Support NeoGAF

[NHarmonic.]

Hello guys. I'll talk a bit about the movie with uncensored spoilers so if anybody reading this hasn't watched it, please don't read after this point.


I like the harry potter franchise a lot, though i ended up missing this movie in the cinema because of reasons. I picked up the Blu-ray and finally watched it. And i loved it.

The elements it brought to the harry potter lore are really fascinating and i feel they are taking advantage of a really underdeveloped aspect of the world (imo): all the magical creatures that supposedly exist and have lots of charisma. My favorite scene was probably the one where Scamander shows the contents of the suitcase to the No-maj. I felt like when i first watched "HP & the philosopher's stone": it was mesmerizing. The colors, the creativity involved. It was really amazing and inspiring, imho.

The Obscurus stuff was really interesting, and i just found out that it could actually connect to Dumbledore's sister story, so it's even better imo. I think the scenes where it ravages the city are successful in conveying the horror, violence and despair (the effects were insane), and i feel it's demise subverts the trope of the "mc saving everyone" (sad about credence, though). I mean Newt actually solves the whole mess in the finale, but is unable to save the poor man.

One thing that bothered me a lot was the Grindelwald reveal. I mean holy shit what a turn-off that was. You go from hot af, mature Colin Farrell that i think pulled off the antagonist part really well in the entire run, feeling menacing and savage (execution scene anyone?) to 2 minutes of old, WEIRD AS HELL, Johnny Depp with the weird look that imo clashed too much with the aesthetic of the movie. Felt like it was a batman "cartoon" villain from the burton era. Awful.


What's the consensus on it? Do you guys enjoyed it? Felt it was worthy of joining the lore of HP? To be a franchise?

 

[Astral Dog]

I didn't like it that much but its different. Last part was a joke

 

[daffy]

Yeah they made a big mistake banking on Depp for such a huge character. Should've been Cumberbatch imo

anyway i quite liked it and am just really glad the wizarding world continues!

 

[MooseKnuckles]

One thing that bothered me a lot was the Grindelwald reveal. I mean holy shit what a turn-off that was. You go from hot af, mature Colin Farrell that i think pulled off the antagonist part really well in the entire run, feeling menacing and savage (execution scene anyone?) to 2 minutes of old, WEIRD AS HELL, Johnny Depp with the weird look that imo clashed too much with the aesthetic of the movie. Felt like it was a batman "cartoon" villain from the burton era. Awful.

I liked it well enough, but it didn't blow me away. My biggest memory of the viewing is this shitty ass 'reveal'. Depp is such a profound downgrade from Colin Farrell, and visually I agree that the aesthetic they went for was way too 'cartoony'.

I liked how muted and business-like the US world of magic was, and I thought Farrell fit into that so well, and was more intimidating for it.

 

[wetflame]

I thought it was fine, didn't have the sense of wonder of Philosopher's Stone but that's probably to be expected. I'm on board to learn more about the world but it's a shame we won't have Queenie in the sequel most likely. She was probably my favourite character.

 

[Blade30]

I liked it more than the Harry Potter movies tbh (it suits much better as a tv series ala game of thrones) which I watched after this movie.

 

[weekev]

Yeah I loved it. Disagree with the Depp criticism though, haven't seen enough of Depps Grindelwald to criticise it yet and makes sense that such a feared wizard would be undercover. Looking forward to the next film to see if they can build on a solid first entry.

 

[Monocle]

I really loved this movie. The setting was so refreshing. There are so many rich parallels with the original series, so many enjoyable references and neat little intersections. Fantastic Beasts absolutely sold me on the idea of a wider wizarding world full of locales as distinctive as London and Hogwarts, with their own unique flavor. The characters were utterly charming. The creatures and locations were imaginative and delightful.

Also, as great as Farrell was, I really liked Depp's Grindelwald. I'm happy with that casting choice and I like his eerie look and manner. Remember, Farrell's character is not dead, so we're not necessarily losing anything here.

I'd be thrilled if Fantastic Beast turns into its own big series. The possibilities afforded by its early place in the Harry Potter timeline are exciting. I can't wait to see young Dumbledore.

