★★★★○○○○○○ [ 4/10 ]
I have to say that I am really disappointed of the movie as a whole. The Harry Potter movies are easily one of the best and most rewatchable movie franchises so far. And this movie is sadly nothing like the original HP movies. The only thing that is has in common are the special effects (for the apparitions). There was no real dialogue between the characters. Just silly one-liners and the occasional humorous remark. I am also very angered by the fact that they just introduced a new concept (obscurials) to the HP franchise that would literally change everything (if obscurials exist why hasn't Harry Potter become one? After all he fits the criteria perfectly).
There was also way too much CGI in the movie. It became a real nuisance after a while. Especially because it wasn't even "up to today's standards".
My final critique concerns the overall flair of the movie. It just didn't feel like it belongs to the magnum opus that is the HP movie franchise. And righteously so; why did they film it in NYC? The HP franchise is the most British thing since James Bond and Doctor Who. I never really realized it before but now that I watched this movie it became very clear to me. You can't just change the location like this and expect the audience to embrace it, Sorry. What's next? Fantastic Beasts in Japan? No thanks. We already have that, it's called Kaiju.
Final verdict: if you loved the original HP movies this movie might disappoint. It didn't feel HarryPotter-y at all, if that makes any sense to you. The flair was completely different.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3183660/
Ontology: #movie #review #HarryPotter #JKRowling #beasts #NewYork