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Category: Movie

Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them: Movie of the Year?

It is no secret that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I have read all of the books and watched the movies more times than I can count, so when I heard about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I was extremely excited. I was nervous about how I would like it in comparison to the whole Harry Potter franchise, so I was definitely ready for the movie to come out! Since I went and saw it last night, I thought I would write a review on it, and start to get back in the swing of things here on my blog!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a whole new era of Harry Potter
As I’m sure many of you know, this movie is set in a whole different time than the main Harry Potter series. It is set in 1920s New York, specifically 1926, when Newt Scamander comes to America by boat. Through many unforeseen events, he ends up in trouble with the American equivalent to the Ministry of Magic. I don’t want to give too much away, but the set up for the film is great, as well as the backdrop! It’s so interesting to see a different time and place of the magical world, one where magical laws, regulations, and attitudes are very different. I really enjoyed the 20s fashion, music, and architecture throughout the whole movie, because it was very fitting to the movie itself, in that it added a lot to the quirkiness. It also really allowed the audience to immerse themselves completely in this new era of the wizarding world.

There are strong female leads
Tina and Queenie, the two main women of the film, as well as the president of MACUSA Seraphina Picquery, are all very strong females. Tina is very stubborn, and is successful in her career, even though she has hit a rough patch before she meets Newt, which is awesome to see. She isn’t talked badly about for wanting to have a successful career, and is encouraged by her younger sister, Queenie. They are both very supportive of each other, which is portrayed wonderfully. Queenie is not a career women, but she isn’t portrayed as “weaker” or “lesser” than her sister at all. We don’t really get to know Seraphina that well, but the interactions she does have with the main characters leave the audience with the sense that she is a very strong woman. She doesn’t let anyone push her around, and she is strong in her decisions and rules.

The world in Newt’s suitcase is beautifully made, as well as the beasts
We have seen Hermione’s expandable bag on the outside, but we never saw the inside. It was so cool to actually be able to see the inside of Newt’s suitcase, and see where all of his magical animals live. Of course since I absolutely love animals, that was one of my favorite parts of the movies. I’m really glad, though, that they didn’t show the inside of his suitcase a lot in the previews, so that it was more of a surprise for the audience. The creativity that was put into imagining the beasts and his suitcase was so incredible, and the fact that the magical creatures were still relatable to real animals was great. The fact that Newt Scamander had made his suitcase the way he did in order to save these magical beasts was also super touching, and a part of the movie that I absolutely loved.

Eddie Redmayne made an incredible Newt
I had only ever seen Eddie Redmaybe in Les Mis, so it was super cool to see him in something else! His Newt was super quirky, likable, nice, and strong, and he played him so well. He was exactly what you think a magical beast collector/saver/caretaker (?) would be like, but he also had a depth that played into his character development very well. Throughout the movie we learned a lot about him, and saw his softer side, rather than his initial blunt character. Above everything, he cares for his magical creatures the most, and feels a pull to save them, or anyone else in need. He was super relatable, and fit in perfectly with the other quirky wizards and witches we know and love so much.

The incorporation of Grindelwald, and other known families, was done very well.
Through what J.K. Rowling has hinted at, it was clear that this new series was going to include Grindelwald in some way. In the beginning of the movie, it is made clear that MACUSA is looking for Grindelwald after he has committed crimes, but it is unclear where he is at. I won’t give anything away, but the way in which they incorporated his story into this one was done very well. I’m so excited to learn more about him (and possible Dumbledore??) in the coming movies. We also hear a bit about a Lita Lestrange, so I’m interested to see if she has to do more with the coming movies, or if she’ll be included!

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie! It does make me long for more about the characters we know and love in Harry Potter, but I’m super excited to see how the characters from Fantastic Beasts progress and develop.

Do you plan to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?

I hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂

5 Movies You Need to See This Summer

It’s no secret that I absolutely love going to the movie theater. I’ve always loved watching movies on the big screen, there’s something so wonderful about it! It’s been one of my favorite things to do since I was a kid, and it definitely has not changed through the years. If anything, my passion for going to the movies has just gotten stronger! I’m always especially excited for the summertime because a lot of fun movies tend to come out, and this year there are so many great ones coming to the big screen! Being in London, though, some of the premiere dates are different than the US, but that only means I’ll have a ton of movies to go see with family and friends once I get home. Here are five that I am really excited to see!

Finding Dory – June 17 (USA)


If you haven’t heard of Finding Dory, then it’s very probable that you live under a rock. The hype surrounding this sequel to the beloved Finding Nemo has been unreal, since it was one that defined my generation’s childhood. It was a pivotal film that made us so emotional and worried for these adorable sea creatures, and the highly anticipated sequel has been begged for for ten years now. I cannot wait to see this – either in the US or Spain – because it doesn’t come until July 29th in the UK!

