Enter a Rotten Tomatoes movie slug to inspect the stored movie, batches, snapshots, and reviews.
Movie ID: 1429
RT slug: fantastic_beasts_and_where_to_find_them
RT URL: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fantastic_beasts_and_where_to_find_them
Release year: 2016
Runtime: 127 mins
Wide release date: 2016-11-18
Limited release date: —
Festival premiere date: —
Streaming release date: 2017-03-08
Tomatometer final: 74%
Audience score final: 79%
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Directors: David Yates
Writers: —
Producers: David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Lionel Wigram, Steve Kloves
MPAA rating: PG-13
Executive Producers: —
Created: 2026-09-30 21:05:09
Updated: 2026-09-30 21:05:09
The year is 1926, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident, were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them draws on Harry Potter's rich mythology to deliver a spinoff that dazzles with franchise-building magic all its own.
Canonical reviews: 343
Canonical fresh: 254
Canonical rotten: 89
Canonical calculated Tomatometer: 343 (254/89), 74% (74.052% raw)
Latest snapshot UTC: 2026-09-29 18:59:47
Snapshot Tomatometer: 74%
Snapshot review count: 343
Snapshot fresh count: 254
Snapshot rotten count: 89
Source note: Imported from manual review paste batch #4209 (full_snapshot)
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Warner Bros. Pictures | distributor |
| Heyday Films | production |
| Nvizible | production |
| Warner Bros. Television | production |
| Billing | Name | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Redmayne | Newt |
| 2 | Katherine Waterston | Tina |
| 3 | Dan Fogler | Jacob Kowalski |
| 4 | Alison Sudol | Queenie |
| 5 | Ezra Miller | Credence Barebone |
| Batch ID | Status | Mode | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1445 | processed | — | 2026-09-30 21:05:09 | Processed successfully into movie_id=1429 using update_mode=merge_non_empty. |
| Batch ID | Local Snapshot | UTC Snapshot | Entered % | Entered Count | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4209 | 2026-09-29 13:59:00 (America/Panama) | 2026-09-29 18:59:47 | 74% | 343 | processed | Mode=full_snapshot. Processed 343 row(s); 0 row error(s). Parsed unique reviews in this batch=343, fresh=254, rotten=89, tomatometer=74%. Net new reviews added=343, fresh=254, rotten=89. Current canonical totals=343 reviews, 254 fresh, 89 rotten, tomatometer=74% (74.052%). Entered review count matched parsed batch count (343). Entered tomatometer matched parsed batch value (74%). |
| ID | Critic | Outlet | Fresh? | Score | RT Time Raw | Approx Published UTC | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 281350 | Brian Eggert | Deep Focus Review | Rotten | 2/4 | 2022-04-09T01:34:34.000Z | 2022-04-09 01:34:34 | Rowling throws her audience into the fray without developing personalities we grow to love. As a result, Fantastic Beasts feels underwhelming, if diverting for the duration. |
| 281351 | David Gonzalez | The Cinematic Reel | Fresh | 3/4 | 2022-02-14T19:07:28.000Z | 2022-02-14 19:07:28 | Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them is an unexpected return to Rowlings wizarding world but with anything, the unexpected surprises are sometimes the best. |
| 281352 | David Nusair | Reel Film Reviews | Rotten | 1.5/4 | 2022-01-18T17:40:27.000Z | 2022-01-18 17:40:27 | ...a predominantly worthless endeavor that seems to serve no purpose other than to lay the groundwork for future installments. |
| 281353 | Hosea Rupprecht | Pauline Media Studies | Fresh | — | 2021-08-26T00:03:04.000Z | 2021-08-26 00:03:04 | Fans of the Harry Potter books and films will enjoy the new offering from first-time screenwriter, J.K. Rowling... |
| 281354 | Matt Brunson | Film Frenzy | Fresh | 3/4 | 2021-08-18T00:11:15.000Z | 2021-08-18 00:11:15 | It's tempting to warily eye this film and see nothing more than a blatant cash-grab ... But it eventually hits its stride, and the end result proves to be a welcome addition to the fantasy field. |
