NEW YORK CITY (1926) — wizard and “magizoologist” Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives at Ellis Island carrying a suspicious suitcase of dozens of magical creatures. One of the creatures, a Niffler who is obsessed with stealing valuable objects, escapes and wreaks havoc in a New York City bank.

During this chase, Newt meets “No-Maj” (non-wizard) Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a local baker who wants to take out a loan to open a bakery of his own. The two men accidentally switch suitcases, revealing the magical creatures to Jacob. During Newt’s chase for the Niffler, Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), an employee of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), takes Newt in for exposing magic to Jacob and intends to have the latter’s memory erased. After several creatures escape from Newt’s suitcase, Jacob and Newt travel through the city to find them, facing challenges from the authorities to a dark, destructive force.

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is just one of the many films director David Yates has adapted from J.K. Rowling’s books. Rowling herself wrote the “Fantastic Beasts” script.

Many WSHS students are familiar with the “Harry Potter” series.

“I loved the complexity and fun, and [the series is] just always good,” Riley Kelly (11) said. When it comes to the films, Kelly is a huge fan, “I’ve probably seen each movie at least five times.”

One of the most fascinating scenes in the movie was when Newt and Jacob go to Central Park Zoo to capture one of Newt’s creatures, a Erumpet. Oscar winner Redmayne’s performance overall in the film was spectacular, and this scene showed the actor’s flexibility to go between serious roles and roles with a lighter, eccentric element. Redmayne connected with his character, especially during the scenes where he was in contact with his magical creatures.

The CGI was very a captivating aspect in the movie. Those creatures were realistic, resembling real-life animals with a magical touch to them. The Niffler was an adorable crowd favorite.

The film score was composed by James Newton Howard, who composed the scores for dozens of other films, such as “The Hunger Games,” “Maleficent,” and “King Kong.” The main title theme puts the audience into the perfect mood. The string section and percussion bring an ominous tone when Newt first gets off the ferry in New York. There’s a fast tempo during Newt’s arrival in the streets of the city, giving the audience a true look of how hectic the streets of NYC can be. The entire score has a magical essence to it.

This movie follows Newt’s journey that led to his creation of the textbook, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” This was a textbook that Harry Potter and other students at Hogwarts used. It has been announced that four movies will come in the franchise!

Students who read and saw the “Harry Potter” series and read the “Fantastic Beasts” series will enjoy the depiction of the magical beasts and the actors’ representations of the characters.