J.K. Rowling made her screenwriting debut in the hit film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. As an extension of the Harry Potter universe, it takes place in 1920’s New York and follows British magizoologist and former Hogwarts student Newt Scamander as he journeys to the states to discover new species of magical beasts. On the way, Newt runs into some trouble, but also makes some friends along the way. With the combination of a great story, an extension of the Harry Potter universe, and the return of director David Yates, it was the perfect formula for success.

Now, the question is, was Fantastic Beasts really fantastic? The short answer? Yes. The long answer? Let’s dive right into that. It was a film that really allowed the viewers to see the difference between how wizards lived their lives in both different time periods and different locations of the world. It appears that the conflict of wizarding in North America was between the wizards and the No-Maj (non-wizards). During the Harry Potter series, that wasn’t a factor as the battle between the wizards of good and evil fought for their own causes. The Second Salemers are the group that want to end wizards and they also play a driving force within the plot. It was great to see a different side of the wizarding world than Potterheads have seen before. The aspect of the beasts was also very interesting, as they are clearly going to take a prominent role throughout the five film series. Overall, the plot along with the extension of the wizarding world makes a great base to this new series.

Not only was the plot very brilliant (as all J.K. Rowling plots are), the characters were also extremely likable and delivered great performances. The main character, Newt Scamander, is played by Eddie Redmayne, who delivered a great performance as the magizoologist. He played the role as a very introvert, yet intelligent and witty wizard who is very engulfed with his work of the beasts, but also learns how to come out of his shell a bit as he meets new people within the wizarding world. One of the people that he meets is actually outside of the wizarding world, that being Jacob Kowalski, played by Dan Folger. Folger plays an aspiring No-Maj baker who gets pulled into the thick of an issue thanks to accidently befriending Newt and his case of beasts. Two other standouts would be the other two main characters, Tina and Queenie Goldstein. Katherine Waterston played the role of Tina and did a very good job at portraying the uptight wizarding workaholic. On the other end of the spectrum, singer Alison Sudal played the role of Queenie, who is a bit quirky, but is a very lovable character that ends up developing feelings for Jacob. Other notable performances would be Colin Farrell as Percival Graves, and auruor (wizarding policeman) for the Magical Congress of the United States of America, and Johnny Depp in a cameo role.

Overall, this film has done well critically, holding up to the Harry Potter standard. Even as a non-Harry Potter fan, it would probably be a good idea to check this one out. After this film, it is clear that J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.