Splatter: on FILM

Sweet and meek Newt Scamander seeks to protect and keep the beasts he shelters from those who would inflict harm on them. He docks at the old harbor in New York City only to run smack dab into the magic police who claim that rules for wand and magic usage are quite different across the pond.
Other traditions run askew as many “no mag” muggles get involved in Newt’s quest, from leftover Salem witch-hunters to a bumbling baker who stumbles into the case of wonders.Colin Farrell is a vision, though he helps turn the film’s tone much darker than trailers intimated it would go. From glossy pluck to murderous violence, Beasts delights then frightens. It’s very dark, and Farrell’s character plays nearly pedophilic in moments as he mentors a younger boy. The death scenes are equally disturbing.But one glowing report is in the telling of the story. HP author, JK Rowling, tries her hand at screenwriting with skill and success. She carefully builds up her underdogs through circumstances that shape them into confident heroes, and her cruel antagonists get their proper comeuppances. And yes, the beasts themselves prove to be incredibly resourceful and resilient wild animals: truly fantastic.