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JAN 2017 ISSUE 001 PRICE 2.99

FIRST LOOK
AT THE
DOCTOR WHO
CHRISTMAS
EPISODE

FILM REVIEW

FANTA$TIC BEA$Ts
THE FAN$ $peak out

By Deanna Carden

.K Rowling has graced the world

with more of her magic and
introduced us to more than
wizarding Britain. She started off
with a boy wizard that defined a
generation and with the help of
Warner Brothers opened a new
chapter into the wizarding world
with new characters, new setting and
a new country. This film is a bit like
the same dense exposition of the first
Harry Potter films in the sense that
there is a lot of world building to do.
Thanks to Rowlings imagination and
invention the large gamble paid off.
The many visual effects tie in well
with the plot. Newt Scamander
(Eddie Redmayne) is seen fresh off
the boat and whilst he is looking
around he meets a no-maj (muggles)
called Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler)
outside of a New York bank where
they are carrying the same suitcases.
Jacobs contains pastries for the bank
teller to try whereas Newt is filled full
of all manners of magical creatures
that he is studying for his book
that he is writing, so you can tell
that something will go wrong from
the start. Whilst this is happening
Porpentina Goldstein (Katherine
Waterston) is stalking Newt as she
suspects him of being a threat to
magical safety and it also makes
Newt a target to get her back in the
good books at where she works:
MACUSA (Magical Congress of the
United States of America).

The screenplay book and the official

textbook from Hogwarts now avalible
from retailers
006 | Geek Magazine | Jan 2017

Redmayne does an excellent

portrayal of Newt where he is bad at
mixing with people but also amiable
and well meaning. He is an eccentric,
lovable professorial type and he
appears under a stock of hair. He is
so disconnected from the world that
he barely shifts facial expressions; at
least in the first half an hour of the
film where we need him the most
so that he can guide us through the
narrative. Jacob is our gateway into
understanding this new world with
its many comedic elements. This is
the point where I thought the film
went downhill. Jacob kept flirting
with Tinas sister, Queenie (Alison
Sudol), and it brought the screen
time down that was needed for Newt
and Tina.
It is almost at the end of the film
where we see more action with Newt
and Tina, which is a massive shame
because I felt that there could have
been more character developments
between them. Whilst Newt, Tina
and Jacob are chasing for Newts
creatures that are on the loose,
a dark prologue has warned the
audience about Gellert Grindlewald.
MACUSAs strict boss Seraphina
Picquery (Carmen Ejogo) is holding
summits about Grindlewald with
characters that are going to be
introduced further down the line.

While all of these summits are taking

place, Graves (Colin Farrell) is very
gripping but he also has a shifty
nature about him as he investigates
a destructive force that is attacking
the city at random, threating to reveal
the wizarding world to the muggles.
Some of the characters that are on
the sidelines stand out more than
the leads do, in my opinion. This is
in relation to Samantha Mortons
character who is a prominent witchhater, hell bent on exposing the fact
that the latest destruction is due
to witchcraft. Another character
that I felt exceeded their role is
Ezra Millers Credence, who plays
Mortons sorely abused eldest
adopted son brilliantly.
The film did have some structural
problems. Catching the creatures
that have escaped is an excellent
special effect, but acts more as a
sideshow; the main action sequences
did drag out when they were
capturing the creatures. The mating
dance with the Erumpent will be
retained in your memory but it isnt
required when there is more pressing
action happening across town as
an invisible force destructs a city!
It is only in the last half an hour of
the film that there is real focus on
what is happening in the city and
the mystery is solved before Newts
Thunderbird Frank is sent into the
heavens.

MEET NEWT
$CaMANDER
Born in 1897 and had developed an
interest in magical creatures from an
early age. This is due to his mother
being a breeder of Hippogriffs, and
as a child he would be in his room
dismembering Horklumps regularly.
Attended Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he
was sorted into Hufflepuff. During
his time at Hogwarts he had a
key interest in studying magical
creatures. He had developed a
friendship with Leta Lestrange,
who also shared his love for
magical beasts as well as feeling
as an outsider. One day, she had
performed an experiment that was
too dangerous and had endangered a
student. Instead of seeing his friend
expelled he took the blame which
lead to him being expelled instead of
her. Albus Dumbledore who taught
transfiguration at the time, had
argued strongly but in vain against
his expulsion. But sometime after a
later date he might have been able to
re-enter Hogwarts and graduate.
When he had left Hogwarts, he went
to work at the Ministry of Magic in
the Department for the Regulation
and Control of Magical Creatures. He
worked for two years in the Office for
House-Elf Relocation before he had
transferred over to the beast division
where he had excelled and led to a
rapid series of promotions.
In 1918, Augustus Worme of
Obscurus Books had appointed
Scamander to write the first edition
of Fantastic Beasts and Where to
Find Them. He jumped at the chance
as he was only earning 2 sickles a
week working at the Ministry. He
had travelled to a hundred countries
through five continents for research
for his book and observing many
creatures.

Biographical information

Born: 1897
Blood status: Half-blood or pureblood
Marital status: Married
Also known as: Newt
He had gained their trust, learnt
Mr English Guy
about their abilities and also showing
authority over them by beating them (by Jacob Kowalski)
with his travelling kettle if they got
too dangerous. He met an Obscurus,
even though the host died he managed to contain the dark force within
his suitcase.

Newt began a years trip where he

was documenting the creatures and
their natural habitats. When he left
Equatorial Guinea, Newt ended up
in New York in December 1926 which
was meant as a brief stopover. However when a muggle by the name of
Jacob Kowalski accidently opened his
suitcase which contained his creatures and that the small incident had
turned into major problems because
of magical and non-magical relations
were frail due the New Salem Philanthropic Society which needed the
attention of the Magical Congress of
the United States.
Whilst in New York he had met his
future wife Tina Goldstein as well
as his future sister-in-law Queenie.
During the time whilst he is trying
to recover his escaped creatures he
meets another Obscurus but was
later vanquished by MACUSA which
led to the revel of Percival Graves as
being Gellert Grindlewald, a dark
wizard and international criminal.
His first book being published in 1927
and that it had become an approved
textbook at Hogwarts and by the time
Harry Potter was attending Hogwarts
it was in its fifty-second edition.

Physical information
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 6 2
Hair colour: White
Reddish brown
Eye colour: Blue
Skin colour: light

Family information

Mrs Scamander
(Mother)

Theseus Scamander
(Brother)

Porpentina Goldstein
(Wife)
Son

Rolf Scamander
(Grandson)

Luna Lovegood
(Granddaughter-in-law)

Mrs Goldstein (Motherin-law)

Queenie Goldstein
(Sister-in-law)

Lorcan Scamander
(Great grandson)

Lysander Scamander
(Great grandson)

In 1947, he was responsible for the Werewolf Register, and then in 1965
which he classes as his proudest achievement is the Ban on Experimental
Breeding. He worked extensively with the Dragon Research and Restraint
Bureau which had led his on expeditions around the world allowing him to
collect more information for newer additions of Fantastic Beasts and Where
to Find Them.

Jan 2017 | Geek magazine | 007