Mama Ro's bestiary brutal charm
In 2011, it seemed to us that it was time to say goodbye to an entire era. No, of course, this year brought with it much more important and resonant events, but film fans who literally grew up with the Boy-Who-Lived were not up to it: they were not parting so much with the amazing, to the smallest detail, a well-thought-out magical world, as much as with his own childhood. Solemnly escorting the Golden Trio to adulthood and shedding a train of tears, the Potter fans dispersed to their Muggle business. However, the producers from the studio Warner Bros. , which has learned to trade nostalgia no worse than its competitors, decided in their own way and launched a prequel and at the same time a spin-off of "Harry Potter" - " Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ". And now, five years later, already mature boys and girls,
By the way, many Potter fans, despite the prevailing positive attitude, are often even more suspicious and vulnerable than Tolkienists or Star Wars fans. This year they have already experienced a journey into the wizarding universe - such an opportunity was kindly presented by the authors of the not-so-sensational play " Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ". The sensation is akin to eating a snot-flavored Bertie Botts candy or getting puffed out by the Rattling Willow. A second such gift would have been difficult for those who were persistently awaiting a letter from Hogwarts. That is why it is a great success that Madame Demiurge of this rich world, J.K., took on the script of " Creatures " with the same diligence and without outside help. Rowling.  In the director's chair of the film adaptation of the adventures of the magozoologist Newt Scamander sat David Yates , whose name most often flashed in the credits of films about a boy with a lightning bolt on his forehead. It flashed not only there - having managed to bring a lot of dubious gag to the franchise, the director began to collect strikes from fans while working on the fifth part, which, as a result, can be titled "Harry Potter and a pinched cervical nerve." The destruction of Nora in The Half-Blood Prince generally threatened David with the curse of eternal oblivion, but he was rehabilitated in Deathly Hallows. Well, in " Fantastic Beasts ", Yates demonstrated that quantity can still turn into quality, and decisively diluted the share of skepticism towards the new film series. The first tape of the future pentalogy tells about the slightly nervous and withdrawn, but infinitely charming and good-natured Briton Newt Scamander , who arrived in New York in 1926 with a suitcase full of unseen creatures. The local magic community is restless - the wizards oppressed by their own Congress are forced to hide three times more carefully, because on the streets the enmity is incited by the “new Salemians” calling to launch another witch hunt. So also some dark supernatural force destroys everything in its path - be it a magician or a non-magician.  But the zoologist has his own problems: the motley wards escaped from his miracle suitcase and scattered around the metropolis, threatening not only to put the whole city on their ears, but also to declassify the wizards on both sides of the ocean.The main thing that should be given its due is that the duet of Yeats and Rowling turned out to be absolutely unique and distinctive, albeit built on the solid foundation of the original, a blockbuster. Of course, the authors do not deny themselves the pleasure of occasionally winking at the fans of the series from around the corner, they say, you and I understand how difficult it is to be Legiliment, which means the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, and that Hogwarts is better than some Ilvermorny. But they do it extremely unobtrusively, skillfully masking Easter eggs in the plot. The duo also cares about the uninitiated public, but those who have not read the books may feel dizzy a couple of times: the mythology of the North American magical community has turned out to be extensive, despite the fact that not everyone is ready to draw magic with a big spoon. So " Fantastic Beasts " is more of a club for their own. Nevertheless, the creators do not speculate on the nostalgic feelings of the Potterians, as Peter Jackson did, introducing in The Hobbit a whole galaxy of characters that had nothing to do with the story, or JJ Abrams, "The Force Awakens" simply rebooted the saga. Before us is the same well-known world in which heroes transgress, cast spells, read minds, use wonderful artifacts and wash dishes in a contactless way. However, it suddenly expands, becomes deeper and more realistic than the world that comfortably fit within the walls of Hogwarts.  Of course, the heartfelt warmth of the school of witchcraft and wizardry with its floating candles, singing portraits and revolving staircases cannot be replaced by anything, but the long-tormented question:What is there in adulthood?, - finally received an exhaustive answer ... Oddly enough, the business America of the roaring 20s was much better suited for this than the conservative old lady England. Here we have an emphatically austere office of the local analogue of the Ministry of Magic, symbolically located in a skyscraper, and an underground bar held by a goblin (Ron Perlman); the present world of Muggles, who in America are called non-magicians. Moreover, the latter, unlike their foreign counterparts, would hardly have overlooked the tin lizzie flying across the sky. The chosen tonality of the tape and its adjustment for a more adult viewer provided something that was lacking until the last films in " Harry Potter ". The magic in “ Fantastic Beasts ” is very organically combined with a more witty humor, really chilling horrors and deep drama.  