BLU-RAY REVIEW: 
FANTASTIC BEAST AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
03/27/2017

OVERVIEW: Immerse yourself in the wizarding world when “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” arrives onto Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD.

Additionally, all of the special features, including interviews with filmmakers, character and creature featurettes, deleted scenes and 360° videos, can be experienced in an entirely new, dynamic and immersive manner on tablets and mobile phones using the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App, available for both iOS and Android devices. When purchased digitally and redeemed on UltraViolet, the Warner Bros. Movies All Access App allows users to watch the movie and simultaneously experience synchronized content related to any scene, simply by rotating their device. Synchronized content is presented on the same screen while the movie is playing, thus enabling users to quickly learn more about any scene, such as actor biographies, scene locations, fun trivia, or image galleries. Also, users can share movie clips with friends on social media and experience other immersive content. The Movies All Access app is available for download on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.”

The Blu-ray discs of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar; however, Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.

SYNOPSIS: There are growing dangers in the wizarding world of 1926 New York. Something mysterious is leaving a path of destruction in the streets, threatening to expose the wizarding community to the No-Majs (American for Muggles), including the Second Salemers, a fanatical faction bent on eradicating them. And the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, after wreaking havoc in Europe, has slipped away…and is now nowhere to be found.

Unaware of the rising tensions, Newt Scamander arrives in the city nearing the end of a global excursion to research and rescue magical creatures, some of which are safeguarded in the magical hidden dimensions of his deceptively nondescript leather case. But potential disaster strikes when unsuspecting No-Maj Jacob Kowalski inadvertently lets some of Newt’s beasts loose in a city already on edge—a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy that former Auror Tina Goldstein jumps on, seeing her chance to regain her post as an investigator. However, things take an ominous turn when Percival Graves, the enigmatic Director of Magical Security at MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), casts his suspicions on both Newt and Tina.

Now allied, Newt and Tina, together with Tina’s sister, Queenie, and their new No-Maj friend, Jacob, form a band of unlikely heroes, who must recover Newt’s missing beasts before they come to harm. But the stakes are higher than these four outsiders—now branded fugitives—ever imagined, as their mission puts them on a collision course with dark forces that could push the wizarding and No-Maj worlds to the brink of war.

FILM REVIEW: As a true Harry Potter fan, I headed out to see this film knowing that anything that J.K. Rowling has written, must be good and I wasn’t disappointed. Right off the bat the opening will get your blood pumping, things exploding, someone escaping, pure terroristic acts…. That’s only the opening scene. Our story begins as writer Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) comes to New York to complete his global research expedition and misplaces some of the amazing beasts who live in his suitcase. I must admit that to me, wizarding anywhere other than the beautiful, mesmerizing and yes, magical English country side just is not the same but I guess that might be because I’m a closet Anglophile. They pulled it off but I’m partial to Hogwarts.

Newt has this aura of wholesome awkwardness as he finds himself accidently embroiled in the political tensions surrounding the American magical community. Wizards and witches are in disagreement as to how they should interact with muggles or as they are called in New York, Nomags. Get it? Nomag, no magic? Mr. Redmayne’s performance excellently carries this movie as the lead character. Immediately, I was happily surprised with the realistic portrayal of New York in the 1920s. The attitudes of the time, the clothes, hairstyles and especially the speech. The special effects, cinematography were amazing but would you expect anything less from a J.K. Rowling film? As Newt attempts to corral his little beasts, he comes into contact with Mr. Kowalski, an unassuming aspiring baker, and not to mention, muggle, I mean nomag, down on his luck. Kowalski does not know what is going to hit him but it will change his life in many ways after a little suitcase mix-up.

The cast was chosen perfectly for the roles they were given. Tina (Katherine Waterston) as demoted Magic detective of sorts, is this melancholy, girl in the wrong place at the wrong time, wait or is that wrong place at the right time… anyhow, she plays lost and curious quite well. The boys end up hiding out at the apartment Tina shares with her sister Queenie (Allison Sudol), while Tina tries to figure out what to do with them next. Speaking of Queenie, wow, I loved that she had the perfect dialect, affect and look of what was then called a “Jazz baby”. I really enjoyed her character. There are quite a few excellent actors such as Colin Farrell as Detective Graves, Jon Voight as Mr. Shaw, as powerful newspaper owner, Ezra Miller as abused adoptee Credence Barebone and many others. There are a few interesting cameos such as Zoe Kravits as Ms. Lestrange, but wait until the end of the movie for a surprising cameo. I can’t believe I haven’t even mentioned the beasts yet! The beasts as in any Rowling film are amazing and Newts care for them is endearing. He desires to show the wizarding world that they are meant to be loved and protected come naturally. If you are truly a Potter fan, then you should recognize Newt’s name and the title of this film as one the books Harry reads at Hogwarts 70 some odd years later. There is action, mystery, comedy, charm and even a little love story so I would say there is something for everyone. Cine Marcos said it precisely; when he stated that this is a Harry Potter for grownups.

Review By Priscilla 
 

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English 5.1 DTS HD Master AudioTM, English, Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese

Subtitles - English, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Brazilian Portuguese

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.

DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

Before Harry Potter: A New Era of Magic Begins!

Join J.K. Rowling as she, David Yates and David Heyman return to Leavesden Studios to build a new and exciting corner of the wizarding universe.

Characters

o The Magizoologist
o The Goldstein Sisters
o The New Salemers
o The No-Maj Baker
o The President and the Auror

Creatures

o Meet the Fantastic Beasts
o Bowtruckle
o Demiguise
o Erumpent
o Niffler
o Occamy
o Thunderbird

Design

o Shaping the World of Fantastic Beasts (360°)
o New York City (360°)
o MACUSA (360°)
o Newt’s Magical Case (360°)
o The Shaw Banquet
o The Blind Pig (360°)

Deleted Scenes (11 scenes)