SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

A new Harry Potter universe movie is being made. JK Rowling is writing the script for an adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She says it is not a prequel and will follow the story of Newt Scamander.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/ha...

I also find it interesting that this is to be the first in a new series. I wonder what else they will release.

There's always Quidditch Through the Ages. That could be exciting.

That does sound exciting. Would certainly love to see a HP spin off film.

We may even see Luna, she's married to Newt's grandson, cmiiw

IMDb is saying that it will be out November 18th 2016.

I didn't know anything about this story, so I was surprised to see it's set in the US about 100 years before Harry Potter. I thought it was going to be a spin-off rather than simply loosely-related.

Anyway, trailer dropped a few weeks ago. The logo is nice.

https://youtu.be/XWXUQq7OsKQ

I thought the movie was good, very imaginative ideas and great characters, but the plot was convoluted. Too many ideas thrown into the long 133 minute movie that they couldn't be developed properly. For me it would have been better if Rowling had concentrated on one or two of the ideas instead of trying to do so much. What did anyone else think?

Yes, it was too much for me. I wish it sticks to the Beasts - surely they could develop a more interesting plot around them. Newt is almost drowned in other plots and it is just a waste of Eddie Redmayne. The chemistry of the main trio is great, could have used them more.

How about meeting all the other American beast such as Wampus and Horned Serpent? Why release materials about Ilvermorny but did not use the opportunity to explore that new school and new wizarding world Pottermore is raving about?

And yet we have the creepy weird orphanage (Ezra Miller's hair is a child abuse in itself) and the raging smoke. And very incompetent MACUSA. And that weird dressing scene with Queenie. Having said that, it was good to watch Colin Farrell here. (view spoiler)[I hope the real Graves is not dead yet. I just don't see Depp as a wizarding world material. He's too Mad Hatter/Jack for me. (hide spoiler)]

I really enjoyed it, but was somewhat disappointed with the reveal at the end featuring (view spoiler)[ Graves/Grindelwald, as I'm not keen to see Johnny Depp as this character at all. I really thought that Graves was a good enough character in his own right, and much more interesting than the character we already know something about. (hide spoiler)]

The fantastic beasts were excellent. Loved the niffler - to my Australian eyes it looked like a combination of a platypus and an echidna, and was just delightful.

Bruce wrote: "I thought the movie was good, very imaginative ideas and great characters, but the plot was convoluted. Too many ideas thrown into the long 133 minute movie that they couldn't be developed properly..."

I will still give the movie and book a try. I'm not sure if it could stand on it's own but the fact is it's got the Harry Potter franchise propping it up. I may be disappointed but I still want to check it out.

Silvana wrote: "Yes, it was too much for me. I wish it sticks to the Beasts - surely they could develop a more interesting plot around them. Newt is almost drowned in other plots and it is just a waste of Eddie Re..."

I'll probably be there just to see the Horned Serpent on the screen. I'm a Mohawk and it's a part of my people's folklore. I'd like to see what Hollywood does with it.

Cathy wrote: "I will still give the movie and book a try. "

Yes, I definitely recommend the movie. It was still fun to watch; I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm just pointing out I think it could have been better with a more focused plot.

Leonie wrote: "I really enjoyed it, but was somewhat disappointed with the reveal at the end..."

Agreed, the reveal didn't work for me either.

to be just, there was some set-up for it.

And, at least, it pulled free from the gravity of Harry Potter to be a different tale happening in the same universe.

Mary wrote: "to be just, there was some set-up for it."

Do you mean the (view spoiler)[Deathly Hallows symbol (hide spoiler)]? It still seemed like it was thrown in, not set up very well.

Questions:

(view spoiler)[During the venom rain, how come Jacob was not affected while the others (also indoor) were? Plot convenience?

So the venom, according to Newt, erased the bad memories. Only. So it's not like obliviate, right? It did not completely erase people's memories of ALL the magical stuff. So that means the wizarding community was revealed, right?

On the execution attempt, did Tina regain her memory back after being extracted (a la Pensieve) and put in that death pond?

On Macusa, if they are so afraid of the Second Salemers, why don't they just obliviate the members especially Mary Lou?

Why is it so easy for Newt and Tina to barge in during seemingly important discussions? Especially in the UN-like gathering. Didn't Macusa has security or something?

And if this assisted suicide thing was meant to pacify the death row prisoners, and supposedly only show the happy stuff (we saw her mom), why there were images of Tina and Credence? Surely that scene is not her happiest memory? Why would it be shown in the pond as flashback?

If Newt is kicked out of Hogwarts why he could still keep his wand and everything? Hagrid didn't. Or maybe we'll found out in the next movies.