| 281355 | Richard Crouse | Richard Crouse | Fresh | 4/5 | 2021-02-03T19:13:21.000Z | 2021-02-03 19:13:21 | With its message that magic is all around us if we know where to look, the movie is a handsome, entertaining and ultimately sequel worthy piece of work. |
| 281356 | Mike Massie | Gone With The Twins | Rotten | 4/10 | 2020-12-04T08:44:11.000Z | 2020-12-04 08:44:11 | There are a few interesting ideas at play, but they're typically neglected for some interruptive commotion. |
| 281357 | Paul McGuire Grimes | KSTP-TV (St. Paul, MN) | Fresh | — | 2020-11-05T21:43:58.000Z | 2020-11-05 21:43:58 | Rowling knows how to play into the comedy and injects the film with a playful sense of humor... |
| 281358 | Brent McKnight | The Last Thing I See | Fresh | B+ | 2020-07-02T16:42:50.000Z | 2020-07-02 16:42:50 | Delivers the kind of blockbuster fun and energy that was sorely lacking during the summer months this year. |
| 281359 | Yasser Medina | Cinefilia | Fresh | 7/10 | 2020-06-27T09:30:52.000Z | 2020-06-27 09:30:52 | The film may seem well known for the references in the Harry Potter saga, but the story's own identity tells us that we are in a renewed territory that, as we already anticipated, has bewitched us with an amazing spectacle. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 281361 | Andrew Galdi | Movie Bitches | Rotten | — | 2020-05-08T18:41:06.000Z | 2020-05-08 18:41:06 | It was a horrible, awful misstep. |
| 281360 | Avaryl Halley | Movie Bitches | Rotten | — | 2020-05-08T18:41:06.000Z | 2020-05-08 18:41:06 | I thought it was pretty boring. |
| 281362 | Steven Prokopy | Third Coast Review | Fresh | — | 2020-04-28T22:55:42.000Z | 2020-04-28 22:55:42 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a genuinely interesting, sometimes thrilling new world that still feels vaguely familiar. |
| 281363 | Constance Gibbs | Nerds of Prey | Rotten | — | 2020-03-31T20:10:53.000Z | 2020-03-31 20:10:53 | If it is a fantasy story that includes historical elements but isn't strict about accuracy then there is no reason for the casting to not reflect the diversity of modern audiences... |
| 281364 | Sean Collier | Box Office Prophets | Fresh | 7/10 | 2020-03-27T12:40:27.000Z | 2020-03-27 12:40:27 | All of the action around Newt's missing beasts is enjoyable, and many of the creatures (more Nifflers, please) are irresistible. |
| 281365 | Tim Brennan | About Boulder | Rotten | — | 2020-02-13T22:43:51.000Z | 2020-02-13 22:43:51 | While Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them isn't all the way a good movie, it has promise. |
| 281366 | Chris McCoy | Memphis Flyer | Fresh | — | 2020-01-15T01:23:04.000Z | 2020-01-15 01:23:04 | Redmayne is a compelling central presence, and the story is head-and-shoulders above anything else in the blockbuster world this year. But... it suffers sorely from the missing chemistry at its core. |
| 281367 | Grethe Kemp | Channel24 (South Africa) | Fresh | — | 2020-01-08T00:02:20.000Z | 2020-01-08 00:02:20 | The film is lush and Rowling-esque enough - with plenty of wonderfully animated fantastic beasties - to satisfy Potter fans. |
| 281368 | Aly Caviness | Midwest Film Journal | Rotten | — | 2019-12-06T16:14:09.000Z | 2019-12-06 16:14:09 | Is it a blatant cash grab from Warner Brothers or a creative return to an expansive world we all knew J.K. Rowling couldn't abandon entirely? Of course it's both. |
| 281369 | Katie Smith-Wong | Flick Feast | Fresh | 3/5 | 2019-11-13T21:02:40.000Z | 2019-11-13 21:02:40 | A refreshing addition to the Potterverse, it serves as an appropriate foundation for its forthcoming sequels that will hopefully open up more opportunities for the ever-expanding franchise. |
| 281370 | Leslie Combemale | Cinema Siren | Fresh | B+ | 2019-10-21T20:45:04.000Z | 2019-10-21 20:45:04 | Everything is built to draw you in, enthrall, and connect you to the action. |
| 281371 | Nicholas Bell | IONCINEMA.com | Rotten | 2/5 | 2019-10-03T00:33:15.000Z | 2019-10-03 00:33:15 | A bloated hodgepodge of tangential creature-related asides distract from a tedious ho-hum narrative. |
