First Impressions: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

We sent over Luie Magbanua of OMGLuie.com to cover the press screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them last Wednesday night and we’re posting her reaction and impression for the film directed by David Yates and stars Eddie Redmayne, Collin Farrell, Ezra Miller and a whole lot more. Now showing from Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is exactly what its title suggests, fantastic! Here is a first impressions post on the movie that brings back all the good magical memories of Harry Potter.

The film is set in New York in 1926 and centers around a magizoologist named Newt Scamander. What seems to be just his run of the mill travel stop over becomes a full-blown fantastical adventure as he accidentally exchanges his enchanted trunk with that of Jacob Kowalski’s, a Muggle, or what Americans call No-Maj.

The movie is not just filled with fantastic beasts (and where to find them, LOL) but it is full of adventure, surprises, danger, and excitement. Casting Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander is probably the best thing they’ve done for this film. He provides that really good awkwardness, which other people might say is adorable, but he brilliantly portrays Newt’s excellence & expertise when it comes to handling magical creatures. This personality switch of the character is interesting and intriguing, and I’m sure all geeks can relate to Newt in a very literal way.

The supporting characters (Jacob, Tina, and Queenie) brought in a good balance to Newt’s awkwardness and offered a semblance of normalcy to an otherwise magical universe.

But what I think the best part of the movies is that it drives your curiosity. You are kept at the edge of your seat and you want to know what happens next, even if, at times, the plot twists can be a little predictable.

The soundtrack is wonderfully nostalgic, brings a warm tingle to my bones, and there’s nothing quite like the fast-paced fight scenes between wizards where wordless spells fly left and right. Although at times the action can be a bit hard to follow with just one pair of eyes.

I came into the cinemas not expecting anything at all. I don’t consider myself a hardcore HP fan but I have always loved J.K. Rowling’s magical world. The movie is really non-discriminative so it’s something interesting to watch, whether you’ve read or seen all of the Harry Potter books & movies or just getting started on the hype.

I would totally watch it again, buy the book, and own a DVD. It’s a fascinating film to see. 🙂

Thanks for the save Luie! You can read her full review HERE