Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay

This is a screenplay, therefore a fast read, with plenty of detail left to the imagination--or the movie. Author J. K. Rowling brings the story to life with fantastic dialog, cool descriptions, and stage directions that are simple, short and to the point. There’s even a rather nice glossary of film terms at the end. Though I’ve not seen the movie, I know I shall. Meanwhile I can confidently proclaim I enjoyed this book far more than the Cursed Child. I guess I want to see Cursed Child for the spectacle. I want to see Fantastic Beasts for the story, and for the chance to revisit a beloved universe.

This novel is set convincingly in the past of Harry Potter’s world, in an America that likes its own laws best, among people who, show more sometimes in spite of themselves and their culture, care more about people than laws, and around the author of Harry Potter’s old school textbook. But authors can have exciting lives too, and Newt Scamander’s perfectly innocent plans go amusingly awry, never quite in the way the reader expects, but always with just the right amount of enticing suspense.

The monsters are cool, well-imagined and definitely fun. Scamander’s ecological aims tie past to present perfectly. And, as always in Harry Potter books, there’s always that slight reminder that we, in our pride and our flaws, are not so very different from these magicians. Those who don’t fit in, those of different beliefs, those with different priorities all prove to be of value—even the muggles (pleasingly given a different American name).

If you’ve never read a screenplay before, this would be a great place to start. And if you haven’t seen the movie yet, this is a great place to learn why you really will have to see it. Great fun, and great to find J. K. Rowling writing in her magical universe again.

Disclosure: It was a Christmas present. show less

Fantastic Beasts is totally fantastic. It speaks greatly to me. Newt is a pioneer in the wizard version of a conservation biology. Totally my new fictional hero.

I'm no expert on screenplays but through reading I was basically able to rewatch the movie in my head. It matches up perfectly as far as my memory goes. I gained knowledge of just a few details by reading this. Such as the fact Langdon was often drunk. Or slightly more information about what Queenie saw in another's head. Oh and of course seeing the spelling of the magical creatures species was useful.

My only complaint is focused on the glossary of set terms. It fails to explain what a "beat" is which I had to look up myself.

Stage plays and screenplays are simply another form of text, and whilst it may take some while to adjust to their conventions they remain narratives as much as novels. There is no need to mount a defence of them; the only criterion that matters is whether they stand up as stories in their own right. With the screenplay of Fantastic Beasts made available for the mass market it becomes easier for the ordinary reader to judge whether their interest is maintained and expectations met in the absence of novelistic conventions or whether the presence of technical directions proves a barrier to enjoyment.

My first impression is that this will only make sense to someone who is already familiar with J K Rowling's wizarding world. Without the show more whizz-bang-crash of onscreen special effects you'll need a lot of imagination to picture what, say, 'Disapparate' involves. But then, there can't be many people who haven't got some inkling of this universe, and they aren't the people likely to want to pick this book up in the first place.

Newt Scamander, a so-called magizoologist, is visiting 1920s New York with an express purpose in mind. Within his case he is concealing a menagerie of fantastic beasts, one or two of which are very eager to escape their confines. His attention is briefly drawn to a rally by the New Salem Philanthropic Society, the spokesperson of which -- Mary Lou Barebone -- denounces witches and declares "Something is stalking our city, wreaking destruction and then disappearing without a trace..." only to find that things are indeed starting to get rather complicated.

Pretty soon he finds himself involved with Jacob Kowalski, who is seeking financial support for a bakery, and then two sisters, Tina and Queenie Goldstein, who are not what they at first seem. There are encounters with the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), its President Seraphina Picquery and its Director of Magical Security, Percival Graves. Overshadowing it all, almost literally, is a dark cloud-like creature, the existence of which the anti-witch campaigner has already alluded to. What too are we to make of the appearance of Albus Dumbledore's rival Gellert Grindelwald in the opening scenes?

Fantastic Beasts is all-action, right from the start. Directions take precedence over speech, and when characters do speak they seldom manage more than two or three sentences at most before somebody or something interrupts. There are 124 'scenes' in the script, almost as many minutes as there are in the film, which gives a good indication of the quick-fire nature of the action. Even if you haven't seen the movie (which I haven't, as yet) there will have been enough clips and stills around to give a good impression of the look of it all -- your imagination and the directions can easily fill in the rest -- though this New York looks a little less dreary, despite the massive destruction visited on it, than the city of archive photos from 1926.

A brief word about Rowling's inventiveness in this, the first of a five episode franchise for which she herself has written the script. All the fun names and imagined attributes of her invented beasts are there, many familiar from the fictional book by Newt Scamander which Rowling published in 2001. Fewer of the character names seem as significant as those in the Harry Potter books (the flower allusions, for example, such as Lily, Petunia, Lupin and so on) but appear to be typical for New York inhabitants.