Why he decided to use Revelio charm? Did he already suspect Graves as somebody else? (hide spoiler)]

I enjoyed the movie very much and thought the special effects were excellent. The Niffler was gorgeous and very like a platypus. Loved the scene where he is stacking up his gold coins.
I was bothered by the way (view spoiler)[ Tina regained her memory after it had been extracted (hide spoiler)]. They just seemed to gloss over that bit!
It was nice to be back in the Potter universe for a couple of hours - which passed very quickly I may add!!!

Silvana wrote: "Questions:"


Answers? (At least theories.)

(view spoiler)[During the venom rain, how come Jacob was not affected while the others (also indoor) were? Plot convenience?

You did see people interacting with water, though. One woman was drinking water from the tap, and then handing the glass to her family. Someone was brushing their teeth. Someone was getting a shower.

It's unlikely that the water from the rain would've already entered their tap, so, yes, plot convenience... but you do see them interacting with the water, at least.

So the venom, according to Newt, erased the bad memories. Only. So it's not like obliviate, right? It did not completely erase people's memories of ALL the magical stuff. So that means the wizarding community was revealed, right?

The venom had never been used before, so while Newt had his suspicions about how it would work, he doesn't actually entirely know.

And we do see that Jacob seems to retain some memory - even subconsciously.

So it's possible not all memories of the magic are erased - but that those which are left are almost dreamlike.

Also, I think we're meat to assume that, for most people, the memories would be bad memories. I mean, they had fear and attacks and death surrounding them... not nice people and magical creatures, like Jacob did.


On the execution attempt, did Tina regain her memory back after being extracted (a la Pensieve) and put in that death pond?

It's never fully explained, to my knowledge, how the pensieve spell works - but it doesn't seem to erase the memories entirely. Even when Snape takes out his memories to keep them from Harry, he says to Harry something like, "Nice man, your father" - so he knows, more or less, what the memories are, he's just taking the surface idea of them away from Harry's reach (ostensibly).

Also when Slughorn gives away his memory to Harry, he still seems to retain memory of what he gave away.

So it seems to more make a copy of the memory, as opposed to removing the memory.


On Macusa, if they are so afraid of the Second Salemers, why don't they just obliviate the members especially Mary Lou?

We don't know that they didn't, especially the memory of Tina's attack. But if they believed that there was magic, you couldn't obliviate the entirety of their belief without doing a whole shitload of damage.

Why is it so easy for Newt and Tina to barge in during seemingly important discussions? Especially in the UN-like gathering. Didn't Macusa has security or something?

Security did seem a bit lax, didn't it?

I write that one off mostly as plot convenience.

And if this assisted suicide thing was meant to pacify the death row prisoners, and supposedly only show the happy stuff (we saw her mom), why there were images of Tina and Credence? Surely that scene is not her happiest memory? Why would it be shown in the pond as flashback?

Memories are complicated, and can contain a multitude of emotions.

I think with Tina was saddened by the outcome of her attack - she was also sort of happy about it, and about her ability to help Creedence, however temporarily.


If Newt is kicked out of Hogwarts why he could still keep his wand and everything? Hagrid didn't. Or maybe we'll found out in the next movies.

Well, for one, we don't know exactly when Newt was kicked out. Maybe it was after he had already taken the OWLS, and so was already a qualified wizard, unlike Hagrid, who was expelled in his third year. (Since Newt is an accomplished Apparator, it seems he was at least 17or older when he was expelled.)

Why he decided to use Revelio charm? Did he already suspect Graves as somebody else? "

My guess would be, yes, he suspected something. He might not have suspected it was Grindlewald himself... or maybe he did, considering a) the weird questions Graves was asking Newt during his interrogation and b) his rather prodigious duelling ability. (hide spoiler)]

Silvana wrote: "(view spoiler)[Why he decided to use Revelio charm? Did he already suspect Graves as somebody else? (hide spoiler)]"

Good question! That's one aspect of what I bothered me about how the big reveal didn't feel to be set up as well as could have been.

Bruce wrote: "Silvana wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

Good question! That's one aspect of what I bothered me about how the big reveal didn't feel to be set up as well as could have been."

Oh I rather liked the big reveal! I just assumed Newt had suspicions. He had a funny look on his face just beforehand:)

colleen the fabulous fabulaphile wrote

Answers? (At least theories.)


Still about Jacob:
(view spoiler)[yes I don't mind the other indoor people who were affected in whatever magical way we don't know. But why Jacob - who was indoor - was not affected at all? I suspect plot convenience so he could get kissed by Queenie. (hide spoiler)]

And I like all your answers, thank you!

I thought the movie was good. A little slow in the beginning, but then it picked up.