Fantastic Beasts
Nov. 21st, 2016 08:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
therealsnapeThis afternoon I've been to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Here's the short version:
Fantastic Beasts: very well done. They knew where to find them and how to bring them alive.
Plot: Alas, they were totally unable find one.
All in all, despite my enthusiasm after seeing the trailer and my real eagerness to see the film, I thought it a waste of time.
It must be said, though, that I really don't like action movies. And this is an action movie: good guys hitting bad guys and bad guys hitting good guys and a Force of Evil that hits just about everyone. I find that sort of thing seriously boring, and what I loved about the Potter books was that they were so much more than that. And the part of it that was action was about a quest. To me, that's something entirely different.
So if you enjoy action movies, you may well like this one. The visuals are stunning.
What I liked: all the visual aspects. They are really well done.
The beasts. They are beautifully-executed and come in an interesting variety. Some are cute, like the bowtruckle, some are impressive, some are downright hilarious. The scenes with the beasts are by far the best part.
The costumes are well-done too. I especially liked those in the magical flapper-nightclub. And need I say I loved the pink coat?
I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner party scene in the girls' house. The apartment was beautifully done, cozy but in line with the girls' position in life, and it was great fun to see how magical people arrange their parties and how the food is cooked. This is truly a scene to remember and to use as visuals when writing fanfic, and it's all the more interesting because the technicalities of house-keeping are an adult theme, and as Harry wouldn't notice them, they're not in the books. But they're fascinating.
I also admired the scene in which Tina is sentenced to death. There's a Ministry employee in that scene, a woman of colour, who does a brilliant acting job. When you watch the scene, you like her because she's so kind and humane - if you were in hospital, you'd be glad to have such a warm, caring nurse. Only, later, when you reconsider the film, you realise she does what the Ministry tells her, i.e. kills people, without a scruple. And she probably goes home and feels good about the caring way in which she does it. Her neighbours would call her a lovely woman, and if they only see the caring side, they cannot be blamed for doing so. She probably is a lovely neighbour. Seriously scary, that scene, all the more because it does take time to figure it out.
And perhaps even more scary because I didn't feel any critical distance in the story line. The bit about 'how caring is this woman really?', 'what happens here?', 'is a government that orders this even remotely OK?' - it's hardly there. It's like Gilderoy - there, too, I felt that the aspect of a man who destroys other people's minds, the truly psychopathic point of view behind that, got seriously overlooked. But the books were aimed at a children, and perhaps that age group shouldn't contemplate the full horror of such a deed. These movies aim at a more adult group.
Also, what happened to Aveda Kedavra? That's as good a way to execute the death penalty as any. Well, I know what happened: That spell acts at once; there is no time for a lengthy scene full of life-passing-before-us. No time for maidens rescued by heroes either. But in that case: reconsider your plot. Write better.
And Carmen Ejogo, who plays the Wizarding President, is a truly beautiful woman.
What I didn't like: the rest.
The story line is more than flimsy. It's practically non-existant. Basically, Newt goes to New York. (Lovely visuals of 1920's NYC)
He has this suitcase full of Fantastic Beasts. He's not very good at keeping them in the suitcase.
So: mayhem in bank.
In the bank, he encounters the thoroughly lovable Jacob Kowalski, baker-to-be, who carries a similar but non-magical suitcase. And yes, the cases get mixed up. This is a plotline so boring one can only yawn through it.
Then there's this kick-ass girl. She's an Auror (but one who just lost her job for saying unpalatable truths) and she is allowed to be a proper little second-fiddle Hermione alongside Newt. The actress makes of it what she can, and part of the problem is that it's only about Newt's beasts, and he is the expert on those. But this is a young woman who could and should have agency at some point in the story. And she doesn't.
Then there's a Minister of Magic (or President, as they call them in the USA) who is both a woman and a person of colour. She's also incompetent (sending people away when they want to tell you something and then complain they didn't tell it is not a good plan) and is as decent a ruler as Carroll's Queen of Hearts. Moreover, her Ministry (and ultimately its President) is very casual about sentencing people to death.
In fact, the whole depiction of American wizard society, with its severely restrictive rules like an absolute ban on marrying or even befriending a Nomaj, is a typical case of America-bashing.
And then we get to see the contents of Newt's suitcase, and that's another fantastic visual. Truly. It's glorious.
But.
Either it is possible that Newt was capable of creating this suitcase (and while the Little Beaded Bag contained full bookshelves, this piece of luggage contains the world, more or less. A huge Zoo, with more outdoor space, from desert to Antarctica, than any Zoo ever had).
