With the sequel coming out it was convenient that I was able to catch up on the latest franchise from Lady Rowling on a plane ride from the west coast. The film was sufficiently well-paced to keep me going and the very talented talented Eddie Redmayne does a great job playing the kooky, off-beat animal lover, Newt. Katherine Waterston won the coveted role of Tina and pulls off a somewhat dour, lost soul who (spoiler alert) gets woke before the film ends. In one of the better supporting acting duos I have seen in a while Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol are scene stealers with their portrayals of a hopeless dreamer and his true love, a telepathic bombshell witch. Ezra Miller and Faith Wood-Blagrove make for compelling troubled children but most of the other characters, including the talented Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo come off as two-dimensional. It was a little difficult to keep up with the stream of information at the top of the film (which could have also been the anti-motion pills I took on the plane) but try to stay tuned, as one major plot point unfolds at the end (and is the beginning of the current sequel.) There are enough threads and interesting characters that the tale is not predictable and there is a rich visual quality which definitely kept me watching (even on a teeny tiny back-of-seat screen.) If not for the Johnny Depp drama, I would be running to see the new film. Worth it for the set-up if you want to see the one out now.
