Film Preview: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Page Revisions:

(December 20, 2015) Original
(April 17, 2016) New Trailer (#2)
(July 31, 2016) New Trailer (#3) / New Posters (#2 & #3)
(October 2, 2016) New Trailer (#4) / New Poster (#4)
(November 13, 2016) New Posters (#5-#14)
(November 20, 2016) Added Image Gallery

Release Date:

November 18, 2016

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.”

Poster Rating: C+ / B+ / A / C / A- (8) / B+ / C

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) The Gothic nature of the architecture gives the design a slight boost, but most people won’t recognize the setting and Eddie Redmayne’s too tiny in the frame to be easily recognizable.

(#2) A beautiful cityscape with strong colors and a staggering perspective. The not-so-subtle hint of a fantastic beast is an added bonus. (#3) This stylish Art Deco poster brings back to mind the art style native to the period in which the film is set. It may not be the kind of poster that sells a film, but it will certainly sell itself.

(#4) A drab design that might set our protagonists in a position to be better recognized, but the dullness of the background is deafening.

(#5-#12) A sterile but rich series of character posters given us an idea of who the key players in the film are and a concept of what they believe or do. That’s a solid effort. (#13) A solidly detailed effort that conjures strong images of the period in which the film is set, but doesn’t do much else. (#14) A dreadfully boring design that might feature lots of characters, but doesn’t feature lots of interest.

Trailer Rating: C / B- / B / A

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) A teaser, but a somewhat dull one. Eddie Redmayne seems out of his depth and the premise is so lightly touched on that it’s almost not discernible. There’s no action, limited humor and a minute connection to the original Harry Potter franchise done strictly through text. This doesn’t make the film seem like an event picture or even an exciting picture.

(#2) The world of Harry Potter finally gets a trailer that taps into the joyous energy and fantastical entertainment of the original franchise. We finally get an idea of what’s going on with the film and why it might actually be quite fun.

(#3) As we learn more about the world on display in the film, the more we hearken back to the Harry Potter films and understand that what we’re seeing is a new branch in a colorful and inspiring world. There are some niggling details that seem a bit too targeted, but this trailer does a much better job getting us excited to see the end result.

(#4) Whatever wonder the Harry Potter franchise presented, they’ve left us prepared for this film and this fourth trailer does not disappointed. Filled to the brim with brilliant effects and a gorgeous aesthetic, everything about this movie looks like it will be a fine continuance of J.K. Rowling’s legacy.