tedious climactic set-piece involving the destruction of a city.
The main villain (I won’t reveal
the identity) turns out be a less
interesting Magneto, and there’s
a standoff late in the film that’s
a carbon copy of an iconic moment from Return of the Jedi.
In terms of world-building,
Rowling and director David
Yates have laid the foundations in some style. The period
New York setting is glorious to
behold, though improbably al-
most devoid of black faces, and
James Newton Howard’s score
captures the jazz rhythm of the
time and place. The creatures
are fun in a digital Muppet kind
of way, with Ron Perlman particularly memorable as a sleazy elf
club owner. Now that we have
compelling leads and a fleshed
out world, it’s time for Rowling
to deliver a satisfying story next
time out.
w
Fantastic Beasts
and where to find them
3 stars out of 5
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Gemma
Chan, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Zoe
Kravitz, Ron Perlman, Samantha Morton, Dan Fogler, Jon Voight, Carmen
Ejogo, Johnny Depp