FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school. —IMDB

Overall, this dark, scary spin-off from the Harry Potter stories is a disappointment. Acting is stilted and the story, while developing some interesting mythology, is fairly superficial. There are some subtle critical cultural references, but they are not developed sufficiently. Special effects are excellent with some cute creatures/beasties. The rather unique suitcase carried around by Newt is great! I saw this one in 3D which was so poor in quality that it was constantly distracting. And it is way, way too long. If you go to see it, forget the 3D and just see it on a normal big screen — or wait for the DVD. I’d recommend for 12 years and up — this is a lot more adult than the Harry Potter franchise.