 

[tbm24]

Depp aside, this is easily my favorite Potter universe movie next to Chambers. What sets this movie apart for me and makes me give it my top spot is the fact that I finally got what I always wanted out of Harry Potter. Wizards and Witches who knew what the fuck they were doing. They teleport around like it's the most natural thing for them to do. The prior movies are all about students trying to get to this point, it's just nice to see the results that all that would lead to once they'd all graduate and go on with their magical lives.

 

[liquidtmd]

As a moderate Potter reader, who enjoyed the books and movies, but missed the Beasts book this movie felt...I dunno. Competent?

Probably a good romp if it struck a chord with you, but it fell flat personally. I enjoyed Redmayne very much in the Hawking work and the Danish Girl, but I just simply didn't care for his story here or many of the characters. Fatal flaw.

Wait, there was the human guy who tagged along with them who was the designated 'comic relief' - he was great.

No real desire for another three or four movies, certainly not in the cinema, but a series I'll probably consume on rainy Sunday afternoons over the years.

 

[takriel]

Depp was such a huge turn-off that it retroactively killed the entire movie for me.

 

[Jotakori]

I thought it was alright! Enjoyable enough, but I don't like it quite as much as the original movie series. While HP I love enough to rewatch those movies at least every two/three months (I really like it as bg noise while I work, okay, alright), something about Fantastic Beasts just doesn't spark that same love with me. Still, definitely good enough that I'm committed to watching them all!

But I also agree that Depp was just Not A Good Choice. He looks so weird with the blonde hair and he's definitely aged in a way that I don't think is flattering with how they did his design up. I wish the other actor had played Grindelwald, too. He really was hot af. 8(
I hope his acting will at least resonate enough that it'll still be good, though. /keepin' them fingers crossed

 

[Kenzodielocke]

Depp was such a huge turn-off that it retroactively killed the entire movie for me.

I agree with this.

 

[caliph95]

Depp was such a huge turn-off that it retroactively killed the entire movie for me.

While i wouldn't go that far i would rather have had Colin Farell as a villain than depp even as a sympathiser

 

[SuperEpicMan]

I really liked this, but I definitely agree with the consensus about Depp at the end, I have really grown tired of him lately and his schtick has grown thin. On a side note, I was surprised by how little we have heard about sequel plans, but having just looked it up, it has apparently just started filming as of July, and is out Nov 2018 for anyone wondering.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

This was a weird watch for me. I enjoyed elements of it separately, but the final product didn't really draw me in. The costuming and set design were spectacular. Absolutely adored the world they set up. And the supporting cast all did wonderful jobs. But I didn't find Newt particularly compelling, and the 3rd act (surprise) being a city destroying smoke monster is when my eyes glazed over.

Probably would've appreciated the movie more if it was a little smaller in scope and just explored this world and searched for more of the beasts.

I was also massively disappointed when they traded out Colin Farrell for Johnny Depp. Huge downgrade if you ask me.

 

[caliph95]

This was a weird watch for me. I enjoyed elements of it separately, but the final product didn't really draw me in. The costuming and set design were spectacular. Absolutely adored the world they set up. And the supporting cast all did wonderful jobs. But I didn't find Newt particularly compelling, and the 3rd act (surprise) being a city destroying smoke monster is when my eyes glazed over.

Probably would've appreciated the movie more if it was a little smaller in scope and just explored this world and searched for more of the beasts.

I was also massively disappointed when they traded out Colin Farrell for Johnny Depp. Huge downgrade if you ask me.

I think due to it being a blockbuster it was forced to have a big epic climax(which all recent blockbusters suffers from) as a result so you end with this even when it didn't need to be that big and would have the same impact if they limited in the house or just have it at the sewers.

What made it worse was the bird ex machina and the probably wasted subplot with the politician.

 

[Mathieran]

I've loved Harry Potter for most of my life now so I was excited about this movie but after I saw it I felt pretty let down. To me, it really doesn't have the personality and charm of the original series. By the time the movie was over, I didn't care about any of the characters, while the original series had tons of great characters to enjoy.

I'm sure I will keep watching the next ones though, since I know we are gonna be getting some Dumbledore backstory. Hopefully they cast him well.

