Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them [SteelBook] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [Only @ Best Buy] [2016]

For what is mostly the first entry in a brand new series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is also very much a re-boot to the Harry Potter universe that Warner Bros. has surprisingly let remain stagnant for a solid five years. As someone who grew up with the books, who matured as they matured, and grasped the implications of the ideas and themes more as the series went on and explored more complex ideas and themes itself I have to admit to not being too thrilled by the fact Warner Bros. planned on extending the world of Harry Potter to New York City and the 1920's with a film about the guy who...wrote one of Harry and his friends textbooks? Despite the fact J.K. Rowling herself would be penning the screenplay there was still a fair amount of trepidation that whatever this Eddie Redmayne-fronted extension of the magical world might ultimately be it would inevitably be little more than a cash grab. A boardroom mandated blockbuster that would repeat as many of the same beats from the Harry Potter franchise as it could while doubling the amount of merchandise and thus the revenue. And so, here we are-the full swing of the Holiday season in November is in full force and amidst the crowded multiplexes sporting a number of high-profile releases and awards season hopefuls we again find the comfort and ease of knowing that while not exactly Harry, we are once again able to escape to the magical world Rowling has conjured up and that, no matter the protagonist, is something of an unavoidable happiness members of a certain generation can't pass up. For the truth is, after allowing my hesitations to subside and instead becoming excited by the fact Rowling and director David Yates (who made the final four Harry Potter films) reunited for a brand new chapter in the development of the wizarding world and that this chapter of the bigger picture would ultimately add more depth and scope to this world we already believed we knew turns out to be a solidly entertaining thrill ride. Though Fantastic Beasts certainly has its issues and two too many endings it casts a charming enough spell to leave audiences wanting more from the adventures of Mr. Newt Scamander and his inevitable battle with Gellert Grindelwald.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is an exciting return to the wizarding world of Harry Potter and I was VERY pleased to see how well this film was produced. Being a fan of the Harry Potter series (prompted by my three children who are fans of the books AND the movies), my sense of drudge at Hollywood starting this up with another entry dissipated into the wind after this film's finish. This film starts out well before the era of the dealings in Harry Potter's lifetime and it does a great job of expanding the rich history of wizards and "muggles". The story CAN be a bit intense for younger children (8 years and under), so caution is recommended. Where the first 1-3 Harry Potter films presented more 'family fare' that may be considered 'safer' by some parents' standards, this new entry gets RIGHT into territory that can be terrifying for small kiddies. That said, the film doesn't move into using harsh language or content of the big "S" word, so take that for what it is. Disc-wise, this film is fantastic in its presentation. The video is excellent, especially considering that there's a good measure of scenes where things are very dark. Even with the darkness, details are still evident and you'll not be pressed to squint at seeing things on screen. The audio is phenomenal and is very much welcomed at being presented as a Dolby Atmos track. This is a highly immersive and aggressive track. For those of you with small to mid-sized subwoofers in your home theater, take care to watch the film at moderate volumes...the LFE (especially towards the end of the film) is thunderous! Overall, this film is certainly a treat that doesn't have to be enjoyed by only Harry Potter fans (though it helps) and the Blu-ray disc is reference material all the way. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

J. K. Rowling has released a new story line in her famous and immersive series in the Harry Potter Universe. Directed by Harry Potter veteran David Yates 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' features the adventures of Newt Scamander, who has traveled to New York City for unknown reasons. Newt is played by Eddie Redmayne of 'Les Misérables fame as a lovable but wacky collector of magical beasts making his way through the unknown dangers of New York City. Be advised, wacky hijinks await as this mesmerizing story unfolds. Newt must control his magical beasts while avoiding the political ramifications of his mishaps in the new world and navigating the magical underground. What awaits him on his quest full of conspiracy? I highly recommend you discover the answer to these questions yourself. I gave this five stars for the following reasons. First, the product was shipped and arrived within 24 hours. This was especially appreciated because my husband, a crazy Harry Potter fan, was dying to see it. Secondly, it arrived in perfect condition. The cd case was in an artistically pleasing cover. The shrink wrap was hard to remove, but a simple kitchen knife allowed it to be removed without damaging the insert casing. The Blu Ray itself was immaculate. The movie did not skip once. Thirdly, I truly enjoyed watching this movie. It was a well written story with a great plot line. The actors perform with incredible talent. The only reason it didn't get five stars is because I thought it lacked good transitions between scenes. I would definitely recommend this movie. The greatest compliment I believe a movie can get is if you would re-watch it. I am going to enjoy this movie many times and am glad that I own it.

I purchased the 3d version of Fantastic Beasts so part of my review includes the visual appeal in addition to the story. Personally, I'm a modest Harry Potter fan but while this movie has thematic elements to connect and/or relate to the wizarding world as seen in the Potter movies Fantastic Beasts sits very well on its own. If someone whose never seen a Potter movie or read the books watched this film they would not be lost while viewing, which I think is a good thing. I like the story overall though I didn't feel the villains were truly villainous per say, and I kind of like a more blatantly evil foe to ratchet up the big finale. That being said, and without giving plot points away I still enjoyed the character arcs. Eddie Redmayne truly is an amazing actor. He handles his characters so well that I forget he's not the character he's portraying, however because of some of his mannerisms in this film I did feel at times I was watching Stephen Hawking portraying Newt (that's how good he was in The Theory of Everything). Dan Fogler, Catherine Waterston, Colin Farrel and the rest of the cast did a fine job bringing their characters something of interest and as an ensemble were very well cast. Visually speaking, I have only seen the 3d version on an OLED tv which is by far and away the best way to see it in my opinion. The scenery and depth is incredible and while many don't like 3d, there are some unique effects that can't be appreciated unless you see it this way. I don't buy a lot of movies, but this one was well worth it and will certainly be an occasion rewatch, which is how I determine if any film is a valuable purchase.

I am very happy that some studios are still choosing to release their films in the Blu-ray 3D format for those of us who enjoy watching movies in 3D at home. The 3D in this film is quite good and the picture and audio quality is outstanding. I only have two complaints: 1) the included 2D blu-ray contains a Dolby Atmos audio track AND a 5.1 lossless audio track, whereas the 3D disc does not, it only contains a DTS-MA 5.1 audio track (which doesn't disappoint, but when an Atmos one exists...well, I say why not include it?). 2) in theatres, there were some special effects (mainly lightning from wands) that broke the plane of the aspect ratio of the film, that quite honestly enhanced the 3D quite a bit in those moments. It was disappointing to find that those effects do not carry over to the 3D blu-ray, rather the effects are cropped off at the edge of the regular image keeping in line with the aspect ratio of the film. Overall, a wonderful film continuing the stories from the Wizarding World and I look forward to the next chapters in the adventure!

The DVDs purchased were great, as was the movie. However, the digital copy (UltraViolet through Sony) was a pain to get to work. I have been using Vudu with my PS4 to view movies and they have shown in my UltraViolet library, albeit in a delayed manner. However, for this movie, the movie was shown to be in my library, but to view the movie would cost me $4 to rent or $16 to own. Since I owned the movie, I ended up contacting the support personnel at Sony. A week later it was determined that I would need to log out and log back in again for the digital copy to become "free to view". This was the first time I had to do this procedure for the PS4. It seemed ironic to me that this difficulty would occur for a Sony released movie. Just wanted people to know that they may have to log out of their accounts and back in to view this digital movie without purchasing it again. I am going to recommend the movie solely on the DVDs provided as well as the movie itself. Hopefully Sony and Ultraviolet resolve this difficulty. Unsure whether in the future if I will purchase Sony released movies this way or just purchase from iTunes.

We are not big Harry Potter fans, seen one or two of the movies but never got into the whole Potter world, when Fantastic Beast came out we gave it a shot because it was not mired in the Potter world we knew next to nothing about. Bottom line it is a great movie, lots of fun to watch. We've watched a few times catching more subtle things each viewing. Can't say enough about the cast, they are suburb, all of them had great chemistry and brought this world to life. Very hard for modern Hollywood to bring the 1920's alive, this captured the feeling of some of the buddy films from the 1930s and 40s while being so much more. Truly a well done story. While saying all of the actors were outstanding, and they are, I would like to nominate Eddie Redmayne for a possible future incarnation of the Doctor (Doctor Who), very Doctorish performance in this movie. 3D picture is great, can't complain, looks and sounds very good. WB normally does a very good job on their transfers and this one is no different. If you're looking for a good 3D movie for you collection or just a good movie this is where to find it.

I must confess that I was skeptical going in. I enjoyed the Harry Potter franchise immensely, and initially saw this offshoot production as nothing more than a blatant money grab. However, I am pleased to say that I was wrong. This slightly daffy side excursion into the world of all things wizardly is handsomely made and crisply acted. Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrell are the headliners, and they don't disappoint as Beast curator Newt Scamander and Ministry of Magic cop Percival Graves, respectively. But the secondary performances are just as good and carry the movie along, especially Fine Frenzy as Queenie and Dan Fogler as her erstwhile suitor Jacob. The story involves the usual Magic World v. Muggles World conflicts and conniptions that coursed through the Potter franchise, but the setting has been moved to New York City and the change of location has opened things up for a film that is breezier and lighter in tone than the closing installments of Harry's saga. There are several more films planned in this alternative series. Based on this first one, I will be looking forward to the next chapter.