| 281372 | Sarah Musnicky | Legion of Leia at Vital Thrills | Fresh | — | 2019-09-20T23:22:31.000Z | 2019-09-20 23:22:31 | An immensely entertaining film. |
| 281373 | Kate Rodger | Newshub (NZ) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-09-13T23:31:54.000Z | 2019-09-13 23:31:54 | With Yates at the helm, fans should expect an assured, polished and cohesive watch which fuses the old and the new, the magic with reality, and the spectacle with heart. |
| 281374 | Debbie Holloway | Narrative Muse | Fresh | — | 2019-09-11T03:22:10.000Z | 2019-09-11 03:22:10 | I want to be up front with Harry Potter fans - this movie is not Potter caliber. But I still found it to be absolutely lovely and enchanting, with much to admire. |
| 281375 | Allison Rose | FlickDirect | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2019-09-04T16:12:09.000Z | 2019-09-04 16:12:09 | When it comes to wizards, J.K. Rowling can do no wrong. |
| 281376 | Josh Wilding | ComicBookMovie.com | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-09-01T19:02:00.000Z | 2019-09-01 19:02:00 | One of 2016's best blockbusters, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a lot of fun and a, well, fantastic start to what looks set to be a franchise every bit as exciting as, and perhaps more so, than Harry Potter. |
| 281377 | Jorge Loser | Espinof | Fresh | — | 2019-08-20T01:43:49.000Z | 2019-08-20 01:43:49 | The film triumphs when it focuses on the nourished and surprising naturalistic adventure. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 281378 | Ryan Syrek | The Reader (Omaha, NE) | Rotten | D- | 2019-06-25T20:38:55.000Z | 2019-06-25 20:38:55 | Fantastic Beasts is an unnecessary installment of a beloved franchise that features a stupid caricature doing slapstick comedy, a repetitive villain, racist characters, and poor acting. Sorry Potterheads, you just got Phantom Menace-d. |
| 281379 | Rick Marshall | Digital Trends | Fresh | — | 2019-06-13T15:18:10.000Z | 2019-06-13 15:18:10 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them makes the wizarding world feel fresh again. |
| 281380 | Rachel Wagner | rachelsreviews.net | Rotten | C | 2019-04-02T20:02:18.000Z | 2019-04-02 20:02:18 | There is fun to be had with the magical beasts and characters like Queenie but it's hard to endorse a movie when I can't understand the lead character most of the time. |
| 281381 | Tori Brazier | One Room With A View | Fresh | 4/5 | 2019-03-14T20:52:54.000Z | 2019-03-14 20:52:54 | It is suitably magical. |
| 281382 | Deborah Cornelious | The Hindu | Fresh | — | 2019-02-19T21:23:54.000Z | 2019-02-19 21:23:54 | Its shortcomings notwithstanding, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is thoroughly enigmatic and essential to be experienced on the big screen. |
| 281383 | Allen Adams | The Maine Edge | Fresh | 5/5 | 2019-02-14T18:30:41.000Z | 2019-02-14 18:30:41 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a worthy addition to the Harry Potter canon, bringing a whole new perspective to a beloved universe. With plenty of humor and heart, it is a delightful cinematic experience. |
| 281384 | Amanda Greever | The Daily Times (Tennessee) | Fresh | — | 2019-02-02T01:12:38.000Z | 2019-02-02 01:12:38 | Rowling's storytelling, as always, is full of wonder and amazing moments. |
| 281385 | David Ocadiz | Cinergética | Fresh | — | 2019-01-30T01:08:12.000Z | 2019-01-30 01:08:12 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is proof that the Harry Potter universe still has much to give. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 281386 | Ciaran Kerr | Film Bunker | Fresh | — | 2019-01-15T05:40:48.000Z | 2019-01-15 05:40:48 | Does it reach the extremely high standards of the first Harry Potter film? I would say no, it does not. But it is extremely likeable, and there was not one second in the entire two-hour run that I was bored. |
| 281387 | Emmet Asher-Perrin | Reactor | Fresh | — | 2019-01-08T22:25:24.000Z | 2019-01-08 22:25:24 | While the film itself is fun, its place in the wizarding world continuity requires some more thought overall. |
