'Ello, 'ello! Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

'Ello, 'ello, and happy Monday! Last night, my boyfriend took me to see the new movie Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, based on a companion novel to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. I'm naming this an 'ello, 'ello post because it's a half book and half movie review. 

(It also gave me a chance to show off this adorable Funko Pop of Mr. Scamander and a cool set of antlers.) Without further ado, let's jump in.

The book Fantastic Beasts, a textbook requirement for all Hogwarts students, serves as a field guide to...well, magical beasts and Newt's commentary on each of them from A-Z. Harry and his best friend Ron Weasley add some personal "annotations" and drawings to the book that may or may not be of further use.

The movie takes this quick read a whole step further. Shy, inquisitive Newt (played to perfection by Eddie Redmayne) arrives in Roaring 20's New York with a suitcase full of creatures he's found and documented during his global travels. It's only meant to be a quick stopover when he bumps into a No-Maj--the American version of a Muggle--named Jacob, and the suitcase gets misplaced in a series of comical and misfortunate events. In his quest to retrieve the case and the escaped beats. Newt meets Porpentina and Queenie Goldstein, two sisters working for the Magical Congress of the United States of America.

Yet it's not just a fun and quirky adventure. In a separate storyline, a family called the Barebones runs an anti-witchcraft group that advocates Salem Witch Trial-like tests and punishments to anyone suspected of being magical. This eventually adds to Newt's main problem of tracking down his beloved creatures before it disrupts not only the magical world but the No-Maj community as well. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them tells a clever, captivating story that introduces us to the wizarding world and tackles major real-life issues like the care of endangered animals, human bigotry, and abuse. It's not Harry Potter. It's a prequel that can hold its own. And that's one of the reasons why I loved it so much. That being said, it's not much darker than Deathly Hallows, but I still wouldn't take a very young kid to see it due to some violent scenes. 

You can find Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them here.