 

[NateDog]

I liked the movie a lot. A little while after I first watched it I began to think I was giving it the benefit of the doubt a little too much and that I'd know exactly what I really felt when it came to home release,but honestly it just confirmed that my initial feelings were correct and I've rewatched it a few times which is something I rarely do. I was quite surprised by how dark it was and the themes that it dealt with were (orphans, the occult, child abuse, anti-Semitism, etc.). I thought Farrell and Redmayne were great, although I disagree about the Grindelwald reveal. Farrell was great and I hope he does manage a return, but despite people's thoughts on him and some of the awful roles he has done he is still a very capable actor, and I think his design was actually supposed to look out of place for a reason considering who he is. Now if people simply don't want to see him because of all the rumours about him and the court cases involving him that have come to light in the past year or so then that's fair in my opinion and I can get that, but most complaints seem to be about people that just expect him to ham it up.

I think my initial doubts were that it felt weird to have such an older main cast compared to Harry Potter and I thought some scenes were overdone a little (like the mating ritual scene), but at the same time this is a departure from Harry Potter while being an extension of its universe and a big part of it is naturally going to be about the beast's we don't see much of in HP.

Even after watching it a decent few times I pretty regularly still have the desire to do it again so it left a pretty good impression on me.

 

[Dalek]

Sadly I think Depp's gimmick casting did a lot of damage. Colin Ferrel was great in this movie. Now we have to see Depp hamming it up in the sequels.

 

[Currygan]

I thought it was proper Yates, meaning, a truckoad of special effects wrapped in a cold, heartless, boring, devoid of any rhythm, finesse or suspense heap of shit. Felt no attachment to any of the characters, Plus, the American wizard institute or whatever that was is a fucking gloomy place populated by heartless, unsympathetic assholes (that execution scene...the fuck was that? I want Hogwarts back thank you)

 

[Aranath]

I'm a huge Potter fan of both the books and films and I loved everything about it... apart from Depp. As soon as he appeared I thought, "Wait... is that...? Ugh."

Just totally ruined my enjoyment right at the end. I agree with the others that say Farrell was great. It's a damn shame we're losing him to another bout of Depp hamming it up. If Depp manages to pull it off, great. But I'm incredibly sceptical given his performances these days.

 

[CloudWolf]

I thought it was a soulless husk of a movie. The special effects looked nice, but it lacked character. The most engaging part of the film was Farrell and he was a one-off. I have no clue how they're even going to make a franchise out of this, none of the characters was even remotely interesting.

 

[Kas]

I watched it on the plane to Madrid, and I loved it. I kinda figured that

Spoiler

Colin Ferrel wad Grindelwald

, but I never expected the reveal to be the way it was.

I was also loved the acting. Redmayne I felt was a bit weak, the way he never really looked anyone in the eye or always avoided looking at people, but I loved the atmosphere and the WY the creatures were portrayed.

Easily one of my favorite Harry Potter movies

 

[jrush64]

I really loved it too. The movie had a look and charm too it, like the previous Harry Potter movies.

 

[Joni]

I like how it grew the Potter universe which is missing in a lot of shared universe movies. Showing something completely else while giving backstory.
Success of the Depp reveal will depend on the sequel. I hope they casted the actor Johnny Depp and not his lookalike Jack Sparrow.

 

[F!ReW!Re]

I didn't enjoy it, problem was I didn't like the main character for some reason (it's been a while since I saw it)...

 

[Number_6]

I didn't like it. Some of the characters, the regular dude and the blond (I forgot names, I haven't seen it since theaters) were fun. The rest was dull, drab, dark, and boring. Behold the wonderment and joy of a home of poor orphans, used and abused by their caretaker!

I didn't care for the big creatures, I thought their designs were mostly ugly, and you gotta put in some work to make me think fully CGI creatures are cute, or worthy of awe.

The obscurus was uninteresting and lame. It's like a mystery, but what we're even looking for or trying to figure out makes no damn sense.

Finally, the villain reveal. Colin Farrell was doing a great job, I thought. Then he's revealed to be this weird other guy all along. Why should we care? Who the fuck is this other guy? He was only introduced before as a couple of newspaper pages flashing by in the beginning. That's enough for us to give a fuck when he's scooby-unmasked in the end?