It even has its own execution scene - not the Green Mile, but psychologically very tense, uncomfortable sight. Moreover, in the new film, a love line that does not look ridiculous appears, although Joan is still doing the same with amorous dialogues as with Ron with transfiguration, that is, very bad. The writer, who has proved to cynics in every scene anew that her triumph in the field of children's fantasy literature is not an accident, is much freer, feels herself in the company of characters inhabiting this abundant world.Sure, Jazz New York as the backdrop and magic through the eyes of a Muggle as a storytelling angle are nice bonuses, but we all know why we were in a hurry to see Fantastic Beasts. Actually, for the sake of these creatures themselves. It was then that Rowling unleashed her fantasy. To film a thin guide to outlandish animals with comments from careless students of Hogwarts, Ron and Harry , initially seemed an absurd idea. But still I did not want these wonderful creatures to become just attributes of new adventures. As a result, Merlin's beard, how accurately the name of the film was chosen (even the illiterate USA localization almost did not spoil it)! These naughty animals really steal every scene with them, Moreover, as it turned out, the previously presented hippogriffs and Cornish pixies were just the tip of the iceberg - in the suitcase of Mr. Salamander , whom even the Weasleys family with their three-room tent hides a park. The eye has something to stop at: each creature lives in its own climatic and magical zone, each has a relationship with its own pride, each - from a timid baby-locotrus Pickett to a half-dragon-half-bird changing in size Occami - has its own character, background, hobbies and sins. Indeed, such a bestiary, like that of mother Ro , the audience has not seen, perhaps, since the time of flora and fauna "Avatar". Yet the most fantastic of these creatures looks like Newt himself - probably  Not at all like the gray-haired old man from the cards attached to " Chocolate Frogs ", this charming vulnerable neurotic, who understands his four-legged and feathered friends much better than the people around him, fully justified the title of the protagonist. He can go on a very childish strike against house arrest, to sneak out like a five-year-old boy, at the first opportunity, or he can stand against a powerful dark magician without hesitation. If Harry in the original films was only at first an outcast, then Newt is a full-fledged outsider who has much more in common not only with Hagrid , but also with the other renegades that Rowling loves so much. Important, that according to the canon, the fascination with strange animals was never considered a fashionable or prestigious occupation, but they only admitted worthy personalities with pure hearts to themselves. Here is a brave, but completely not adapted to life Salamander , striving with his caring hands to protect powerless magical animals from troubles, just right to enter into the Red Book in order to groom and cherish. But this does not mean at all that at a crucial moment he will not dance a mating dance in front of an angry female driftwood or a girl will not come to help. just right to enter into the Red Book in order to groom and cherish. But this does not mean at all that at a crucial moment he will not dance a mating dance in front of an angry female driftwood or a girl will not come to help. just right to enter into the Red Book in order to groom and cherish. But this does not mean at all that at a crucial moment he will not dance a mating dance in front of an angry female driftwood or a girl will not come to help.  The slightly infantile owner of an expressive face, a shy smile and some almost feminine, soft grace, Eddie Redmayne looks like a godsend in this role. However, not all members of the cast can be said the same. Undoubtedly impressive-looking Peaky Blinders-looking Colin Farrell lacked villainous charisma - his Graves fell somewhere between the cunning of Severus Snape and the sheer brutality of Volan- de Morta . Catherine Waterston ( Tina ) faded against the backdrop of fast-singing Dan Fogler ( Kowalski ) and Alison Sudol ( Kiunney ). However, the latter are also not very self-sufficient individually. But Johnny Depp seems to be a very strange casting decision, flashing only for a couple of minutes in the image of Gellert Grindelwald blinded by ambition. Well, this imposing man with the drunken squint of captain Jack Sparrow could not charm and win over Albus Dumbledore himself, and then become the only one with whom the Dark lord . However, it will be all the more interesting to follow the development of the hero in subsequent films, where he is declared as the culprit of completely bleak events. We can only hope that the upcoming epic deeds of this gentleman will not shift the focus from the titular heroes, who, in this case, together with Scamander , risk being out of place.  In truth, all these reasonable doubts arise only after watching the tape, while there is a lump in my throat, and the thought is spinning in my head that we grew up with Harry and therefore we treat him with trepidation, like to your childhood. " Fantastic Beasts " does not have this advantage. Not all viewers will notice in their heroes old friends who returned unharmed from their long wanderings. But to others on large multi-colored wings and in clawed paws, they will surely bring that precious feeling when they catch their breath and kick in their chest from the very first chords of “ Hedwig's theme ”. And then the most accurate description of the miracle that happened in the theater would be the dialogue between Dumbledore and Snape :““ After so many years? ” - “Always!” ". The Topic of Article: Mama Ro's bestiary brutal charm. |
