I WAS never a big Harry Potter fan. Saw the first one, left uninspired, and called in sick for the sequels. While Harry isn’t quite back, his author, JK Rowling, is and fans will absolutely love what she has in store for them.
There are growing dangers in the magical world of 1926 New York. Something mysterious is leaving a path of destruction in the streets, threatening to expose the wizarding community to the No-Majs (ordinary people who can’t perform magic).
Furthermore, the powerful dark wizard Grindelwald, after wreaking havoc in Europe, has slipped away and is nowhere to be found. Unaware of the rising tensions, Newt Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne) arrives in the city nearing the end of a global excursion to research and rescue magical creatures, some of which are safeguarded in his suitcase.
But potential disaster strikes when unsuspecting No-Maj, Jacob Kowalski, inadvertently lets some of Newt’s beasts loose in a city already on the edge.
The film is directed by the man responsible for the last four Harry Potter blockbusters, David Yates, and is written by none other than Rowling herself, in her first role as a screenwriter.
Redmayne is impressive as always in the starring role and Colin Farrell is convincing as the baddie. The special effects are top notch with Rowling and the film’s CGI experts inventing and creating some magical and captivating creatures who in many ways steal the show.
There is of course lots of wand waving and mystical mutation that any good fantasy should have, so if magic is your bag, you’re going to feel right at home here.
My only criticism is that while the movie does start off as something original, by the end it feels no different to all the other Hollywood blockbusters we have seen.
It also struggles to decide on an appropriate ending and chooses to include all of the options just to be safe. But this film’s for the Potter fans, and they’ll lap it up. We score it an entertaining 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Paul O’Rourke
