Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, directed by David Yates, follows Newt Scamander, a magizoologist on his global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. He carries with him a magical case full of even more magical creatures that escape into New York, but there are darker forces at play. In this article, we'll be summarizing the most important moments in the movie, doing a review, and taking a look at references to the Harry Potter film series, along with an FAQ.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Summary & Recap

Newt Scamander Arrives in New York

The movie begins with a group of Aurors closing in on their suspect when a blast of magic sends them flying away. The back of a wizard's head, full of white hair, is revealed before the scene shifts and newspaper clippings are flying by, most talking about the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

Newt Scamander is shown sitting on a boat with a briefcase as he arrives in New York City. The clip on the case snaps open and Newt is talking to what's inside. When he gets off the boat, his suitcase is searched, but there is nothing of interest inside.

Terror in New York

Muggles are shown investigating a demolished house. One swears he saw a dark mass destroy it, while others claim it was some sort of electrical issue. A wizard arrives to inspect the scene when the walls suddenly start to crack. An unseen force tears apart the ground as it flees, toppling cars and terrifying the muggles.

The Niffler

Newt meets Mary Lou, the leader of New Salem Philanthropic Society, also known as the Second Salemers, a group of muggles that believe witches walk amongst them. The conversation quickly ends when he notices one of his creatures, a Niffler, has escaped. While trying to track down the Niffler, Newt meets a non-magical person named Jacob Kowalski, who is there for a loan so he can open a bakery. Newt accidentally leaves behind an Occamy egg that Jacob picks up.

They’re caught by guards but escape just in time. The moment Newt goes to erase the muggle's memories, Jacob hits him with the suitcase and takes off running.

MACUSA

The woman who was watching them grabs Newt and apparates them somewhere else. She introduces herself as Tina Goldstein, an investigator for the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA). She arrests him for not Obliviating Jacob, who she refers to as a no-maj, American for muggle. When she takes him to her superiors, they dismiss her and allude to past infractions.

When Mr. Graves comes to check on why Tina brought Newt in, she opens his case full of creatures but finds only pastries. Both Newt and Tina realize that the muggle grabbed Newt’s case.

Magical Beasts Escape

Jacob returns to his apartment, defeated, when the lock on the case clicks open. He goes to investigate it and magical creatures suddenly fly out of it, escaping into New York. He is attacked by a smaller creature while the others destroy his apartment.

Newt and Tina are rushing to locate the muggle when Newt notices some creatures flying around. They find Jacob ill on the ground, having been bitten by the Murtlap. Newt mentions that a few of his creatures might have escaped from his suitcase and Tina takes them back to her apartment. She needs Jacob to get better so he can testify as a witness against Newt.

Second Salemers

Scenes of the group called the Second Salemers are woven throughout the movie. They focus on a boy named Credence Barebone, a little girl named Modesty, and their mother Mary Lou, the leader of the Second Salemers. She has brainwashed the children into believing witches exist and that they’re evil. Credence is shown meeting with Mr. Graves and they talk about looking for a kid with power who will be close to the mother.

Tina and Queenie

At Tina’s apartment, Jacob and Newt meet her sister, Queenie. She makes them food and reveals that she can read minds. Jacob, still ill, is infatuated with her. The two boys are put in the same room, where Tina treats them to hot chocolate.

The moment they’re alone, Newt jumps out of bed, opens his case, and walks into it. He beckons Jacob, who is stunned, to follow after him.

Inside the Suitcase

Inside the suitcase, Jacob finds Newt in a room throwing together a concoction that will treat the Murtlap bite symptoms. Outside of the room is an entire space full of creatures living in different habitats. Jacob is awe-stuck as he sees a giant bird descending from the sky, and Newt reveals that this bird is the real reason why he came to America, in order to set it free in Arizona.

Jacob helps Newt feed his (fantastic) beasts, meeting all manner of creatures in the process. Jacob finds a dark mass in a snowing habitat and Newt warns him to get away from it. He calls it an Obscurus but does not elaborate further. He convinces Jacob to help him find his missing creatures.

On the Hunt

Jacob and Newt begin their hunt for the missing beasts. The first one they come across is the Niffler in a jewelry store. Newt breaks in and there is a scuffle, where a lot of glass is broken, before he finally uses magic to capture the creature. Police pull up, seeing the two covered in jewelry, and automatically assume they broke into the store. A lion distracts them and Newt and Jacob apparate away.

Newt finds an Erumpent in the zoo, looking for a mate. Things go wrong when the scent used to attract her is on Jacob and he is chased by the giant beast. Jacob tries to find safety in a tree, but the Erumpent blows it up. Newt manages to get it in the case as the beast is sliding across ice. They themselves go into the case, and Tina finds it, locking them in.

