Mediocre Beasts if You Want to Find Them

Last updated on: October 18, 2017 at 8:27 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

Mediocre Beasts if You Want to Find Them 2017-10-18T20:27:47-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Fantastic 2 The worst of the Harry Potter films has been around long enough that spoiler warnings seem unnecessary. In this case, there is nothing to spoil, because this film is a dreary bit of mediocrity. With every book, JK Rowling shook off more editorial control and suffered for it. She became rich and now she feels free to opine.

Sadly, JKR has ceased to be “as a little child” and her adult self is mostly childish. The first Harry Potter book was workmanlike in the prose, not much beauty, but full of wonder. Like CS Lewis in Narnia, JKR does small worlds, Hogwarts, beautifully, with an absurd worldview. When she writes of school, quidditch, or young love, she has a sure voice. When she deals with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Magic, then she is like reading Twilight for those who respond to North Korea: absurd.

The Potter books are wonderful, the films uneven, this movie mediocre boosted by fans desperate to love something new in a world they thought ended with the eighth film.

Who is the core audience for this film? The plot is too simple for an adult and the characters too mature for children. The romance, such as it is, is contrived. If you don’t know the witch will marry the No-Mag in the first moment they meet, then you are not literate enough to read JKR. But if you are well read, if you loved Harry, then Fantastic Beasts is just not smart enough for you. There was not one twist that we could not guess and by the end, I found thinking about better JKR more interesting than the film.

JKR has run out of ideas and so is left mining old ideas for second hand inspiration. So barren is Hollywood that even workmanlike JKR is mediocre . . . which is a good bit better than any comic book movies this side of Wonder Woman lately. The money is too big for chances. Imagine pitching a movie about a little boy with faithful friends at an English boarding school today! No chance. What if there was magic? Stupid.

The brand got the picture made, but sadly the film goes forward on brand and not on writing. The good news is that Newt is brilliant. Eddie Redmayne could carry a franchise if he were given a better script and a love interest who did not channel made for TeeVee movies. Perhaps it is best to ignore the rest of the “cast” as they are a genial fine group of stereotypes. You will see a Luna. There is a bargain basement Hermione and an Italian comic relief stereotype.

For the social justice warrior she is online, this film is 1950’s at the core.

Villians? The movie has some. Sincerity? The film overflows. America? JKR and the writers have as much chance of understanding the US as the average BBC sitcom. America is one vast stereotype, so cartoonish that it is not offensive only silly.

What it lacks is a compelling plot, the charm of watching Harry grow up and face death: Hamlet crossed with Tom Brown. Like the latter Oz books by Baum, this is an exploration of the footnotes of the better work, a geographical exploration of the world outside the books. It is good for a view, but not two.

Is this a bad movie? Of course not, nothing JKR touches could be Krull and too much money was spent for it to be cheesy, though the computer animation was oddly bad for a big budget film.

Culture

Spiritual Reflections

Previous Post

October 15, 2017

Why are there so many Bible translations? Mark Driscoll’s Ghost and Researchers Speak

Next Post

October 17, 2017 Bad Dads, Boys Who Can Shave, and Pastors Who Are Both: Not Mark Driscoll

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the correct order of the armor of God as listed in Ephesians?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with readiness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit Shield of faith, helmet of salvation, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sword of the Spirit, feet fitted with readiness Breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, feet fitted with readiness Helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, feet fitted with readiness, shield of faith, sword of the Spirit

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »