★★★★☆ (4/5) Recommended for: Fans of Harry Potter, creature features, 1920s period pieces, and anyone who loves a magical underdog story.
When Newt inadvertently swaps his briefcase with Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a No-Maj (American term for Muggle) cannery worker and aspiring baker, chaos erupts. Several creatures escape into the city.
The film’s biggest flaw is its split personality. On one hand, it’s a whimsical adventure about catching escaped magical animals. On the other, it’s a dark, heavy setup for a much larger political conflict involving Gellert Grindelwald and the repressed "Obscurus" energy. fantastic beasts and where to find them part 1
Principal photography began in August 2015 at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden and on location in Liverpool.
Despite the controversy of the later films, the first installment remains a strong entry in the wizarding world canon. It offers: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Recommended for: Fans of Harry Potter,
When Warner Bros. announced that the world of Harry Potter would continue on the big screen, fans held their breath. The eight-film saga had concluded perfectly, but the allure of J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world was impossible to ignore. That return came in 2016 with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Part 1 —though officially titled simply Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , it has since been retroactively recognized as the first chapter in a five-part prequel series.
Before it was a film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a 54-page textbook mentioned in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone . Written by Newt Scamander, the book was a required reading for Hogwarts students. In 2001, Rowling released a real-world version for charity, complete with scribbles from Harry and Ron. The film’s biggest flaw is its split personality
As Newt and Jacob team up with Tina and her sister Queenie to retrieve the creatures, they uncover a deeper threat: a destructive force known as an Obscurus, tied to the mysterious Credence Barebone and the manipulative Percival Graves.
The story follows Newt Scamander, a socially awkward yet deeply empathetic British magizoologist. Newt’s arrival in America with a suitcase full of magical creatures serves as the catalyst for the plot when several beasts escape, threatening to expose the magical community to the "No-Maj" (non-magical) world. This premise allows the film to showcase imaginative creature designs—from the treasure-hunting Niffler to the majestic Thunderbird—which provide the heart and humor of the narrative.