Death of a Muggle

The senator, who was shown calling Credence a freak earlier, is giving a speech in front of a group of people. They start to hear distant rumbling and the lights go out. An unseen force tears through the room, destroying it, and attacks the senator. He is dropped from an extreme height and the poster behind him destroyed. The senator's father finds him on the ground, dead, and his brother is convinced it was the work of witches.

Under Arrest

As Tina is walking into MACUSA with the suitcase, the scale that shows the magical exposure threat level shifts to “emergency”. Tina accidentally barges into a meeting about the dead muggle and Tina opens the case. Newt and Jacob come walking out in a room full of people who believe Newt’s creatures killed the muggle. Newt states that, based on the injuries on the muggle, an Obscurus killed him.

His case is confiscated and they’re arrested. Tina is also arrested because she knew about the outbreak for 24 hours and didn’t come forward. In the jail cell, Newt tells them about an Obscurus which had manifested inside a little girl.

The Escape

Mr. Graves interrogates Newt and Tina. He found the Obscurus inside Newt’s case. Newt explains to Tina that he removed the dark magic from the girl he mentioned before, who didn't live past the age of eight. Mr. Graves makes a comment that the magic is useless without its host, which confuses and angers Newt. Mr. Graves seems to panic, calls them traitors, and sentences them to death.

Queenie, who is in the building, hears Tina’s cries. She uses her ability to rescue Jacob from a guard and they go after Newt’s case in Mr. Graves’ office. Newt and Tina are taken to a room with some water. Tina’s memories are cast into it. Hypnotized, Tina willingly gets in the chair. The deadly water starts to rise, when the Bowtruckle Newt has been carrying around sets him free. He saves Tina.

On their way out, they run into Queenie and Jacob. They get into Newt’s suitcase and Queenie walks out of the building with it, unharmed.

The Demiguise

They plan on finding the last of the creatures, a Demiguise, which is invisible. Tina suggests they go to one of her old contacts, a goblin named Gnarlack. They find him in a magical speakeasy, where they barter for information. Newt is forced to give up his Bowtruckle, named Pickett. MACUSA attacks, thanks to Gnarlack tipping them off, and a fight breaks out. Jacob punches the goblin, Newt grabs his bowtruckle, and they escape.

They find the Demiguise at a Macy’s and Newt realizes he miscounted his creatures. The Demiguise is taking care of an Occamy, which grows to take up the space it’s in. When the creature is startled, it panics and the group struggle to capture it. By throwing a bug into a teapot, the creature shrinks to fit inside the teapot and all beasts are successfully returned to the suitcase.

The Obscurus

Credence finds a wand under Modesty’s bed and the mother catches them. She thinks it belongs to Credence and breaks the wand. She is about to whip him with a belt when it suddenly goes flying out of her hand and the Obscurus kills her.

Graves finds Credence crying and they go in search of Modesty, who Mr. Graves believes is the Obscurial. He calls Credence useless and finds Modesty crying in a corner. The walls of the building start to crumble and Credence stands on the other side, struggling to contain his power.

Mr. Graves realizes he’s made a mistake. Credence was the Obscurial all along. He offers to help Credence control his power, but the boy refuses, unleashing his dark power on New York.

The Battle

After destroying buildings and streets in New York, alerting all the muggles present to the existence of magic, the Obscurus goes underground. Newt finds it in the subway station and manages to calm Credence down. He returns to his human form. Mr. Graves appears and attacks Newt, causing Credence to lose control again.

Mr. Graves and Newt fight while dodging the Obscurus. Finally, Tina, who saved Credence from abuse in the past, arrives and her voice begins calming him down. The Magical Law Enforcement intervene and destroy the Obscurus and the host.

True Identity

An angry Mr. Graves turns on MACUSA, stating that he refuses to bow to the rules any longer. The president of MACUSA orders his arrest and Mr. Graves puts up a fight. Newt uses one of his beasts to incapacitate the wizard. He cast Revelio on him, revealing who Mr. Graves really is.

His hair turns white and he transforms into Grindelwald, the dark wizard that had been wreaking havoc in Europe. He is taken away and the president of MACUSA thanks Newt.

Obliviate

Too many muggles have seen magic and the president is at a loss for what to do. Luckily, Newt has a plan. He uses the Thunderbird to rain down extract from the Swooping Evil, which has powerful obliviate-like features. The entire city forgets. The president orders that they erase Jacob’s mind as well.

Jacob is at peace with this decision, even though Newt, Tina, and Queenie are all torn. Newt calls him his friend. Queenie gives him a kiss as he steps out into the rain and forgets everything about the wizarding world.

The End…?

Jacob is shown returning back to his canning job when Newt bumps into him, dropping a suitcase. Jacob opens the case to find a message addressed to him, along with silver egg shells to use as collateral to start his bakery.

