After a slow start featuring lukewarm characters, this film grows on you and pulls you in by the end. The familiar setting of the previous “Harry Potter” films is replaced by 1920’s New York. While there are still some cool visuals in the places of magic throughout the city, none of them come close to capturing the charm of Hogwarts. The characters are also less inviting. You can’t throw a stick without hitting a stern-looking wizard. Of the film’s stars, there is a slow build before they become likable. Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander is too introverted to make much of a connection to the audience. Only after he opens up a bit about the creatures that he loves does he become sympathetic. Katherine Waterson as Tina Goldstein comes off uncharismatic, and takes the longest to win over the viewer. Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski and Allison Sudol’s Queenie Goldstein are the most likable of all the cast, even though they both start off a bit too much like caricatures instead of real people. The movie’s weakest points are the lack of a defined villain and a vague plot that limps to the climax before the action picks up.
**1/2 out of *****