Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Trailer Review

A new trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released during the MTV Movie Awards. We here at SeppinRek are going to hand this review over to Mama SeppinRek (MSR) as she is not only a best-selling author, but she is a huge Harry Potter fan.

Let’s take a look at the trailer and give you our reactions before we hand the baton over to MSR.

First Reactions

Seppin: It looks good. I don’t know that much about Harry Potter except for the movies. Colin Farrell has that Warner Bros. connection now which is what I want( John Constantine, Justice League Dark), but that’s for another post.

Rek: It looks like a really good movie and I can’t wait to see it. I like how they are expanding on the wizarding world and I like how they setting this is the 1920’s time period.

MSR:  I love that this trailer feels very Harry Potter esque and you get the same vibe as the original movies. I was a little apprehensive when the news of this movie hit the internet because I wasn’t sure about the premise, but I should know better than to doubt J.K. Rowling. I think it has tremendous possibilities for an intriguing trilogy.

The trailer opens where the movie itself will likely begin; on Newt Scamander’s journey across the Atlantic to America, carrying a suitcase.

He’s described in a voice-over (Colin Farrell’s Percival Graves) as “an interesting man”.

That case is the central part of the movie. We know it’s where those fantastic beasts escape from and as the voice-over says “Just like your suitcase, I think there’s more to you than meets the eye.”

Yes, it is a magical case and it is not as secure as anyone would like. The long clawed monster trying to sneak out is a nice little worrisome sign of things to come.

Newt is a Magizoologist and while the trailer is focused more on general wizarding exploits and action, we do get a hint at his more specific skills.

According to Pottermore, the Harry Potter Encyclopedia site, they give us a definition of the profession.

“A Magizoologist is a person who studies magical creatures (a field known as magizoology), they may possibly also be referred to as wizarding naturalists. A person does not need to have graduated from school to become a Magizoologiest.”

That’s very interesting considering we hear that Newt was expelled from Hogwarts.

So what potion is he whipping up?

The most important part of this scene is the voice over telling us he was “kicked out of Hogwarts for endangering human life with a beast.”

What beast was that I wonder?

Katherine Waterston is playing Porpentina Goldstein. Judging by the trailer, she’ll team up with Mr. Scamander early on as he arrives in America and will serve as something of a guide and then I presume his partner in crime, as well as, a romantic interest. I don’t want to spoil anyone, but she is listed as Newt’s wife on Pottermore, so I think we will see the start of their romance.

We don’t know too much about her as of yet, but we have learned from on set reports that she works for the Magical Congress of the United States of America (the US version of the Ministry Of Magic) and has run a bit afoul with her superiors.

Speaking of the MACUSA, this may be their main, No-Maj-cover entrance. The only reason I say that is because we see Newt entering this building and then it cuts to the magical congress headquarters.

The other main interest in this is the voice over continuing to talk about Newt’s expulsion from Hogwarts.

“Yet one of your teachers argued strongly against your expulsion. I wonder what makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you, Mr. Scamander.”

Yup, he mentioned Dumbledore!

Judging from the time this movie is set, I believe Dumbledore was a teacher at Hogwarts and I think he taught Transfiguration. Since he was not headmaster yet, he obviously could not stop Newt from becoming expelled. I also wonder if we will see Dumbledore at some point in this trilogy.

We’re back to Newt’s arrival in America, coming off the boat from England, we assume. We get a nice shot of him alone amongst the other arrivals.

I adore this shot of Newt changing the setting on his suitcase to ‘Muggle Worthy’. Classic and it makes this Potter fan clap with glee.

We get a nice wide look at MACUSA, with the typical old fashioned wizard architecture, complete with moving pictures. It seems lighter than the Ministry of Magic, which we know is underground. We also see a gang of men in long coats running through the hall. I’m guessing they may be after Newt.

Here’s Newt with Tina in the building. His wide eyes and look of wonderment (which Eddie Redmayne does so well) suggest he’s completely overwhelmed to what’s going on around him. I think this is probably near the beginning of the film.

Ahh, the magical newspapers.  They are an essential part of the Wizard World and in this era the existence of newspapers actually makes sense. We can’t make out the full name- we can see ‘The New York G’?- , I think the ‘G’ represents Ghost, but there’s still a lot to take from it.

The front page screams ‘Magical Disturbances Risk Wizarding Exposure.’ Are those Fantastical Beasts to blame?

We can also see on the back page a Wanted Ad for Alberto Macellarius.

Also note Macellarius’ reward is in Dragots, the US equivalent of Galleons.

Newt and Jacob at the top of the stairs in a sketchy alleyway. The next shot we see Tina and Queenie.

The film will centre on a quartet of heroes – Newt, Tina, Alison Sudol’s Queenie and Dan Fogler’s No-Maj Jacob Kowalski. Judging by the women’s dresses and the secret entrance I am going to go out on a limb here and say maybe they are trying to enter a secret speakeasy club.

