In 1926, British magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York City with a magically expanded suitcase housing a collection of rare and endangered magical creatures. When an unsuspecting No-Maj (non-magical human) accidentally releases several of the beasts, Newt must join forces with a demoted Auror and two locals to retrieve them before they expose the wizarding world. However, a darker, more volatile force is terrorizing the city, threatening to ignite a war between the magical and non-magical communities.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States United Kingdom |
Premiere date |
November 18, 2016 |
Running time |
132 minutes |
Genre |
Fantasy Adventure Family |
Budget |
$180,000,000 |
Box Office |
$814,037,575 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
David Yates |
Produced by |
David Heyman J.K. Rowling Steve Kloves Lionel Wigram |
Written by |
J.K. Rowling |
Music by |
James Newton Howard |
Cinematography |
Philippe Rousselot |
Edited by |
Mark Day |
Production Co. |
Heyday Films Warner Bros. Pictures |
Distributed by |
Warner Bros. Pictures |
Top Cast |
|
|
|
Official Trailer |
|
Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in Fantastic Beasts Collection
|
The Plot
Shadows Over Europe and Arrival in New York
In 1926, the wizarding world is in a state of terror. The dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is gaining power, striking fear across Europe. The film opens in a dark, mist-shrouded setting outside a derelict château, where a team of five Aurors approaches cautiously. Suddenly, a blinding flash of white light erupts, sending the Aurors flying and killing them instantly. The camera lingers on the back of a wizard with blonde hair—Grindelwald—surveying his work. A montage of magical newspapers follows, spinning into view with headlines screaming about Grindelwald's attacks and the growing anti-wizard sentiment, before the scene shifts to a bustling, sunlit New York City.
Newton "Newt" Scamander, an eccentric British magizoologist, stands on the deck of a ship entering New York Harbor. He carries a weathered brown leather suitcase. After passing through customs and magically switching his case to "Muggle-Worthy" mode to hide the creatures inside, he wanders into the city. He stumbles upon a gathering on the steps of a bank, where the Second Salemers, led by the fanatical Mary Lou Barebone, are ranting against the existence of witches and wizards. While watching, a Niffler—a small, furry creature attracted to shiny objects—escapes Newt’s case and scuttles into the bank.
The Bank Heist and the Suitcase Switch
Newt rushes into the bank to retrieve the Niffler, dragging along a No-Maj (the American term for Muggle) named Jacob Kowalski, who is there to secure a loan for a bakery. Chaos ensues as Newt chases the Niffler, which is frantically stuffing silver and gold into its pouch. In the process, Newt leaves behind a silver Occamy egg, which Jacob picks up. Newt retrieves the Niffler and magically Apparates himself and Jacob out of the vault just as the manager arrives. Outside, Newt attempts to Obliviate Jacob, but Jacob, panicked by the magic, hits Newt with his case and flees, accidentally taking Newt's magical suitcase and leaving his own identical case filled with pastries behind.
Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein, a demoted Auror who has been tracking the Second Salemers, witnesses the magic and arrests Newt. She marches him to the headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA). However, when she presents her case to President Seraphina Picquery and the high-ranking Auror Percival Graves, she is dismissed because the case Newt is holding contains only pastries. Newt is released, but Graves eyes him with suspicion.
Creatures on the Loose
Jacob returns to his tenement apartment, dejected by his loan rejection. When he opens the suitcase, expecting pastries, he inadvertently releases several magical beasts. A Murtlap bites him on the neck before escaping, and a massive Erumpent, a Demiguise, and a Billywig also flee into the city. The apartment is left in shambles.
Tina tracks Newt down and takes him and the now-sick Jacob (suffering from the Murtlap bite) to her apartment. There, they meet Queenie, Tina's free-spirited sister who is a Legilimens, capable of reading minds. The group shares a magical dinner, but Newt and Jacob soon retreat into the magical suitcase, which houses a sprawling, impossible sanctuary for Newt's collection of endangered magical beasts. Newt tends to Jacob's bite and introduces him to his creatures, including a majestic Thunderbird named Frank, whom Newt intends to release in Arizona.
Darkness Rising and Political Turmoil
Meanwhile, at the Second Salemers' orphanage, Mary Lou Barebone abuses her adopted children, particularly the eldest, Credence. She forces them to distribute anti-witch pamphlets. Modesty, a young girl in the orphanage, sings a chilling rhyme about witches, while Credence struggles with deep, suppressed trauma. Percival Graves is secretly meeting with Credence, manipulating the boy to help him find an Obscurus—a dark, destructive parasite that develops in young wizards who suppress their magic—which Graves believes is hidden among the orphans.
The tension in the city escalates when Henry Shaw Sr., a newspaper magnate, dismisses the Second Salemers. That evening, at a fundraising gala, an invisible, malevolent force attacks, killing Senator Henry Shaw Jr. by tossing him violently into the air and twisting his body. The magical community is terrified, fearing exposure and war with the No-Majs.
