I didn’t even intend on reading this one for a very long time. But I felt like I was reading slowly lately (even though I was reading at my usual speed) and wanted a quick read, and so this happened.
*shrugs*
Let’s dive into the Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them screenplay!
Title: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: The Original Screenplay
Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Little Brown Book Group
Series Status: A prequel screenplay to the Harry Potter series, but can be read as a standalone
Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 294
(Found on Goodreads)
J.K. Rowling invites you to explore a new era of the Wizarding World…
Explorer and Magizoologist Newt Scamander has just completed a round-the-globe trip in search of the most rare and unusual magical creatures. Arriving in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when Newt’s case is misplaced and some of Newt’s fantastic beasts escape into the city, it spells trouble for everyone…
This…is a bit of a weird one.
I love Harry Potter (along with 87% of the population). And I love the Fantastic Beasts movie.
But I’m here to review the book, not the movie.
And I know that probably doesn’t make much sense, considering this book is the script of the movie, but they just feel different, y’know?
So I’ll sing my praises first. Who doesn’t adore Newt Scamander? He is somehow the most adorable, caring, sassy-but-innocent l’il cinnamon roll of a character. I can’t get over how much I adore him. And the other characters are just as great, in their own ways. They’re all so unique – and slightly ridiculous, if I must say – but it makes for such an interesting story.
Which is probably a good thing, because the *actual* story is a bit…meh…for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the beasts. I love the link to the Salem witch trials. I love how we get to see the wizarding world in America. And I think we all relate to Jacob Kowalski more than we care to admit. But the actual main “problem” of the story? Nahhh. Not to bothered by it, I’m afraid.
Since it’s a screenplay too, there’s very little description going on. Which is great for a quick read, but it doesn’t feel very…magical. Atmospheric? I don’t know. I just wanted more, which I know isn’t the point of reading a screenplay, but I watched the movie first and so only seeing the dialogue felt a bit lackluster. No matter how many quirky snips of sarcasm Newt whips out.
I did enjoy it. I can say that much. It was great for a quick read, and it’s an absolutely STUNNING book to add to my Harry Potter collection. And while this rating is pretty low, that’s not to say I don’t like it. It’s just that apparently, I’m not a huge fan of screenplays. I’d rather see the entire thing in film, with all the magic for me there to see, not guess at.
Rated 2.5/5 stars
Amazon
Share your thoughts!
Have to read this screenplay? Or seen the film? What did you think?
Who’s your favourite character?
If you haven’t, do you plan to read/watch it?
Let me know in the comments!
Until next time…
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Snapchat: frolic_fiction
A frolic through fiction 
I’ve seen the movie twice, and YES, NEWT IS SUCH A SASSY CINNAMON ROLL we all wanna hug! /we love you Eddie! <3/
And I also own a book, but personally for me as a foreigner (for whom English is not the first language) this book helps hearing and understanding the movie better. So the screenplay is basically my textbook when I watch the movie 😀
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Shout it from the rooftops! 😆
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I loved the movie but yeah I don’t know how I’d go with the screenplay. I might get it one day to have part of the collection, but I feel like this book was a bit of a money grab 😕 Great review!
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Definitely feels like a money grab! And thank you!
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I read this as soon as it came out and really enjoyed it. I have seen the film too but that was much later. I went into this not really thinking of it as being Harry Potter, the same world yes, but only loosely connected to the other books, maybe that’s why I liked it so much, different expectations…
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I didn’t compare it to Harry Potter either, though I’d already seen the film so I knew what I was getting into.
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It’s probably more fun if you haven’t seen the film
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True
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I prefer the film to the screenplay, and I did quite enjoy both. It is much better than Cursed Child in terms of storyline!
Jacob is my favourite character, mostly because he provided the majority of the comic relief, and his rapport with Newt and Queenie was good to see. 🙂
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Definitely a better storyline than Cursed Child! *cough* at least Fantastic Beasts makes sense *cough* 😆
Jacob is great, I love him ❤
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I loved the movie but I haven’t brought myself to pick up the screenplay yet. It’s sat on my bookshelf screaming at me to pick it up but I’m anxious almost because I have high hopes. I definitely will give it a go at some point because of course anything Harry Potter is life. haha!
Great review Ashleigh 🙂
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Thank you! It had been sat on my shelves for ages too, but it’s good for a quick read if you want to fit one more book in somewhere 🙂
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I’ve always wanted to read this one, just because I absolutely love Harry Potter… but I’ve also been iffy about it at the same time. I’m not a fan of screenplays myself, so I’m not sure that I’d fully enjoy it. But I don’t know. I may end up just giving it a shot, like you did! Who knows! Lovely review, though. 😊
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Thank you! It’s good for a really quick read if you just fancy getting through a book in an hour or so, so I’d recommend it for that!
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