So who is Shaw? I’m guessing from the banner and balloons, he is perhaps running for president. We do know that Henry Shaw is a senator and that Jon Voight will be playing his father Henry Shaw SR. What we don’t know is how this family figures into the main plot and whether or not they have any kind of solid connection to the wizarding world.

Jacob Kowalski is the series’ first Muggle/No-Maj main character to be featured prominently. Jacob is a factory worker who somehow befriends our heroes and finds himself propelled into their magical world. I like the idea that he is going to be the clueless  character because he will act as the audience’s window into this world as he asks questions about what is going on around him.

Colin Farrell plays Percival Graves, a high-ranking Auror who is a close adviser to  President Picquery. He certainly seems to be in pursuit of Newt, whose magical suitcase has unleashed all kinds of creatures and mayhem upon New York. Whether he’s ultimately friend or foe is something we probably won’t know for a long time. I think he’s just doing his job and trying to figure this all out as the story progresses.

Anyone notice that despite the title, this trailer is oddly lacking in fantastic beasts? There is this colorful bird that Newt conjures while hiding out in some kind of underground (Catacombs?) passageway. Entertainment Weekly says this creature is called a “Swooping Evil”. Since later shots of the trailer make it clear that he’s being pursued in this scene, it’s possible that he’s using this creature as a distraction of some kind or maybe to guide them out of the tunnels.

We get a bit of the No-Maj conflict now, with a rally for Senate candidate Henry Shaw picketed by the New Salem Philanthropic Society, a group of Muggles who aim to expose magical society. They are led by a woman named Mary Lou. Ezra Miller will play her adopted son, Credence, who is described as troubled and mysterious.

I just want to throw a theory out there. Wouldn’t it be a great twist if Credence was actually a wizard hiding amongst these magic hating muggles?

How much this society  factors into the film isn’t clear. The trailer is more saturated with magical fighting and more of Newt’s background, but they’ll at least form the backdrop for a key sequence involving Shaw. I find it odd that they are picketing and being so vocal. Why hasn’t the MACUSA stepped in to stop them from exposing the magical community?

Ah, speaking of where the beasts are…We do not get a glimpse of what is storming into the ballroom, but I think we can guess it is indeed a Fantastical Beast.

Our first shot of Apparating! I want to also point out that this seems to be some kind of underground bootlegging establishment. Could this be the speakeasy club our quartet of heroes was trying to gain entrance to earlier? We also can see a man that is dressed like a MACUSA Agent. I think he might have found Newt and is hot on his trail.

Graves is casting a spell. Is he involved with the fight we see later in the trailer? The red glow makes me think of the stunning curse.

We finally get a good look at Queenie Goldstein, who is Tina’s younger sister. We know less about her than Tina but it has been confirmed she’s skilled at Legilimency, the ability to get inside people’s heads. Think Professor Snape, oh and Voldemort.

This seems to be a Niffler, a long-snouted rodent that has a knack for tracking down treasure and valuables. You can see our little Niffler clutching a purse. Nifflers were mentioned in the original Harry Potter books, but they never made it into the movie adaptations. It’s nice to see this delightful little creature and makes me think we are not only going to see beasts that are destroying everything in their path, but cute little creatures we haven’t seen before on screen.

The Muggle police has discovered magic. Good luck with that guys.

More agents appear, trying to apprehend the pair. These guys are likely to be Graves’ soldiers from the MACUSA. The blue light has me puzzled on what spell they are using.

Newt apparates! I just love this shot. Let’s discuss this more in depth besides the awesome apparating, shall we?

This must mean that Newt is well trained in apparation, placing his expulsion from Hogwarts after his fifth year (when students study Apparition). Obviously he could have learned on his own, but I just don’t think so.

“No human can do what this thing is capable of.”

Apparently, one of the monsters unleashed from Newt’s suitcase is causing some damage and Graves is concerned, but is this really about the magical suitcase full of fantastical beasts?

It just may tie into the Animagus/transfiguration theory that is floating around and maybe the creatures aren’t the only thing to fear. Perhaps there is someone pulling the strings so to speak? Also why would they show Alberto Macellarius on the newspaper? Does he have something to do with this?

President Seraphina Picquery looks worried as she listens to Graves. I have no idea who the woman is on her right, but let’s assume she is the President’s right hand. The uniform on the gentleman on the far right matches the outfits worn by the men pursuing Newt through those catacombs and we can also safely say he is most definitely an agent.

I’m guessing Newt is renting a room, outside of magical spying eyes, and Jacob is his roommate. Why two grown men are sharing a room, in bed, fully clothed is beyond me, but it was the 20’s. We saw Newt getting restless and then he tears open his suitcase before revealing a set of stairs in which he climbs down.

The trailer ends on a charming note, with Newt Scamander stepping into his magical suitcase and casually motioning for Jacob to join him. The actual interior of the suitcase remains a mystery. Could this be to a large chamber where the beasts are locked up or does it go elsewhere?

Final Thoughts From MSR

I thought this was a really good trailer and it captured the magic we Potter fans have been missing. I still think there is a greater threat than just the beasts at play here and I am not only excited, but curious to see this movie.

~Mama Seppin Rek