Interestingly, the three who team up with Newt have surnames with Jewish affinities: Goldstein and Kowalski, the first possibly originating from alchemy and the second from a Polish name for a blacksmith. This Jewish link suggests that one of Rowling's subliminal messages in the film is to point out that people from ethnic communities (such as Jews) or with differences (Non-Maj individuals and so-called Squibs) should not be unfairly discriminated against or victimised. Mary Lou Barebone, who inveighs against witches, may owe her name to the 17th-century individual called Praise-God Barebone, a nonconformist preacher whose name was later given to the so-called Barebone's Parliament of 1653 set up by Oliver Cromwell. Her presence in the script indicates Rowling's antipathy towards prejudice, vindictiveness and bullying.

Like all works of true imagination, FBAWTFT has a superficial level that we all can appreciate (or not) overlying depths which may remain obscure to most. Is it too soon to judge what all the hidden depths are? It could be that more will be revealed as the film franchise works its way through (perhaps with associated screenplays), leaving it to fans and academics to examine and digest how passing allusions in it may in time gather greater significance.

http://wp.me/s2oNj1-beasts show less

There were moments that I noticed something in the screenplay that I had completely missed in the movie. This book adds some insight to some of the foreshadowing and how things work together that you just don't see when it is on the screen.

Even as a screenplay, it reads similar to the Harry Potter books. It grabs your attention and takes you on a journey. You feel like a part of the Wizarding World. I love it.

Newt is my favorite character, maybe because I am also a socially awkward Hufflepuff who is more comfortable with animals. I think this screenplay has a great cast of loveable characters. I truly care about each and every one of them and love seeing how they all interact to make this story unfold.

Stepping back into this world of show more Harry Potter was like being greeted by an old friend. While it is a new storyline, it still has similarities and the same feel.

I can't wait to see how the rest of the story plays out. show less

THAT COVER! LOOK AT THAT COVER!

First of all thank you JK Rowling for taking us back into your fantastic world (see what I did there;). Second I love this story! I was a little hesitant because of reasons (cursed child) but this story made me relive all the old Harry Potter feels. I saw the movie before I read this book and they are exactly the same. The characters are the best part of this book. My love after seeing the movie for Newt, Tina, Queenie and Jacob has only grown. I really liked the big story line, looking for all the beasts that escaped, but the second story line was what sold me to continue with this series. I think it's a fantastic move to explore something we haven't experienced before in the Harry Potter books. The only show more thing I can think of that should be different is Credents didn't have to die. I love Ezra Miller and he's such a Potterhead he could stay with this franchise a little longer . Overall I'm so ready for the next 4 movies/books that will be coming out over the years! show less

Set several decades before the events of Harry Potter, the magic is alive once again in perhaps a fantastic start to what will be a prequel series consisting of five movies. Yes, that's right because this is a screenplay but that doesn't undermine it's ability to convey effective storytelling in comparison to the brilliantly written Harry Potter novels.
There's no room for disappointment for those who've already seen the movie because it is as faithful to the screenplay as it is supposed to be. It is a very promising debut for J.K. Rowling in screenwriting and hopefully this series continues to progress.

Unfortunately I missed seeing the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them while it was still in theaters. After enjoying the recent book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which was in script form, I decided that I would read the recently released original screenplay of Fantastic Beasts. I figured it would tide me over until I can purchase the movie on DVD in March.

Oh. My. God.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I didn't care that it was in screenplay format....it was still so much fun to read! I can't wait to see the film!

Newt Scamander and his collection of magical creatures come to New York, where Newt plans to purchase another creature to add to his collection. But, unfortunately his creatures escape from the case he keeps them show more in. Chaos ensues. With the help of a couple witches and a muggle (called a No-Maj in the United States), he tries to elude the local Magic Authorities and capture his escaped creatures. The story is a prequel to Harry Potter and is set in the 1920s.

Newt really is a sweet man. He loves all of his magical creatures, and really does try to do the right thing. The supporting characters are all awesome as well. The film doesn't release until March 28th but I'm glad I got to read the story!

The only thing that really bothers me is I don't like the term No-Maj at all. Bleck. Yeah yeah yeah....I know some terms are always different between here in the states and the UK...but No-Maj? Really?? Yuck. Sounds like some sort of paste floor cleaner. I much prefer Muggle.

I hope that more stories are forthcoming about Magic and the Wizards school on this side of the pond. That would be an awesome continuation of the Harry Potter universe. I feel like I just got an awesome Harry Potter fix, and the DVD is on preorder!

I definitely recommend this to all Harry Potter fans, even those who don't normally read screenplays or who saw the movie when it came out. I checked out a digital copy from my local library,but I'm definitely going to be purchasing a nice hardback copy of this for my keeper shelf. Delightful read! show less