Movie Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I took my kids to see J.K. Rowling's newest, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  The movie is a spin-off from the Harry Potter world with new characters and Harry Potter references. This story is about a man (Eddie Redmayne) who comes to America in the 1920's to capture fantastic magical beasts that are on the loose and put them back in their habitat.  They live in sort of a zoo that can be accessed through Eddie's suitcase.  While in New York, he gets arrested by another wizard for practicing magic in the open.  A muggle or non-maj (non magic) gets involved while Eddie tries to track down his beasts.  New York City blames these beasts for all of the destruction, but they are supposedly harmless.  There is another story line that is about an evil woman who adopts orphans of magical parents and beats them.  One of the children, Credence, has evil magical powers that are unleashed.

My Review: We saw the movie at Moviehouse and Eatery, a new type of cinema that features recliners, waiters, and a Applebee's-ish menu.  That in itself was a real treat.  We all chowed and enjoyed the variety of food.  The awesome special effects of the movie were meant to see on the big screen, but that was the best part of the movie.  The actual story had more holes than a truckload of Swiss cheese.  The conflict was, like magic, childishly resolved with a down pour of rain that washed away everyone's memories.  I particularly didn't like the Credence/evil adopted mom story.  It didn't fit in with the main plot.  Plus, there was a murder of a political candidate that had no place in the story line.  The story seemed rushed and slapped together.  Despite the movie's flaws, I did like two characters, one was a non-mag baker and the other was a beautiful wizard who had to erase his memory.  They were interesting and likable, but everyone else was two dimensional.  Very disappointing flick.  I expected much more.  1/5 Star