Opened: November 18, 2016

Directed by: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman, Faith Wood-Blagroce, Ronan Raferty, Josh Cowdery, Kevin Guthrie, Jenn Murray, Gemma Chan, Johnny Depp & Zoë Kravitz

A precursor to the Harry Potter series, Fantastic Beasts might not have as compelling of a storyline but is a thrill to watch.

Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in New York with a suitcase full of magical beasts. When his suitcase gets swapped with the non-magical – No-Maj – Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), the beasts break out. While they try to hunt down the beasts, a larger issue is at hand with the wizarding community trying to remain hidden amongst attacks.

Redmayne is a perfect Scamander with his idiosyncrasies. At times, he’s more of an endearing character than the comparable Harry Potter. The ensemble cast is strong with particularly good performances from Katherine Waterston and Alison Sudol as sisters Tina & Queenie.

The special effects are solid and allow you to join this new part of the Wizarding World.

Final say: Fantastic. ★★★★☆