Marvelous Muggles and Fantastic Beasts!

I guess November was a little crazy around my house, because I only just recently got a chance to sit down and catch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, now out on home video.


This is all a little different from Harry Potter, but we're definitely in the same universe, and that's somehow a very comforting place to be. Newt Scamanger (Eddie Redmayne) is a wizard with a particular interest in magical creatures, which he totes around in a well-worn  leather suitcase. He has an errand that brings him across the Atlantic to New York, where we are introduced to the 1920s American counterpart of the Hogwarts universe - and Ministry of Magic - some 70 years before young Harry first picked up his wand.


Through a bit of accidental happenstance, Newt's case ends up in the hands of a "No-Maj" (Muggle) who has no idea magic exists, and is just trying to start a business. The Ministry is suspicious of Newt, as there have been all manner of dark doings going-on in this gorgeously rendered old world New York. Could it somehow have anything to do with Gellert Grindelwald, the mysterious dark wizard who's been a source of chaos and disruption?


If you wandered in off the street, you'd be forgiven if you thought this was an episode of Doctor Who. Newt is whimsically eccentric and oddly dressed, pulling back the curtain to reveal a universe of wonders to mere mortals who are sucked into his adventure. Like The Doctor's TARDIS, Newt's suitcase is also cavernously gigantic on the interior, the space necessary to house his amazing bestiary. Redmayne plays Newt as shy yet charming and determined, though he speaks with a mumbled whisper that had me reaching for the subtitles button more than once. But here's the thing - Newt - and this movie - really grows on you.


A huge reason for the film's success lies in the supporting performances, which really draw you in. As Jacob Kowalski, the hapless bystander who dreams of opening his own bakery, Dan Fogler is a revelation. Kowalski is the audience - a regular guy who becomes aware of a universe of color after living in black and white - and he's entranced and captivated by it. He dives right in, and he's such a terrific performer, and makes Jacob such a great character, I was ready to follow wherever he went.


Newt and Jacob need help from two magical sisters, Tina (Katherine Waterston) and Queenie (Alison Sudol), and Queenie steals the picture, particularly in any scene she has with Jacob. Sudol and Fogler bring such fresh energy to things, that the story really comes alive when they meet. Sharp-eared fans of Ron Perlman are also in for a delicious treat. I was less enthralled by Colin Farrell, as a kind of Ministry Enforcer, who stalks and glowers around setting his traps.


But like I said, the charm in this movie really gets you, thanks to the phenomenal partnership of J.K. Rowling and seasoned Potter director David Yates. Rowling deserves a lot of credit for daring to dive back into the same universe, creating fresh characters and new situations that aren't dependent on Hogwarts denizens. She's created a whole new world here, and by giving more of the stage to the muggles, it actually makes things seem all the more enchanting. Yates does a splendid job of painting an incredibly rich and baroque picture of 20s New York that's just enthralling and atmospheric. And let's not forget the creatures themselves, which are just terrific, a real assortment of strange and delightful beings that make it easy to understand Newt's passion for.


Fantastic Beasts is a real treat, and now that we know who's who, I'm excited to see where the next chapter in this story will lead us.