| 281388 | Colby Bryant | Colbybryant.com | Fresh | 8.5/10 | 2018-12-08T19:36:43.000Z | 2018-12-08 19:36:43 | The perfect compliment to children who grew up with Harry Potter and are now adults ... The series looks back with the trappings of a film more tailored for adults in tone. |
| 281389 | Micheal Compton | Bowling Green Daily News | Fresh | — | 2018-11-13T01:07:42.000Z | 2018-11-13 01:07:42 | Director David Yates knows this world well and is able to bring this world to life with the same sense of wonderment. |
| 281390 | Matt Oakes | Silver Screen Riot | Fresh | C+ | 2018-11-05T21:38:43.000Z | 2018-11-05 21:38:43 | Stirring Johnny Depp into the mix is not the solution I would have hoped for and gives me legitimate cause for concern going forward. |
| 281391 | Bob Chipman | Geek | Rotten | — | 2018-11-04T08:04:16.000Z | 2018-11-04 08:04:16 | 1.5 The closest thing to the grotesque incestuous f***pile that defines the deeper recesses of modern "fanfic" culture ever to grace a movie screen: a Doctor Who meets Pokemon mash-up rewritten into a tangential Harry Potter prequel. |
| 281392 | Zaki Hasan | Zaki's Corner | Rotten | B- | 2018-11-02T17:04:19.000Z | 2018-11-02 17:04:19 | As the credits rolled and the foreknowledge of a collective eight-to-ten more hours of this stuff hit me, all I felt was fatigue. |
| 281393 | Sean Mulvihill | FanboyNation.com | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2018-11-01T01:38:22.000Z | 2018-11-01 01:38:22 | With its lush visual style, fascinating themes, and real sense of magical wonder, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a pretty good start to a further expanding universe. |
| 281394 | Abbie Bernstein | Assignment X | Fresh | B | 2018-10-19T23:35:39.000Z | 2018-10-19 23:35:39 | This is all a lot of fun, with the colorful and imaginative creatures standing out against the beiges and grays of the city. The beasts all have a great deal of personality, and several have large impacts on the plot as well. |
| 281395 | Joelle Monique | Black Girl Nerds | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2018-09-05T21:30:59.000Z | 2018-09-05 21:30:59 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an excellent adventure story that fans and non-fans alike can enjoy. |
| 281396 | Rendy Jones | Rendy Reviews | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2018-08-30T18:00:06.000Z | 2018-08-30 18:00:06 | Thoroughly fun, innovative, and a crowd pleasing new look at the Wizarding World that only J.K Rowling masters at writing and David Yates masters in directing. |
| 281397 | Akhil Arora | Gadgets360 | Rotten | — | 2018-08-28T18:13:56.000Z | 2018-08-28 18:13:56 | As the audience, we have developed no connection whatsoever with the characters that we are about to see, yet the film is trying evoke memories of a deep past that earned its affection over the course of a decade. |
| 281398 | Asia Frey | Lagniappe (Mobile, AL) | Fresh | — | 2018-08-23T15:51:18.000Z | 2018-08-23 15:51:18 | The burden of the vast story behind and ahead of this film slows it down at times, but the concept of film "universes" seems to be here to stay. If you're going to dwell in a universe, this is a gorgeous and delightful choice. |
| 281399 | Mae Abdulbaki | Movies with Mae | Fresh | 3/5 | 2018-08-22T00:42:14.000Z | 2018-08-22 00:42:14 | The film is a decent trip back into the world of magic, but it isn't a strong film on its own. |
| 281400 | Lisa Johnson Mandell | AtHomeInHollywood.com | Fresh | — | 2018-08-21T22:31:09.000Z | 2018-08-21 22:31:09 | I must say that the film is not without its charm. The beasts themselves are wonderful, the score by James Newton Howard is one of the best of the year. And a couple of characters/actors really stood out in the chilly, ho-hum cast. |
| 281401 | Lapacazo Magrira Sandoval | New York Amsterdam News | Fresh | — | 2018-08-20T21:02:41.000Z | 2018-08-20 21:02:41 | She expands into a mystical, magical world using some existing storylines to dip into its past for an intelligent, gripping and fully entertaining prequel that only deepens the Potter universe... and its characters into a fresh and bold direction. |
