Some More Thoughts On Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Last night we went out to the cinema for another viewing of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Yup, seen it twice in less than two weeks. I don't think I've done that since The Lord of the Rings films!

My local cinema seats about ninety people and there's only one screen. Since it was upgraded the seats are a lot comfier, there are cupholders in the arms now, and we do get films a lot sooner after they come out than in the past. We like to support them because if people don't, we simply wouldn't have a cinema any more. So many small islands and towns don't have one any more.

Even though we'd already seen it, I was perfectly happy to go back and watch it again.

Once again, if you choose to read past this point, you will be spoiled.

Don't read on if you've not seen it yet. Instead, enjoy this Niffler gif:

gif from here.

I will admit that I spent the whole film remembering 'this is where it rained on it', 'this is where I smelled pastries', 'this is where we got violently shaken around' and half expecting it to happen again. Then again, I'm glad we saw the 4DX version first because it allowed me to get immersed in the film, whereas this time I was able to watch the background and take in all the little extra bits.

Like the fact that there is so much attention to detail in the backgrounds. I guess I've seen the Harry Potter films so many times that I just take it for granted that there's stuff in the background, like little Easter Eggs for people who are familiar with the books.

There's plenty in Fantastic Beasts as well.

I noticed a couple of signs in Tina's department. One said 'you don't have to be magic to work here, actually, you do', which someone has helpfully turned into a mug:

There's another one as well which says 'Do not obstruct the path of memorandum', referring to the cute little origami mice running around the place (instead of the paper aeroplanes used by the British Ministry of Magic). One of those little mice takes a peak into the suitcase when Graves shows up to examine just what Tina's complaining about at the start. I missed that last time but it's a neat little touch.

It's worth paying attention around Jacob too. In his room he's got a book which you can see shortly after he's been bitten with a title about the Urban Jungle, pretty fitting considering what he finds himself in shortly afterwards. I also enjoyed watching the cover of the book he's reading at Tina and Queenie's because the cat wanders around all over the place:

I also need to find up with some way of passing messages to my husband in the cinema without speaking because during the interrogation scene between Graves and Newt I spotted something in Graves's pocket which crops up shortly afterwards.

I can't actually find a picture showing it, but in his pocket on the left hand side, you can just make out the Deathly Hallows pendant that he gives to Credence a short time later. I spotted it and kept squeezing Mr Click's arm, wanting him to notice it too, but I had no way of getting my message across to him.

My favourite part of the film will always be when Newt first takes Jacob into the suitcase. I think if I had a suitcase like that, I would just move in permanently. Think of all the labradors and rats I could fit in there!

There is something just so magical about it. I love the way that the different bits of it are sort of sectioned off. I love that there are creatures in there which don't even get an explanation. I hope that we get to see more of them in the future.

I'm curious about how they're going to address the whole wand lore issue, since Grindelwald was defeated which means technically his wand's allegiance should pass to someone else. And I think that person should be Tina. Newt incapacitated him with his Swooping Evil, but then it was Tina who disarmed him. I wonder if that's going to give him a reason to go after her when he inevitably escapes, because otherwise things are going to get very complicated with who really has ownership of the Elder Wand.

Normally things like that would worry me, but J.K. Rowling is pretty good at tidying up things like that, so I'm just waiting to find out how it's going to work.

I just wish it wasn't going to be so long until the next film!