The Legend of Tarzan – July 1
When I was little, Tarzan and The Jungle Book were two of my favorite movies. I saw the new Jungle Book earlier this Spring/Summer, and it was so great, so now I’m excited to see the newest adaptation of Tarzan! The trailers are so dramatic and the CGI looks truly incredible. I have high hopes for this film, so hopefully I’m not let down! Either way, it’s definitely going to be very different from the Disney classic.
The Secret Life of Pets – July 8


I absolutely love a cute, feel-good movie, and this one seems like just that. This film is exactly about what the title says – the lives that our beloved pets have while we are away. The main character is Max, a terrier, who enjoys his single-pet life with his owner, until she gets another dog, who is huge and slobbery. They take a walk together and end up on a huge misadventure, and later try to make it back home. It looks absolutely adorable, and since I love animals and cute movies, this seems right up my alley.

Ghostbusters – July 15

I can’t say how excited I am to see this film! My family and I absolutely love the original, and still quote it to this day. Each woman is basically just trying to rid New York of ghosts who can possess people, like the original, like the original, and I can’t wait to see how they each change up the movie. I’m so excited to see an all-female cast filled with such funny women! I’m a huge Melissa McCarthy fan, so I can’t wait to see this.

Pete’s Dragon – August 12

It seems like this is the summer of sequels and re-adaptations, because this film is the newest version of its older classic from 1977. This movie is about an orphan who allegedly lives in the forest with his pet dragon, and meets a young girl and tries to convince her so. The original was so cute, so I’m super excited to see if this new version is good as well!
Alright, well those are just five of the films I’m excited to see this summer, and five that you need to go see as well! Going to the movies is such a great way to go and escape from the summer heat, although, here in London, that is definitely not a problem!
What are you excited to see this summer?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂

The Jungle Book 2016 Review

When I was younger, The Jungle Book was one of my favorite Disney movies since I love animals so much. I was fascinated by the colorful jungle in the movie, and all of the interesting characters who made the movie fun. When I found out they made a live action version of the animated movie, I was ecstatic. I re-watched the animated one and brushed up on the book in order to be ready for the new one. My friend, Joycie, actually won tickets to go see an early showing of the movie, and she brought me with her! It was so cool to see the movie early, and I thought I would do a review of it (with no spoilers!) since I love the original one so much.

The 3D was definitely worth it.
I usually don’t like seeing movies in 3D since it’s a lot more expensive, and never seems to be worth it; however, I’m so glad I got to see this movie in 3D! Everything was so realistic that I actually felt like I was there in the movie, it was so cool! It also honestly felt like you were moving, like on a ride in Disneyland. The whole experience was so immersive and it’s made me want to see more movies in 3D if they are as good as that one. Maybe 3D is just generally better when the movie is live action rather than animated.

The graphics were amazing.

I couldn’t believe how real all of the animals looked – it seriously looked like they used actual animals to film the movie. The scenery was also really incredible and felt like you were right there in the forest with Mowgli. It’s really amazing how real they can make movies look anymore! The movie as a whole was just generally beautiful because due to the gorgeous graphics – they couldn’t have done it any better, in my opinion! I also can’t explain enough how adorable the wolf cubs were.

They couldn’t have had a better cast.
I’ve always been a big Bill Murray fan, so I may be a little biased, but the whole cast was so great. The little boy Neel Sethi made such a wonderful Mowgli, I’m sure he’s going to turn out to be a really great actor! I was also so glad to see that Lupita Nyong’o voiced Raksha – I absolutely love her as an actress, and she’s just as good at voice acting. I honestly can’t say enough good things about the cast, and I’m really glad that they didn’t lose the magic of the original Jungle Book, they definitely added to it.

There was a much fuller explanation of the backstory to the movie.
In the original storyline, we only really know that Shere Khan hates humans because he was burned by them, but we don’t know who burned him, why, or how. There is a much better explanation in the movie, and we find out the actually circumstances behind the incident. The film also explains, through Kaa, how Mowgli actually got to the jungle, and why he was left there. I really liked how they did this, and incorporated into the current events, rather than just have a sudden flashback sometime during the movie. The explanation was very naturally added to the story line, and it added so much to the movie as a whole by creating much higher stakes.

The songs from the original movie were incorporated perfectly.
I was slightly worried about how they would fit in the iconic songs like “Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You,” but they did it so well. The characters didn’t randomly break out into song, but rather casually sang the songs as any other person would while they’re doing something. I also loved the monkey scene when King Louis sang “I Wanna Be Like You,” even though it was more of a “choreographed” version of it, in that he kind of broke out into song. It was cohesive with the scene, however, and lightened up the mood a bit, which was good since there were a lot of children in the audience.

It was a more serious adaptation, but still had a lot of comic relief.
Throughout the movie, there were many characters who provided comic relief to the dark feeling of the movie. The live action version is definitely more serious, so it was good that there were scenes that got the whole audience laughing. I’m really glad that the movie was a bit more mature than the original one, but still had the magic and displayed Mowgli’s careless, happy, and giving attitude.

The end scene during the credits.
I am definitely a sucker for cute little scenes during ending credits, and The Jungle Book did not disappoint! I won’t spoil what it was, but I would stick around for the credits if you like seeing little extras. There is nothing at the very end of the credits, but the beginning is super cute.
Overall, I was so impressed with the new Jungle Book, and it wasn’t a let down at all. I was worried it was going to lose the magic of the first film, but if anything, they added a whole lot to it. It’s definitely worth seeing in the theater, and I can’t wait to buy it once it comes out on DVD!
Have you seen the new Jungle Book?

Thank you so much for reading, and have a great day! 🙂