And if he can do that, he can also keep the damn thing shut and make sure his creatures don't go running all over the place.
Or he can't keep his blooming luggage shut, in which case the notion that he could create, own, or manage this separate universe is ridiculous. So while you look at the stunning visuals, there's a little voice that says, "This is nonsense. There's no way our likeable little blunderer manages this."
And then there are scenes of destruction and more scenes of destruction and a base traitor. It's clear from scene one he's the base traitor.
And there's another woman in a position of power, and she is horrible, too. A sort of Muggle Umbridge. And, you know, I'd really like to see a woman in a position of power who does an excellent job.
And then NYC gets torn down and reconstructed. Reparo must be a seriously handy little spell to know. And the whole city gets Obliviated. Not literally a Deus ex machina, but the quality of Obliviation is not strained, it droppeth like the gentle rain from heavens, and it felt like the worst of Dei to me.
But in the end Jacob gets his bakery (you can see that one coming, too) and lo and behold: it's in Orchard Street. And I have lovely memories of Orchard Street. So it ended on a pleasant note.
Here's the short version:
Fantastic Beasts: very well done. They knew where to find them and how to bring them alive.
Plot: Alas, they were totally unable find one.
All in all, despite my enthusiasm after seeing the trailer and my real eagerness to see the film, I thought it a waste of time.
It must be said, though, that I really don't like action movies. And this is an action movie: good guys hitting bad guys and bad guys hitting good guys and a Force of Evil that hits just about everyone. I find that sort of thing seriously boring, and what I loved about the Potter books was that they were so much more than that. And the part of it that was action was about a quest. To me, that's something entirely different.
So if you enjoy action movies, you may well like this one. The visuals are stunning.
What I liked: all the visual aspects. They are really well done.
The beasts. They are beautifully-executed and come in an interesting variety. Some are cute, like the bowtruckle, some are impressive, some are downright hilarious. The scenes with the beasts are by far the best part.
The costumes are well-done too. I especially liked those in the magical flapper-nightclub. And need I say I loved the pink coat?
I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner party scene in the girls' house. The apartment was beautifully done, cozy but in line with the girls' position in life, and it was great fun to see how magical people arrange their parties and how the food is cooked. This is truly a scene to remember and to use as visuals when writing fanfic, and it's all the more interesting because the technicalities of house-keeping are an adult theme, and as Harry wouldn't notice them, they're not in the books. But they're fascinating.
I also admired the scene in which Tina is sentenced to death. There's a Ministry employee in that scene, a woman of colour, who does a brilliant acting job. When you watch the scene, you like her because she's so kind and humane - if you were in hospital, you'd be glad to have such a warm, caring nurse. Only, later, when you reconsider the film, you realise she does what the Ministry tells her, i.e. kills people, without a scruple. And she probably goes home and feels good about the caring way in which she does it. Her neighbours would call her a lovely woman, and if they only see the caring side, they cannot be blamed for doing so. She probably is a lovely neighbour. Seriously scary, that scene, all the more because it does take time to figure it out.
And perhaps even more scary because I didn't feel any critical distance in the story line. The bit about 'how caring is this woman really?', 'what happens here?', 'is a government that orders this even remotely OK?' - it's hardly there. It's like Gilderoy - there, too, I felt that the aspect of a man who destroys other people's minds, the truly psychopathic point of view behind that, got seriously overlooked. But the books were aimed at a children, and perhaps that age group shouldn't contemplate the full horror of such a deed. These movies aim at a more adult group.
Also, what happened to Aveda Kedavra? That's as good a way to execute the death penalty as any. Well, I know what happened: That spell acts at once; there is no time for a lengthy scene full of life-passing-before-us. No time for maidens rescued by heroes either. But in that case: reconsider your plot. Write better.
And Carmen Ejogo, who plays the Wizarding President, is a truly beautiful woman.
What I didn't like: the rest.
The story line is more than flimsy. It's practically non-existant. Basically, Newt goes to New York. (Lovely visuals of 1920's NYC)
He has this suitcase full of Fantastic Beasts. He's not very good at keeping them in the suitcase.
So: mayhem in bank.
In the bank, he encounters the thoroughly lovable Jacob Kowalski, baker-to-be, who carries a similar but non-magical suitcase. And yes, the cases get mixed up. This is a plotline so boring one can only yawn through it.
Then there's this kick-ass girl. She's an Auror (but one who just lost her job for saying unpalatable truths) and she is allowed to be a proper little second-fiddle Hermione alongside Newt. The actress makes of it what she can, and part of the problem is that it's only about Newt's beasts, and he is the expert on those. But this is a young woman who could and should have agency at some point in the story. And she doesn't.
