Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

At Hogwarts, Harry Potter studied the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). In this imaginative prequel, Newt, a British “magizoologist,” travels to New York in 1926, arriving on Ellis Island with a bottomless satchel of supernatural creatures—but several escape. Nerdy Newt meets Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a gullible, good-natured No-Maj (American for Muggles), but the pair are spotted by Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), an astute ex-Auror who's eager to regain her Investigator status. The Magical Exposure Threat Level Measurer of the secretive Magical Congress of the United States is showing an alert for “severe unexplained activity” because sinister, manipulative Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald is on the loose. The pressure is heightened by fanatical witch hunters led by bigoted Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton), whose acolyte Credence (Ezra Miller) tips off suspicious Director of Magical Security Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), forcing Newt and Tina to flee with Jacob and Tina's mind-reading sister, Queenie (Alison Sudol). Their chaotic travels take them through the Lower East Side, Central Park, and a Jazz Age speakeasy to a confrontation in Manhattan's old City Hall subway station. Screenwriter J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter director David Yates serve up a timely cautionary tale about xenophobic paranoia leading to prejudice and intolerance, while also focusing on conservationist Newt's magical CGI menagerie: naughty, duck-billed Niffler, sprig-like Bowtruckle Pickett, rhino-like Erumpent, explosive Obscurus, and Arizona's majestic Thunderbird, among others. Although a bit overlong, this is an engaging, enchanting, and fun-filled return to Rowling's wizarding world. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include production featurettes on “Design” (35 min.), “Characters” (25 min.), “Creatures” (21 min.), and “Before Harry Potter: A New Era of Magic Begins!” (15 min.), and deleted scenes (15 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this special-effects-laden fantasy from J.K. Rowling.] (S. Granger)