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Bud Brewster · Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon May 07, 2018 8:33 am; edited 2 times in total

I enjoy all the Harry Potter movies (and own the DVDs), so I was pretty sure I'd like this newest journey into J. K. Rowling's wonderful world of wizards and wands.

(Okay, maybe that was too much alliteration. Sorry.)

Thirty minutes into the movie I started wondering if it was really going to work the same magic on me as the Harry Potter series. ("Magic" isn't a pun in this case. It's just an appropriate figurative reference. Writers love to show off . . . )

But I knew it was unfair to compare my feelings for this movie — right in the middle of my first viewing — to the fondness it's taken me years to develop for the whole Harry Potter series. So, I stuck with.

Fortunately, the pay-off was the eye-popping scene "inside" the hero's (Newt Scamander) magical Tardis-like suitcase, when he shows the likable Mr. Kowalski an amazing menagerie of magical creatures, all of which lived in their own stunning native habitats.

The CGI in that part was so filled with delightful eye candy that I developed cavities on my corneas!

At that point I noticed I was beginning to like the characters, especially Mr. Kowalski when he said, "Now I know I'm not dreamin'. I ain't smart enough to think up all this."

And right after that, the action went into high gear and the plot came into focus. Newt Scamander is an environmentalist trying to protect endangered species of "magical" creatures against the cruel indifference of the American wizards' organization who just want to wipe ‘em all out.

Okay, so this is a PC message from Ms. Rowlings, but nobody in their right mind would disagree that mankind is killing off the natural world, so a story about mankind killing off the supernatural world is certainly fair game for an author of her caliber.

Newt's companion in this battle is Tina Goldstein, a demoted young wizard who starts out as an adversary and turns into an ally when she and Newt end up sentenced to death by the wizard world authorities who have the usual hidden political agendas.

By the halfway point in this movie I was convinced that it had earned the $814 million it made world-wide, and I was already looking forward the next installment. In fact, I was still looking forward to the second half of the first installment, which is high praise indeed, eh? Very Happy

If you haven’t seen this fine movie, I can highly recommend it — especially the first half, which I just finished watching. If the second half sucks, I'll make a new post about that later. Cool

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Gord Green · Posted: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm Post subject:

BUD WROTE :

Custer · Posted: Sun May 06, 2018 9:48 am Post subject:

Was that Diagon Alley...? Very Happy

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sun May 06, 2018 9:54 am Post subject:

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Very funny. Ha ha. I think I'll stop fixing the misspelled words in YOUR posts, guys. I do it for everybody. Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Gord Green · Posted: Sun May 06, 2018 1:24 pm Post subject:

Well Bud, You know we read them very closely. Anyway, it does make sense either way you read it.
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

orzel-w · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1865

If you need help, "ally" is spelled "ally". Very Happy

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...or not...

WayneO
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Custer · Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 5:34 am Post subject:

Come to think of it, the title is "Beasts" rather than just one "Beast" - at least Bud didn't make the slightly more common error of including a rogue "r" in the word... Wink

orzel-w · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1865

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 4:50 pm Post subject:

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Well gosh, I'm certainly glad I provided everyone with an opportunity to make interesting comments about the plot, the music, the script, the editing, the photography, and the special effects in this enjoyable movie! Very Happy

I mean, after we finish discussing spelling, punctuation, and typos . . . Rolling Eyes

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

orzel-w · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1865

Yeah, the movie was okay.
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...or not...

WayneO
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Custer · Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 9:33 am Post subject:

Yup, it was okay. A sequel, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is scheduled for release on 16 November 2018, a quick trip to Wikipedia tells me... just over two years after this film appeared. I can't help feeling that a two-year gap is a little bit longer than would have been ideal; it can't have been a "Oh wow, this movie did a lot better than we expected, guys, what say we try to come up with a sequel?" scenario. It was always going to do well, with the Harry Potter connection, and was the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2016.

The film was made on a budget of $180 million, with an additional $150 million spent on marketing, I see... which shows how the industry works these days.

Krel · Guest

Bud Brewster

scotpens · Posted: Tue May 08, 2018 10:02 pm Post subject:

Krel · Guest