The Hunt in Central Park
Newt and Jacob embark on a mission to recapture the missing beasts. In Central Park, they track the glowing Erumpent, a rhinoceros-like creature with explosive fluid in its horn. Newt performs a bizarre mating dance to lure the beast, but the situation spirals out of control, leading to a chase across a frozen pond before they manage to suck the creature back into the case. While they succeed, Tina catches up to them and, realizing the gravity of the Senator's death, locks them inside the case and takes it to MACUSA.
Sentenced to Death
President Picquery and the Aurors arrest Newt, Tina, and Jacob. Believing Newt's creatures are responsible for killing Senator Shaw, they confiscate the case. Graves interrogates Newt and accuses him of conspiring with Grindelwald. When Graves discovers an Obscurus parasite in Newt's case (which Newt had separated from a Sudanese girl to study), he sentences Newt and Tina to immediate death and orders Jacob's memory to be erased.
In the death cell, a sterile white room with a pool of execution potion, the executioners attempt to extract Tina's memories. Just as the potion rises to consume her, Newt uses his Bowtruckle, Pickett, to pick his handcuffs and unleashes the Swooping Evil to fight off the executioners. They escape and meet up with Queenie and Jacob, who has been rescued by Queenie's charm and quick thinking.
The Blind Pig and the Department Store
Now fugitives, the quartet heads to Harlem to visit "The Blind Pig," a wizarding speakeasy run by a goblin named Gnarlak. They trade information for the location of the final missing beasts. However, Gnarlak betrays them to MACUSA. They narrowly escape and head to a department store where the Demiguise, a creature that can turn invisible and see the future, is hiding. The Demiguise is acting as a caretaker for the Occamy, a serpent-like creature that grows to fill available space. Using a teapot and a cockroach, Newt and the group manage to trick the giant Occamy into shrinking and capture it inside the teapot.
The Obscurus Unleashed
Back at the orphanage, Graves visits Credence again. He discovers a wand under Modesty's bed. Assuming Modesty is the Obscurial, Graves dismisses Credence as a Squib (a non-magical person born to wizards) and cruelly casts him aside. The betrayal snaps Credence's final thread of control. He reveals that he is the Obscurial, a phenomenon thought impossible for someone his age. His dark power explodes, killing Mary Lou and destroying the orphanage. The Obscurus form—a swirling mass of black, destructive energy—rampages through New York City.
Showdown in the Subway
Credence retreats to a subway tunnel. Newt follows, hoping to save the boy. He finds Credence in human form, huddled on the tracks, and attempts to talk him down gently. Just as he makes progress, Graves arrives and attacks Newt. Tina enters the fray, trying to appeal to Credence's humanity. However, the full force of MACUSA's Aurors, led by President Picquery, arrives and seals the tunnel. Despite Newt and Tina's protests to save him, the Aurors unleash a barrage of spells, seemingly disintegrating Credence into wisps of black ash.
The True Identity
Graves, furious at the loss of the Obscurus, turns on his fellow wizards, proclaiming that the law of secrecy demands they live in the gutter. He engages the Aurors in a fierce duel, easily holding them off. Newt catches Graves off guard with the Swooping Evil, binding his arms. Newt then casts the Revelio charm on Graves. The disguise melts away, revealing the pale face and mismatched eyes of Gellert Grindelwald. As he is hauled away by MACUSA, Grindelwald sneers at Newt, asking, "Will we die, just a little?"
Rain and Oblivion
The city is wrecked, and the No-Majs have seen everything. The Statute of Secrecy is shattered. Newt proposes a solution: he releases Frank the Thunderbird. Frank flies into the sky, creating a massive storm. Newt hands Frank a vial of Swooping Evil venom, which the bird disperses into the rain clouds. The resulting rainfall contains bad memories erasing properties. As the rain soaks the city, the No-Majs' memories of the magical event are washed away, and the wizards repair the destruction.
Jacob, as a No-Maj, must also be Obliviated. He bids a tearful and heartfelt goodbye to Newt, Tina, and especially Queenie, with whom he has fallen in love. He steps out into the rain, allowing the water to wash over him as the wizards watch sadly.
A New Beginning
Sometime later, Newt prepares to board a ship back to England. He bumps into Tina at the harbor and promises to return to deliver a copy of his finished book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, to her in person. She smiles, and they part ways with a lingering fondness.
In New York, Jacob has opened his dream bakery. The shop is a massive success, filled with pastries shaped like the magical beasts he encountered—the Niffler, the Demiguise, and the Erumpent—though he claims they come from his imagination. The bell rings, and Queenie enters the shop. She looks at Jacob with a dazzling smile. Jacob stares back, a flash of recognition sparking in his eyes and a smile forming on his face, suggesting that his memories were not entirely lost.
