In the 1920s, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is a wizard who arrives in New York City from Great Britain with the intention of travelling further to Arizona. He ends up getting mixed up with a would-be baker (Dan Folger), another wizard (Katherine Waterston), and strange events from somewhere in the magical community causing havoc on the city.

As this film was written by J.K. Rowling and directed by Peter Yates, much of the jollity of the Harry Potter series is repeated here. The visual effects are magnificent as is the set design and all else that help recreate another time and place long gone by mixed with the supernatural.

Occasionally, the story seemed incoherent and difficult to follow though it seemed easier to understand near its conclusion. Luckily, its light-heartedness, fine acting and able directing saved the film from falling to a mediocre level.