| 281402 | Brittany N. Williams | Black Nerd Problems | Rotten | 5/10 | 2018-06-13T17:06:05.000Z | 2018-06-13 17:06:05 | Great if you fear change but if you're looking for depth, fresh eyes, or diversity, this ain't the film for you. |
| 281403 | Annalee Newitz | Ars Technica | Fresh | — | 2018-05-22T22:56:36.000Z | 2018-05-22 22:56:36 | Despite all the spell-casting, this Harry Potter prequel offers some of the most realistic representations of environmental research field work you're likely to see in a movie this decade. |
| 281404 | Ruben Peralta Rigaud | Cineasta | Fresh | — | 2018-04-11T22:51:50.000Z | 2018-04-11 22:51:50 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them creates a new page that will bewitch us in new exciting adventures. [Full Review in Spanish] |
| 281405 | Eli Glasner | CBC News | Rotten | 3/5 | 2018-03-21T21:46:30.000Z | 2018-03-21 21:46:30 | Fantastic Beasts feels like a missed opportunity for Rowling...While there are flashes of wonder and whimsy, there seems little in these characters that would support an ambitious, five-part franchise. |
| 281406 | Andre Meadows | Black Nerd Comedy | Fresh | — | 2018-02-22T21:47:00.000Z | 2018-02-22 21:47:00 | [Dan Fogler] is so good. He's funny, he brings a lot of heart to the movie, and he plays the part of us, the audience. I thought it was a brilliant move to have someone in the movie who can't do magic be a part of this adventure. |
| 281407 | Megan Basham | WORLD | Fresh | — | 2018-02-22T02:11:06.000Z | 2018-02-22 02:11:06 | The chemistry between the trio as they scour the city in search of Newt's creatures is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. |
| 281408 | Jeremy Jahns | JeremyJahns.com | Fresh | — | 2018-01-27T00:21:20.000Z | 2018-01-27 00:21:20 | The movie is sweet but sometimes it's on the fringe lines like, "Oh, is it sweet or is it kind of sappy and cheesy?" Yeah, [it] goes there too. |
| 281409 | Ephie Cozza | Aggressive Comix | Fresh | 4.5/5 | 2018-01-23T20:55:47.000Z | 2018-01-23 20:55:47 | I laughed, I cried, I felt literally every emotion, because that is what J.K. Rowling does to you. |
| 281410 | James Plath | Family Home Theater | Fresh | A- | 2018-01-16T15:05:54.000Z | 2018-01-16 15:05:54 | Anyone unconvinced that J.K. Rowling is a brilliant storyteller needs to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. |
| 281411 | Karen Han | CutPrintFilm | Fresh | 7/10 | 2017-12-08T20:21:56.000Z | 2017-12-08 20:21:56 | Fantastic Beasts is a charm, excelling when it's allowed to be its own creature and falling short only when it's forced to pay its franchise dues. |
| 281412 | Robert Kojder | Flickering Myth | Fresh | 3/5 | 2017-12-05T03:37:05.000Z | 2017-12-05 03:37:05 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them might as well be a crossover between Pokémon Go and Doctor Who |
| 281413 | Jason Di Rosso | The Final Cut | Fresh | — | 2017-11-20T20:51:36.000Z | 2017-11-20 20:51:36 | The film breathes, and while it's overlong, the important thing is you never feel like you're suffocating with too much information or plot. A new series beckons and the magic is back. |
| 281414 | Kristen Lopez | Culturess | Fresh | — | 2017-11-20T06:10:49.000Z | 2017-11-20 06:10:49 | Much of the film's rapid-fire entertainment value and slick filmmaking style do a lot towards covering up the weak narrative excuses. |
| 281415 | Neil Soans | The Times of India | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2017-11-06T22:36:58.000Z | 2017-11-06 22:36:58 | All in all, audiences new and old alike are treated to an endearing adventure with the promise of more to come from J.K. Rowling. |
| 281416 | Sarah Marrs | Lainey Gossip | Fresh | — | 2017-10-11T18:46:35.000Z | 2017-10-11 18:46:35 | The worldbuilding is as detailed and transporting as you expect from JK Rowling, who wrote the script, but you can tell she's a writer used to expansive novels where there's a lot more room to play. |
| 281417 | Keeva Stratton | Rescu (Australia) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2017-09-15T21:31:53.000Z | 2017-09-15 21:31:53 | Welcome back, Potter fans-it's going to be a truly great adventure! |
| 281418 | Martha K. Baker | KDHX (St. Louis) | Fresh | — | 2017-08-29T00:03:07.000Z | 2017-08-29 00:03:07 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is just fabulously fantastic. |
| 281419 | Bobby Roberts | The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | Rotten | — | 2017-08-25T19:59:08.000Z | 2017-08-25 19:59:08 | "Annoying" is the perfect term for his portrayal of Fantastic Beasts' hero, Newt Scamander, a shrugging, slumping sack of stammers and tics. |
| 281420 | Bruce Cinnamon | Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) | Fresh | — | 2017-08-17T20:12:31.000Z | 2017-08-17 20:12:31 | For a movie based on a fictional encyclopedia, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is anything but tedious. |
| 281421 | Alison Herman | The Ringer | Fresh | — | 2017-08-11T22:16:17.000Z | 2017-08-11 22:16:17 | Rowling imbues Fantastic Beasts from start to finish with a sense of discovery. |
| 281422 | Charles Bramesco | Polygon | Rotten | — | 2017-06-01T20:09:59.000Z | 2017-06-01 20:09:59 | [It] will make for a marvelous theme park attraction someday. But as a movie, as a vessel for narrative and ideas enacted by recognizably human characters, it fails to tap into the same simple potency that Harry and Co. wielded from book one. |
| 281423 | David N. Butterworth | La Movie Boeuf | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2017-05-21T06:45:15.000Z | 2017-05-21 06:45:15 | Fantastic looking, fully realized, and thoroughly absorbing, this extension of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world surpassed my expectations exponentially. |
| 281424 | Rain Jokinen | SFist | Fresh | — | 2017-03-23T23:31:32.000Z | 2017-03-23 23:31:32 | Towards the end, the film gets a little too action-packed, with the city of New York (once again) on the verge of destruction. But there are enough moments of magic in the rest of the movie to make up for it. |
| 281425 | Germain Lussier | io9.com | Fresh | — | 2017-03-16T17:17:23.000Z | 2017-03-16 17:17:23 | There are a few other minor gripes throughout the film...but I was so enamored with this world and these characters, I didn't care. I just wanted to see more. |
| 281426 | Diane Pershing | Malibu Times | Rotten | — | 2017-03-09T16:49:35.000Z | 2017-03-09 16:49:35 | The film wants so badly to be fun and silly, but I'm sorry to say it's an old-fashioned dud. |
| 281427 | Peter Sobczynski | eFilmCritic.com | Fresh | 4/5 | 2017-03-01T14:29:55.000Z | 2017-03-01 14:29:55 | It has been made with a lot of style and skill and comes across as much more than the simple cash-in opportunity that it might have initially appeared to be when it was first announced. |
| 281428 | Craig Mathieson | The Sunday Age | Fresh | 3/5 | 2017-01-27T18:51:38.000Z | 2017-01-27 18:51:38 | The great fantasy in Fantastic Beasts is that everything can be put back how it was, no matter what happened. |
| 281429 | Jeffrey M. Anderson | San Francisco Examiner | Fresh | 3/4 | 2017-01-19T13:24:28.000Z | 2017-01-19 13:24:28 | This new movie, while slight, is also dazzling, diverting and wonderful fun. |
| 281430 | Blake Howard | Graffiti With Punctuation | Fresh | 3/5 | 2017-01-05T02:23:24.000Z | 2017-01-05 02:23:24 | Like the first chapter of any story, it has the burden of making you want to come back; and not just for the desperate satisfaction of knowing what's next |
| 281431 | Tricia Olszewski | Washington City Paper | Rotten | — | 2017-01-02T13:53:41.000Z | 2017-01-02 13:53:41 | Rowling may be back, but her magic has largely been lost. |
| 281432 | Rashid Irani | Hindustan Times | Fresh | 3.5/5 | 2016-12-31T22:31:41.000Z | 2016-12-31 22:31:41 | Potterheads can rejoice as JK Rowling takes another journey into the wondrous world of wizards and witches. |
| 281433 | Wesley Lovell | Cinema Sight | Fresh | 3.5/4 | 2016-12-31T09:08:43.000Z | 2016-12-31 09:08:43 | What a marvelous foray into the world of J.K. Rowling. Its period setting helps set it as an astute parallel political commentary while the progressive undertones make for a more enjoyable experience. |
