Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them

[La Dispute]

I didn't mind this flick.

Also good to see Goldstein take some time out from railing females who aren't his missus and winning hitouts for North Melbourne to get some acting in.

7/10

 

[TheFreshBanana]

It was terrible. 3/10.

Unlikable characters. All socially awkward.

6 different storylines that amount to nothing actually happening.

Irrelevant scenes occurring.

Just terrible.

 

[Jeremias]

I've grown up as a Harry Potter fan so I liked it. Not as good as HP obviously, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Would be interested in hearing whether non-HP fans liked this. You don't have to have seen those movies to understand this one...but it helps with some of the background.

 

[Underarm]

The fantastic beasts stuff was good, I struggled to follow and be interested in the Emo child stuff.

But with no source material to ruin the experience I loved this one, probably more than most of the HP films.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Unlikable characters. All socially awkward.

Since when does socially awkward = unlikable?

Jacob was very good as a starting point.

 

[OnTheFull90]

It was terrible. 3/10.

Unlikable characters. All socially awkward.

6 different storylines that amount to nothing actually happening.

Irrelevant scenes occurring.

Just terrible.

Na, disagree. They were all very likable characters and it was very easy to become engaged with their story.

 

[Portmanteau]

Very bland, average movie. It wasn't a Rowling vehicle it wouldn't have anywhere near the goodwill... or even get made for that matter. A complete mess. Lacked direction. No emotion, charm or spirit found in the HP series. Redmayne seriously weak. I didn't mind the other three supporting cast members. And then they went full Marvel with the underdeveloped villain laying waste to the city for no discernible reason.

I give it about 18 months before the consensus that this is bad forms.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Redmayne seriously weak.

Strongly disagree.

 

[MWPP]

Coming from a pottermaniac - I loved it (more than the HP movies , but less than the books ) -

 

[bananatigz]

It was very enjoyable as someone who grew up with HP, but can see how some might not have thought it was super

 

[phantom13]

May as well update with the new one, review below. Welcome new discussion and theories from the fanzzzzz and haters alike.

This one is about the easiest review ill ever have to do.

If you love the franchise of HP and the extended universe you will love this. Its a rich interwoven story with some little easter eggs for fans, wonderful characters and good performances (including some really nice return to form of Depp and Law).

If you don't love the franchise this will be either a nothing film (its the 2nd in a 5 part franchise and whilst there is character progression there is no real resolution to the story) or a real slog (there is a lot of canon that either requires or is benefitted by a knowledge of the universe).

If you are a real die hard, fanatical Potter head this will frustrate you as there do seem to be some serious Wizarding World history revisions and inconsistencies.

Personally, loved it, Redmayne is quirky and relatable as a protagonist (Newt is argurably more enjoyable as a character than Harry and Redmayne is pretty clearly a more seasoned and talented actor than Daniel Radcliffe, especially from the earlier Potter films). The "world" that has been created is visually and creatively stunning and Depps Grindlewald is much more easily relatable as a charismatic villain to me (and im a slytherin in Pottermore anyway).

8.5/10

 

[dajesmac]

I gave the first one a pass mark even though it had some flaws.

Just watched the second one tonight and thought it was an absolute shocker. I'm a HP lover so will eat whatever s**t they serve up but being objective, that was a very poorly written/edited movie. Plotlines all over the place and not a lot came out of the movie.

 

[FUS_RO_DAH]

Absolutely obsessed with the Harry Potter universe and really liked the first Fantastic Beasts.

This was an absolute dumpster-fire.

5/10. Because I liked the visuals. So disappointed.

 

[Ry009]

Yeah first half dragged quite a bit, and editing was very disjointed. Some themes they were trying to get across with the story lacked a lot of punch.

6.5/10

 

[SM]

I actually liked this one a lot more than the first. Seemed a lot more structured, even if the plot did meander a bit at times.

 

[SM]

Yeah first half dragged quite a bit, and editing was very disjointed. Some themes they were trying to get across with the story lacked a lot of punch.

