#Also I was genuinely sorry for Queenie throughout the movie ;-(

[siren-of-redriver96]

20 ways how “Fantastic Beasts and where to find them” works perfectly

(Often even against old movie stereotypes)

While on YouTube, I often come across people lashing out on the first Fantastic Beasts movie - while I do understand that it feels weird at first to see a world we knew from books and movies now only on screen, I think many people are overlooking a hell of a lot that can be easily noticed when watching the movie a second time ... or even just thinking about it a little while longer.

(Sorry to be so fangy, but it upsets me every time - I love this movie and how much there is to discover and love, and it breaks my heart to see when people insult it)

So, here are 20 things I love about the first movie :)

Enjoy (and pass it on if you want to, I think more people deserve to know the beauty of this movie)

The movie passes the Bechdel‘s test – only in short doses, but it’s there … Queenie and Tina talk about dinner, Tina and Bernadette during the execution, and president Piquery, I think intentionally, doesn’t let Tina talk about the man she brought in

Lovely characters – the first thing I felt when I started to get into this fandom is how much I loved the main squad, and how much love each of them expressed throughout the movie – they are deeply good, which makes me hold each of them very dear.

It’s a Rowling story – it’s rich, widely vined and full of things that are to come back later during the series – and there is more to take note of every time you watch it (and to theorize :3)

Female characters – very human ones. No matter if Tina, the sometimes clumsy but the deeply heroic woman who’s main purpose, no matter if in her job or outside, is the well-being of humans, Queenie, who, while very girly, can stand her own ground very well and proves to be of great help, or Seraphina Piquery, a well-established poilitician who knows her priorities – she doesn’t make the right choices all the time and sticks a lot to the rules of the time, but in that she does not differ from most people in such a position, male or female. Also the Goldstein sisters are both shown saving a man in a way – that’s gotta count for something.

Male characters – very human ones. This movie doesn’t need male movie stereotypes either – we meet Percival Graves, and what we see of him (I think Grindelwald did adapt his character) is a trustworthy, patient man who didn’t gain Tina’s respect just like that… and we meet Credence Barebone, a young man abused and starved physically and emotionally, who yet stands in for his little sister, knowing exactly how severe the punishment was going to be – and ready to never let it happen to her, even when she revealed the truth. Even Abernathy, who was rather unfriendly to Tina, showed a very genuine side when it came to Queenie (his expressions weren’t sinister, he would be a gentleman to her). Our lead Newt Scamander is a shy, awkward nerd, who yet shows heart, bravery and humanity that seeks its equal – which he finds in Jacob Kowalski, who seems like the chubby comic relief at first, but then reveals a heart of nothing but gold, a purpose in the story, and such a beautiful mind that Queenie falls in love with him… which brings me to the next point.

Romance done right – Queenie falls in love with Jacob, because on the inside, he is the most beautiful man she has ever met – talk about a story of inner values done right. And the romance between Newt and Tina starts slowly, patiently – both because of their shy personalities and a more authentic take on love than most movies are willing to show.

Newt, Tina, Jacob, Queenie and Credence all cry at some point, the first two even twice … I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this in a movie. And I think they cry quiet realistically … not to mention that, by showing the male leads crying, we get the message that this is alright, something we don’t get very often in general cinema.

All women we meet have a job and are pretty badass in their own way – Tina is a former auror (a woman of the law), Queenie is a clerk and stands up for her sister and the group, Madame Piquery is president of the wizarding community of the united states of America and no-nonsense, and the executioners we meet are one man and two women. And, though I don’t like it, I have to mention that Mary Lou Barebone is shown to be one of the leaders of the Second Salemers movement. Her adoptive daughter Chastity is a serious worker for her cause (though doesn’t share her character) and even little Modesty shows strength when she not only dares to own a toy wand as a Salemer, but also is willing to take the punishment for it – and for Credence. Not to mention the way she stares at Henry Shaw when he calls him a freak and reassuringly takes his hand upon leaving. She’s not modest about standing up for those she loves, that’s for sure.

The characters act awkward at some points, especially socially, and shy – but that is what makes them believable. They are deeply good and, honestly, very real people with weaknesses, who don’t always know what to say or how to react – but what they say and do works very well, and makes for personalities one can not only relate, but often even look up to – especially every single time they stand up for what they believe in – and

The actors do a magnificent job, period. You can tell how much they love the characters they play, and that they know the value of being part of this universe. Also, can we talk about how sweet they are during interviews, also with each other? Cast chemistry, Outstanding.

The lighting of the film is comfortable and pretty real (not to be underestimated)

The score by James Newton Howard is beautiful (Thunderbird and New York theme forever)

The costumes tie into their characters/developments/actions and deseve the Oscar they got

The villain isn’t exactly a beautiful womanizer – and let’s face it, he is supposed to be a man in his late 40’s, and by that point looking like that… but he is accordingly extremely good at persuading people.. He does it with his ideas and by manipulating them, which makes for a very interesting story.

This story has a purpose – it’s not just entertainment. It’s the coming of adult age that follows the coming of age of Harry Potter, JK Rowlings way to give advise to the fans who grew up with Harry and now enter life as young adults … and it’s a story about how fascism can draw people in, how certain ideologies can split societies … and what can be done against it, especially by people who are rather unexpected in this fight.

There are awkward moments – but everyone who read Harry Potter will tell you that funny, sometimes quite slapstick moments were scattered all over the entire story – Peeves, the Weasley twins, tools at the burrow, all kinds of jokes, things that happened at Hogwarts, Privet Drive and especially during the Quidditch world cup (remember Archie) – just remember that every time something goofy happens on screen, it’s just JK’s humor which didn’t make it that much into the original films

The case, the creatures – the CGI is difficult sometimes, but wandering around the wonderful world Newt has created, the way his creatures act and the relationships he has with all of them are so sweet it almost makes me cry

It gave less known actors a chance to shine... and boy, did they fill it

The setting was chosen very well - makes me want to travel to Liverpool :)

Like the HP universe in general, it played very well with real life social conflicts and even included issues of the time, like separation inside of human societies, looking down on people because of their position/history, and what effect this has