| 281434 | Brad Keefe | Columbus Alive | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2016-12-30T19:43:50.000Z | 2016-12-30 19:43:50 | This is the beginning of a series, and it offers passable entertainment for fans, but let's hope it gets better. |
| 281435 | Jim Schembri | 3AW | Rotten | 2/5 | 2016-12-26T04:28:14.000Z | 2016-12-26 04:28:14 | The same-same beasts are only one of the many 21st-century cliches that hobble this over-long, under-whelming film |
| 281436 | Matthew Toomey | ABC Radio (Australia) | Rotten | B- | 2016-12-25T16:40:22.000Z | 2016-12-25 16:40:22 | It feels more like a knowledge building history lesson rather than an exciting, free-flowing adventure. |
| 281437 | Kristian Harloff | Schmoes Know | Fresh | 85/100 | 2016-12-22T18:12:20.000Z | 2016-12-22 18:12:20 | The beasts are fun, the magic exciting and the story engaging. We're off to another good start in this universe. |
| 281438 | Mark Ellis | Schmoes Know | Rotten | 60/100 | 2016-12-22T18:11:28.000Z | 2016-12-22 18:11:28 | David Yates directs a movie that is entertaining but never garners all that much excitement, and it's an emotional flatline for the bulk of the film. |
| 281439 | Jules Brenner | Cinema Signals | Fresh | 4/5 | 2016-12-22T16:16:38.000Z | 2016-12-22 16:16:38 | The ever fertile mind and imagination of Ms JK Rowlings opens a portal to a world of hilarious anthropomorphism and high eccentricity. |
| 281440 | David Keyes | Cinemaphile.org | Rotten | 2.5/4 | 2016-12-22T12:47:01.000Z | 2016-12-22 12:47:01 | The plot loses its foothold just as the momentum should be taking over, leading us into a barrage of meandering episodes that lack the compelling gravity you would expect out of this ambitious world. |
| 281441 | Adrian Ruiz | Excelsior (MX) | Rotten | — | 2016-12-19T16:36:51.000Z | 2016-12-19 16:36:51 | A visual and magical delight that isn't enough to be enchanting for all muggles; It doesn't petrify emotions as a good spell. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 281442 | Tim Brayton | Antagony & Ecstasy | Fresh | 7/10 | 2016-12-17T13:37:39.000Z | 2016-12-17 13:37:39 | A solid, self-contained piece of basic, honest blockbuster filmmaking. |
| 281443 | Camilla Long | Sunday Times (UK) | Fresh | 4/5 | 2016-12-17T13:26:16.000Z | 2016-12-17 13:26:16 | I've long wondered what defines her world, but this confirms my suspicions: all it is really is deep, dribbling nostalgia, cut with an absorbingly intricate plot, delivered in the purest speedball form from Rowling's soothing pen. |
| 281444 | Gavia Baker-Whitelaw | The Daily Dot | Rotten | — | 2016-12-12T22:21:39.000Z | 2016-12-12 22:21:39 | It's just too bad this feels more like the set-up for later films than a strong, standalone movie, with lead characters who feel thinner than some of the smallest cameo roles in Rowling's novels. |
| 281445 | Daniel Krauze | El Financiero | Rotten | — | 2016-12-09T17:14:37.000Z | 2016-12-09 17:14:37 | The plot of Fantastic Beasts seems so disinterested in the urgency of their conflict, that quickly infects us with that disinterest. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 281446 | Fausto Ponce | Proceso | Rotten | — | 2016-12-09T17:00:43.000Z | 2016-12-09 17:00:43 | The movie doesn't hold by itself, it only makes sense in the films to come, which makes it ideal for condescending fans. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 281447 | Lucero Solórzano | Excelsior (MX) | Fresh | — | 2016-12-09T16:54:29.000Z | 2016-12-09 16:54:29 | An entertaining film where the star is the special effects, the story is well told and managed to separate it from the Potter universe. [Full review in Spanish] |
| 281448 | Walter Chaw | Film Freak Central | Rotten | 2/4 | 2016-12-06T17:22:07.000Z | 2016-12-06 17:22:07 | I hope Steve Kloves decides he wants to write the next one. |
| 281449 | Matt Looker | TheShiznit.co.uk | Fresh | 4/5 | 2016-12-06T12:25:37.000Z | 2016-12-06 12:25:37 | At one point, it looks like a giant sex rhino impregnates a tree by shooting his load of magical horn seed into it. |
Showing the latest 100 canonical reviews for this movie.