Then there's a Minister of Magic (or President, as they call them in the USA) who is both a woman and a person of colour. She's also incompetent (sending people away when they want to tell you something and then complain they didn't tell it is not a good plan) and is as decent a ruler as Carroll's Queen of Hearts. Moreover, her Ministry (and ultimately its President) is very casual about sentencing people to death.
In fact, the whole depiction of American wizard society, with its severely restrictive rules like an absolute ban on marrying or even befriending a Nomaj, is a typical case of America-bashing.
And then we get to see the contents of Newt's suitcase, and that's another fantastic visual. Truly. It's glorious.
But.
Either it is possible that Newt was capable of creating this suitcase (and while the Little Beaded Bag contained full bookshelves, this piece of luggage contains the world, more or less. A huge Zoo, with more outdoor space, from desert to Antarctica, than any Zoo ever had).
And if he can do that, he can also keep the damn thing shut and make sure his creatures don't go running all over the place.
Or he can't keep his blooming luggage shut, in which case the notion that he could create, own, or manage this separate universe is ridiculous. So while you look at the stunning visuals, there's a little voice that says, "This is nonsense. There's no way our likeable little blunderer manages this."
And then there are scenes of destruction and more scenes of destruction and a base traitor. It's clear from scene one he's the base traitor.
And there's another woman in a position of power, and she is horrible, too. A sort of Muggle Umbridge. And, you know, I'd really like to see a woman in a position of power who does an excellent job.
And then NYC gets torn down and reconstructed. Reparo must be a seriously handy little spell to know. And the whole city gets Obliviated. Not literally a Deus ex machina, but the quality of Obliviation is not strained, it droppeth like the gentle rain from heavens, and it felt like the worst of Dei to me.
But in the end Jacob gets his bakery (you can see that one coming, too) and lo and behold: it's in Orchard Street. And I have lovely memories of Orchard Street. So it ended on a pleasant note.
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Re: my daughter's answering review:
Date: 2016-11-23 10:54 am (UTC)(ETA: I have set this post to public and for the time being allowed anonymous comments, so you can send your daughter the link if she wants to comment directly.)
My dear (I won't use your real name in this space, so please allow me to call you this),
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to write all this and start up such a fascinating debate.
Your review had to be posted in four comments, and your mother carefully separated them by theme, so I'll answer in separate sections, too.
First of all, thank you for pointing out the US laws on interracial marriages and their dates. I was clearly insufficiently aware of this, and your point is an excellent one.
Then there is the Pottermore backstory, and I'll use this comment to go into my ideas on that aspect.
Now, you did mention that as an aspiring writer and a teacher of literature you find the comment on bad writing offensive. My dear, both as a teacher and as an author you will have to be able to look critically at texts, even if they are texts that are very dear to your heart as a reader or that you wrote yourself.
What JKR does here is a mistake ever writer has made - I have often made it myself and so will you when you write. When one writes fiction, one has one's own head-canon of people's backstories and the world you created for them.
And occasionally, one forgets that readers cannot look into your head and see that backstory.
Which is why ever writer needs a good beta-writer who will point this out. At which point my first response is usually, 'but what I write makes perfect sense because [insert headcanon information]. And the second response should be: true, my readers had no way of knowing this. I must find a way of informing them.
Someone should have pointed out to JKR that, while she may expect the movie-going audience to be familiar with the books and/or the movies (I think it unlikely that large groups of people who never took any interest in the Potterverse will now flock to Fantastic Beasts), she must not expect complete familiarity with Pottermore.
No, she doesn't have to explain who Grindelwald is, and yes, she may refer to Dumbledore the teacher or to Letta Lestrange (very nice touch, I thought), because all this is in the books/movies. Also, it's fun for the true Potterhead to pick up the references, but it doesn't affect one's understanding of the story to miss them.
But she should have explained vital points of the Pottermore backstory.
She could have done this easily, for Newt Scamander is the perfect vehicle for this information.
"Don't you know what happened here? Didn't you learn about the Salem Trials at school?" Tina might well ask this foreign young man.
And if Newt would say that History of Magic wasn't really his favourite subject and that he didn't really pay attention, he would not be a bad student, merely one of generations of Cuthbert Binns' old boys and girls to feel that way. It fits the book/movie canon beautifully.
And any bit of contemporary information Newt and the audience don't know, could be explained to Newt, who has just spent a long time doing research in Africa, so he hasn't seen all the papers. And he only just arrived in the US.
If the 'mayhem with beasts' scenes would have been slightly shortened, something that could be done, imho, one could easily gain three or four minutes overall movie time, to be used for these explanations at various moment.