On Friday November 18th, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them came out in theaters. This movie should be entertaining to anyone who wants to re-enter the magical world.

Keep in mind this is almost nothing like the Harry Potter movies. One of the major reasons that this movie may not be enjoyed to its fullest is that the audience expects it to be like Harry Potter. Kathryn Sheperd (10), vice president of the Harry Potter Club at YLHS, is a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, and greatly encourages people to see it. She even commented, “It’s the Harry Potter universe with a new view of history. What’s not to love?” It is a completely different story still linking a few events back to those mentioned in some Harry Potter movies, but remember that Harry Potter was not even born when the story takes place.

It gives the audience a completely different perspective of the wizarding world. Set in New York around the 1920s, a young British wizard, Newt Scamander, comes to America to bring home one of the magical creatures he has found. He carries a briefcase with a multitude of magical creatures with some beasts that are briefly mentioned in the Harry Potter movies such as the bowtruckle. However, many, like the niffler and the demiguise, are new and interesting creatures that are seen throughout the movie. Unfortunately, the briefcase ends up in the hands of a No-Maj (American Muggle) and are accidentally released into New York City. Already, a dark creature has terrified some No-Majs, and they have become skeptical of whether wizards and witches actually exist. Meanwhile, the Magical Congress of the United States of America tries to handle the situation and keep an eye out for the dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald.

Throughout this movie, the audience learns about how the magical community and government works in America. It also teaches the importance of acceptance and how critical it is to embrace people’s differences. Not only that, the movie’s special effects are incredible, especially the amazing scene where all the different creatures are seen. Each creature is surrounded by completely diverse settings. Kathryn Sheperd described it as her favorite scene from the movie because “it was amazing seeing all her favorite creatures.”

One of the negative issues of this movie is actor Eddie Redmayne was very difficult to understand throughout the movie. Perhaps it’s due to his accent, but it was complicated to decipher what he was saying sometimes. Nevertheless, he still perfectly portrays Newt Scamander’s quirky but introverted personality, as well as the character’s fascination with magical beings.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is overall well worth seeing and will reintroduce the magical world of J.K. Rowling with a new twist.