Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review

Is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them worth watching?

Yes as an optional prequel — 69% Celluloid Score. David Yates’s 133-minute 1926 New York romp is the Wizarding World’s creature comedy: a briefcase full of habitats, a No-Maj named Jacob, and Eddie Redmayne playing Newt as a man who prefers beasts to people.

Watch it after the eight Hogwarts films, not before. The Harry Potter watch order treats Beasts as a spin-off. That is correct.

What works before the lore thickens?

The case. The beasts have personality; the city has a different magical bureaucracy (MACUSA) that makes Hogwarts look informal. Dan Fogler’s Jacob is the audience’s best friend. Colin Farrell’s Graves is a better mystery than the sequels deserved.

It is also clearly a launchpad. Grindelwald’s shadow is product planning. If you stop after this film, you have a complete, gentle adventure. The sequels are where the franchise starts arguing with itself.

Who should skip Fantastic Beasts?

Skip it on a first Potter run — finish Deathly Hallows – Part 2 first. Skip it if you only wanted Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Do not skip it if you liked the textbook-as-gag and want one more Yates film that still knows how to be funny.

Title page: movie page.

Verdict

Newt Scamander’s 1920s New York romp — creature comedy that soft-relaunches the world before politics take over. Optional, charming, complete on its own.