No, I don't think so. I know much of this comes from previously outlined or vaguely hinted lore by Rowling herself. But really now. You make up two new villains. Two distinct characters, both to fulfill the villain role. Only for one of them to be pointlessly unmasked as the other in the end. Wtf. Why not just make, I don't know, one new villain instead?

 

[Joni]

Finally, the villain reveal. Colin Farrell was doing a great job, I thought. Then he's revealed to be this weird other guy all along. Why should we care? Who the fuck is this other guy? He was only introduced before as a couple of newspaper pages flashing by in the beginning. That's enough for us to give a fuck when he's scooby-unmasked in the end?

It helps that the Harry Potter books stressed that Grindelwald is one of the most powerful wizards of all time, practically the most evil Dark Wizard, participant in World War II at the Nazi side and the lover of Dumbledore.

 

[FlyinJ]

If you ever get a chance to use a Google Daydream, you should check out the Fantastic Beasts VR thing. You can interact with 3 different beasts and play around inside Newts suitcase zoo. It's really polished and also free.

 

[shink]

Depp was such a huge turn-off that it retroactively killed the entire movie for me.

Same and I may not even bother with the sequel.

 

[Kinyou]

I don't mind Depp himself, but I agree that it was a weird moment. Farrell who evoked some sympathy for his character suddenly turned into this cartoon villain.

 

[Won]

Put me in the camp that really enjoyed it. Great set and costume design. Probably the most likeable cast in a while for me. Suitcase scene was great. Kinda crazy ending. (Killing the boy, not the Depp thing)

Biggest problem probably was that the A and B plot really don't work together at all.

Oh yeah, I have my doubts Depp can actually follow up Farrell in the role.

 

[Albino_Yeti]

While i wouldn't go that far i would rather have had Colin Farell as a villain than depp even as a sympathiser

I agree. Colin Farell did a great job in that movie, he deserved to be the villain for remaining Fantastic Beasts movies.

Depp is a good actor and all, but I just don't see him fitting in with the cast. Of course, we only saw about 3 minutes of him, so I'm willing to give him a chance.

But dammit if they turn Grindelwald into a Jack Sparrow caricature I'm gonna be upset. This ain't a Pirates movie.

 

[golem]

The side characters were more fun than the main characters, which was a problem. I wish they hadn't gotten rid of Colin Farrell and played his character straight since the ambuguity of his character's motivations were interesting for a while. Depp's appearance was disappointing to me as well, really tired of his persona and I don't have much hope that he relearns how to actually bring a character to life in his old age. Also the world of Harry Potter continues to be a grim and dreary place, mainly something I blame on the director's vision. Other than that though I think the movie was alright lol. I really wish they would ditch Yates though, his movies seem to suck all the life out of what should be a fun and magical ride. Bring a truckload of money to Cuaron or maybe even Del Toro

 

[Random Human]

Huge HP fan, but this movie was... odd. In retrospect, I think I wish they had removed most of the Depressing Orphan Soup Kitchen stuff, and the politics/media stuff, and focused more on the "Harry Potter meets Pokemon" magical creatures side of the story, which is very cool but a bit underdeveloped. It probably also needed a director who's a bit better at capturing whimsy.

The Depp cameo is real bad. Someone in my screening actually groaned out loud and another person went "UGH". I've read other people say they had similarly vocal displeasure in their screenings.

 

[GSG Flash]

Didn't like it, it was all over the place. Just watched The Philosopher's Stone the other day for the first in probably a decade, it's so much better than Fantastic Beasts.

 

[Odoul]

Never watched a single Harry Potter film.

Saw this when it came out and liked it a bunch.

Chubby sidekick and the psychic sister were my favorite bits.

 

[Monocle]

Huge HP fan, but this movie was... odd. In retrospect, I think I wish they had removed most of the Depressing Orphan Soup Kitchen stuff, and the politics/media stuff, and focused more on the "Harry Potter meets Pokemon" magical creatures side of the story, which is very cool but a bit underdeveloped. It probably also needed a director who's a bit better at capturing whimsy.

The Depp cameo is real bad. Someone in my screening actually groaned out loud and another person went "UGH". I've read other people say they had similarly vocal displeasure in their screenings.

I would have shushed them obnoxiously. That's just rude.

