Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

By Jack Pooley / November 18, 2016

Downs...

6. Newt Scamander Is A Bland Protagonist

To even the casual observer, casting the very British and very likable Eddie Redmayne as the new custodian of the Harry Potter universe seemed like a great idea.

Unfortunately, he gives a surprisingly bland, one-note performance as the foppish wizard, mumbling his way through most of the movie, though it doesn't help that J.K. Rowling's script is incredibly exposition-heavy and severely lacking in charm.

Of the four main characters, he's the dull link, the shapeless audience surrogate who has to appeal to as many demographics as possible while showing little in the way of actual personality.

He does have an awesome jacket, though.