6.5/10

Yeah editing's the big thing, some scenes really didn't flow into each other. Main one I can think is Newt chasing after Dumbledore and suddenly it cut to a completely different group.

 

[phantom13]

I just posted in another thread, there is a podcast on this (The Ringers "Big Picture" with Sean Fennessey) and its fantastic (pun intended) if you've seen it. Sean is just a movie savant and his co hosts on this one are Mallory Rueben and some other dude who are Potter freaks. They had a really good take on it, that it wont really appeal to casual fans (as it has too much lore and detail that isn't explained with exposition, its just assumed you will get it) but also deviates enough from the known universe details that it will frustrate the die hard fans. I think I really enjoyed it because whilst I am a bit of a die hard im a movie guy opposed to book guy.

 

[MWPP]

I saw it yesterday and these were my thoughts :
-Plot overload - To me as a die hard , this was a great thing as I loved what we learnt and now I really want to see it again. I suspect this contributed to some of the poor reviews though
-Plot holes - annoying but trying to keep an open mind in case some of these are explained later in the series . I’ve already thought of some possible canon-consistent explanations but they’re also far fetched
-Characters- loved the depiction of some characters , but was disappointed to see what happened (or seemed to happen) to a couple of them too
-Acting - very high quality
-Special effects -breathtaking . I saw it in imax 3D which may have helped too
Overall , it’s in the same boat as the previous one and the cursed child in that I liked it , but didn’t love it (first time around) . I’m looking forward to rewatching it and then reading the script version to see if it grows on me .

 

[SM]

I saw it yesterday and these were my thoughts :
-Plot overload - To me as a die hard , this was a great thing as I loved what we learnt and now I really want to see it again. I suspect this contributed to some of the poor reviews though
-Plot holes - annoying but trying to keep an open mind in case some of these are explained later in the series . I’ve already thought of some possible canon-consistent explanations but they’re also far fetched
-Characters- loved the depiction of some characters , but was disappointed to see what happened (or seemed to happen) to a couple of them too
-Acting - very high quality
-Special effects -breathtaking . I saw it in imax 3D which may have helped too
Overall , it’s in the same boat as the previous one and the cursed child in that I liked it , but didn’t love it (first time around) . I’m looking forward to rewatching it and then reading the script version to see if it grows on me .

I can't get my head around Rowling having written this when it flows so differently. Is she trying too hard?

 

[MWPP]

I can't get my head around Rowling having written this when it flows so differently. Is she trying too hard?

I put it down to it being a different form
To me it’s more reminiscent of the cursed child than the main series . Then again , books provide the luxury of time /slower character development , so I can see where you and others are coming from too .

 

[phantom13]

Yeh a script is very very different to a book and she wasn’t a scriptwriter on any of the films.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

I really enjoyed it, but my expectations weren’t overly high. Like Depp when he’s a bit more reserved like in this.

 

[ShiftyNiftyNev]

May as well update with the new one, review below. Welcome new discussion and theories from the fanzzzzz and haters alike.


If you don't love the franchise this will be either a nothing film (its the 2nd in a 5 part franchise and whilst there is character progression there is no real resolution to the story) or a real slog (there is a lot of canon that either requires or is benefitted by a knowledge of the universe).


8.5/10

Wait, there's gonna be 3 more movies? Geez, I thought they'd be able to stretch out 1 more max.

 

[phantom13]

Wait, there's gonna be 3 more movies? Geez, I thought they'd be able to stretch out 1 more max.

Semi spoilers (which those who care already know and those who don't know wont care). Its building to the battle of Grindelwald and Dumbledore which happens in 1945. This was set in 1927 I think. So there is some time to cover, but we don't know how many (or much if you prefer) in terms of events there will be. Its worth noting the HP series was 8 films over 6 or 7 years, its arguable this will have as many stories points as Harrys arc its just not written in books at the moment.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Depp has been removed as Grindelwald after recent events.

Will be interesting to see if Heard is removed from WB projects she is involved in also.