and even my little man loved it {although he was keen on leaving half-way through the film, complaining why it was taking too long to finish! :D}. No wonder it was getting great reviews from everyone! I love the way they brought the wizarding world to life in this Harry Potter prequel.

Eddie Redmayne is endearing as Newt Scamander I am soo looking forward to the sequel. Rumor has it that we are in for a treat as 4 more Fantastic Beasts films are slated to be released in the near future. One of the great surprises of this film, though, was seeing Johnny Depp towards the end, portraying Gellert Grindelwald, one of the darkest wizards of all time, and a former friend to our dear Professor Albus Dumbledore.

As always, any reason to revisit the enchanting world of Harry Potter is such a great experience and I am highly anticipating the next films! Meanwhile, I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them ~ The Original Screenplay. I sure hope my brother will finish reading it soon. I am ready to read it as soon as I am done reading all about this hand exerciser.

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4 Comments

  1. I haven’t watched the movie yet and im dying to do so. Haha! I started reading the synopsis but suddenly remember that wiki oftentimes blow off the movie so I stop and avoid spoilers. Hhaha! Tha ks though for validaging that this is a one great movie for potterheads.

    1. It sure is! I hope you get to catch it very soon. I would’ve loved to watch it again but it is no longer showing in local cinemas. I will just have to wait for free streaming online! 😉

  2. I haven’t watched this yet. I LOVE Harry Potter and I haven’t watched it yet maybe because I’m expecting something. For it to be as wonderful and magical as all the movies. I got interested though hearing that Johnny Depp is Grindewald.

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