*There are some spoilers
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter created a classical tale with mystical adventures for children to grow up with. Rowling’s new movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them carries out the fantasy of Harry Potter for the first time since 2011.
In movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Eddie Redmayne plays Newt Scamander who is an expert in magizoologist, in muggle terms he specializes in the magical beasts that occur in Rowling’s tales. For sure he is no Harry, but this isn’t the same film. The new set of characters provide a refreshing take on a magical Rowling story. Redmayne is no replacement for Daniel Radcliffe, but he does a pretty good job keeping the magical elements alive throughout the film.
There are ties between the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Harry Potter, leaving the sense of nostalgia for the now adult audiences. An American perspective on the wizarding world is a contrast to the British invasion we’re all used to. There is new terminology which points out the differences of language between the British and the Americans, which is also the case in reality. Getting used to hearing No-Maj instead of muggle creates a new set of terminology for the audience to get used to. Another interesting element to the movie is funny laws The Magical Congress of the United States of America has. These laws leave the audience pondering, like why can’t muggles marry wizards? If Hermione wasn’t British she wouldn’t exist? Even the punishments for wizards appear a bit extreme. This could be Rowling’s way on commenting on the American legal system.
The film takes place in 1926 which is a contrast to a slightly more modern Harry Potter. The movie gives historical background to Hogwarts and future stories. Newt Scamander ends up being a future writer for Hogwarts.
For sure, this is no Harry Potter movie, but an seeing this British movie from an American perspective adds another layer of wonder to this magical experience. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them allows the continuation of the Rowling experience by branching the story off into more directions allowing more elements and layers to the exiting Harry Potter series.