 

[Liquid_Bike]

Overall I really enjoyed it but I wish they would have fleshed out some the characters more. I feel like we know next to nothing about Newt. Everybody in the film felt really shallow. On the other hand I really like the universe/world they are building. I just need some compelling character development too.

 

[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

Never watched a single Harry Potter film.

Saw this when it came out and liked it a bunch.

Chubby sidekick and the psychic sister were my favorite bits.

My problem is that "chubby sidekick and the psychic sister" were more likable and interesting than the main characters. One of which just looked befuddled the entire movie, the other was just super bland and personality free. I will not see the second one til blu ray, and I don't see how they're going to get a series out of this.

 

[NHarmonic.]

I really loved this movie. The setting was so refreshing. There are so many rich parallels with the original series, so many enjoyable references and neat little intersections. Fantastic Beasts absolutely sold me on the idea of a wider wizarding world full of locales as distinctive as London and Hogwarts, with their own unique flavor. The characters were utterly charming. The creatures and locations were imaginative and delightful.

Also, as great as Farrell was, I really liked Depp's Grindelwald. I'm happy with that casting choice and I like his eerie look and manner. Remember, Farrell's character is not dead, so we're not necessarily losing anything here.

I'd be thrilled if Fantastic Beast turns into its own big series. The possibilities afforded by its early place in the Harry Potter timeline are exciting. I can't wait to see young Dumbledore.

The thing i'm most interested now is Dumbledore's story. I think there's too much potential there. I just hope Depp can pull off the Grindelwald part.

 

[Fancyarcher]

Pretty decent overall. It expanded the Potter mythology, and the cast was decent, although creepy Redmayne does not work very well as a lead. Folger was quite good though, and brought a lot of "heart" to the film.

Yeah they made a big mistake banking on Depp for such a huge character. Should've been Cumberbatch imo

anyway i quite liked it and am just really glad the wizarding world continues!

Nah, they should have kept Farrell in the role instead of replacing him with Mortdecai, just because they wanted to save his sagging career, lol. What a waste!

 

[Ultryx]

I loved this movie and thought it was a great ride. I'm hopeful that the other ones will be entertaining also.

 

[Number_6]

It helps that the Harry Potter books stressed that Grindelwald is one of the most powerful wizards of all time, practically the most evil Dark Wizard, participant in World War II at the Nazi side and the lover of Dumbledore.

Okay. But this is a movie. Was all or any of this stressed in the previous movies? Because that would have helped. I haven't read the books in years, and the seventh one was quite bloated with information, at that.

 

[caliph95]

Okay. But this is a movie. Was all or any of this stressed in the previous movies? Because that would have helped. I haven't read the books in years, and the seventh one was quite bloated with information, at that.

I don't think so, i vageuly remembered him before be cause i read a couple of books and he was mentioned and he did appear in one of the movies. They never stress his importance so i imagine the casual fan base who only watch the movies had little idea besides being proto-voldemort as he was portrayed

 

[RomeoDog]

Its fantastic at world building and incredibly imaginative.. The writter of harry potter does impressive work for a first time script writer.

 

[jett]

Absolutely mediocre blockbuster filmmaking. A David Yates joint through and through.

 

[takriel]

The side characters were more fun than the main characters, which was a problem. I wish they hadn't gotten rid of Colin Farrell and played his character straight since the ambuguity of his character's motivations were interesting for a while. Depp's appearance was disappointing to me as well, really tired of his persona and I don't have much hope that he relearns how to actually bring a character to life in his old age. Also the world of Harry Potter continues to be a grim and dreary place, mainly something I blame on the director's vision. Other than that though I think the movie was alright lol. I really wish they would ditch Yates though, his movies seem to suck all the life out of what should be a fun and magical ride. Bring a truckload of money to Cuaron or maybe even Del Toro

Huh, that is actually accurate now that I think about it.

 

[NHarmonic.]

Huh, that is actually accurate now that I think about it.

I mean, for a movie that had a subplot as dark as the one presented here, i really don't know how you could make it less gloomy and lifeless. I mean, the scenes that were colourful and magical (like the intro to the creatures) were really well made so the problem clearly wasn't there.

I kind understand the Yates criticism but on the same time don't know how it could be presented differently, and this applies to the last harry potter movies too, that dealt with violence and death in a more prominent way.