Newt and Tina say goodbye as he gets ready to board the boat back to London. He’s returning to publish his manuscript entitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He says he’ll return to give Tina a copy in person.

At the end of the film, Jacob’s bakery is thriving. All his pastries are modeled after the creatures that he doesn’t remember seeing. He spots Queenie in the crowd, who smiles at him. He touches the spot where the Murtlap bit him on the neck and then smiles back.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Analysis & Review

CGI and Visuals | 9/10

The wizarding world in 1926 New York City was brought to life beautifully. Everything looked amazing, from the old buildings, to the magic, and especially the creatures. With an array of CGI’d magical beasts, this movie pleased many fans of the Harry Potter series.

While everything was almost perfect, there were a few moments where the greenscreen and lighting were off, especially in Newt’s suitcase. The habitats are intentionally supposed to look the way they do, but there are some moments where the lighting on Newt didn’t look the best.

Storyline and Plot Development | 10/10

Bringing a textbook to life is no easy feat, but the writers of Fantastic Beasts did a wonderful job. With a play on the name, Newt has to search the unfamiliar streets of New York to find where his beasts might have run off to. There are multiple twists in the story, too. The camera focusing on Modesty every time they mention the Obscurus led watchers to believe that she was the creature in question, when it was Credence all along.

The biggest surprise, which isn’t very surprising in hindsight, is Mr. Graves’ true identity. He is Grindelwald in disguise, but there were a few hints. For one, he has the same hairstyle and when Mr. Graves first walks into frame, they show his back at the same angle they showed Grindelwald at the beginning of the movie.

Character Development | 8/10

Throughout the film, all characters have their moments of growth. Newt, who is introduced as the socially awkward introvert who prefers his beasts over people, steps up as the brave wizard he is and shows that his love for creatures has no bounds. Tina, who is a law abiding investigator, willingly joins Newt in saving his creatures after her organization turns on her.

Jacob has the most character development. As a muggle, he is learning everything about the magical world for the first time and he embraces it all. He gets chased by an Erumpent, punches a goblin, and finds love. He makes the ultimate sacrifice at the end by letting it all go.

Sound and Music | 8/10

The music fits the 1920s style and gives more depth to this time period in the wizarding world. It’s more upbeat for comic relief, but it still has a magical tone to it. They even have a magical speakeasy, where the music sounds exactly like it would during that time, so long as you don’t listen to the lyrics. The sound and music keeps the right scenes tense and others eerie. However, the songs aren’t nearly as memorable as the ones from the Harry Potter movies.

Reception & Impact | 8/10

Many fans, new and old, found the movie to be enjoyable as a standalone. Those who knew nothing about the Harry Potter movies were still able to understand the world and the story. They loved the uniqueness of all the creatures. Returning fans were happy to see familiar character names and a textbook brought to life.

There are a handful of people happy that Johnny Depp was cast as Grindelwald, while others felt a face as familiar as his threw them out of the movie. Those who disliked the movie say that it didn’t live up to the Harry Potter movies and new concepts were introduced that didn’t fit in with the lore of the wizarding world.

Final Score | 8/10

References to the Harry Potter Series

Leta Lestrange

In the Fantastic Beasts movie, Queenie notices a photograph of a woman named Leta Lestrange, who has a very familiar surname for those who read and watched Harry Potter. The mysterious woman from Newt's past has the same last name as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the main antagonists and supporters of Voldemort. Bellatrix married Radolphus Lestrange, who is a possible descendant of Leta.

Albus Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during Harry’s time, is mentioned once in the first Fantastic Beasts film. When Mr. Graves is interrogating Newt, who was expelled from Hogwarts, he asks why Albus Dumbledore would take an interest in him. This tells us that Dumbledore was a teacher at Hogwarts during this time and taught Newt.

Gellert Grindelwald

In the Harry Potter books and movies, we learn about Grindelwald’s terror and his relation to Dumbledore before his downfall. He was the “big bad” before Voldemort rose to power and he was trying to get the Deathly Hallows. Grindelwald shows up as the main antagonist in the Fantastic Beasts series and even though his fate is already shown, it makes for an intriguing story.

The Deathly Hallows

The last Harry Potter movie, the Deathly Hallows, shows Voldemort’s search for the Elder Wand while Harry learns about their true meaning. He uncovers Dumbledore’s history and Grindelwald’s search for them. In the Fantastic Beasts movie, Mr. Graves gives Credence a necklace with the Deathly Hallows symbol, another hint at his true identity.

The Pensieve

When Newt and Tina are sentenced to death, they are taken to a room filled with water and one of the executioners pulls Tina’s memories from her mind and casts it into the water. She sees her past right in front of her. This is very similar to the Pensieve in Dumbledore's office in the Harry Potter movies, but on a larger and much darker scale. The memories are removed with a wand and viewed in the water the exact same way.