Scamander vs Potter in Film Stories Junior

I was very fortunate, and hugely excited to be selected to write a feature article for Film Stories Junior, a movie magazine that’s not just aimed at under 15s, but is written by them too. 

Film Stories Junior will be published four times a year and you can buy the latest issue for £3.99 on their website.

Details about Film Stories Junior can be found at www.filmstories.co.uk

I would like to thank the editor, Simon Brew for this amazing opportunity and marvellous experience. Below is the article I wrote and was published in issue one of Film Stories Junior.

Scamander vs Potter

Will Fantastic Beasts ever measure up to Harry Potter?

I grew up with Harry Potter. I devoured JK Rowling’s novels, was mesmerised by the films and was spellbound on my first visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. But in truth, I was never part of the Hogwarts generation. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in June 1997 and the film released in November 2001. I wasn’t born.

When I found out there were plans to release five movies based on one of JK Rowling’s spin-off books, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, I was excited. I had never seen a Harry Potter movie in the cinema before, but now I could experience the Wizarding World on the big screen.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them did not disappoint. I loved Newt and his magical creatures. Eddie Redmayne was a great choice - his understated portrayal of Newt Scamander was excellent. The movie introduced new characters and changed the setting to keep the franchise fresh. My hopes were high following Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them and I was really looking forward to what would come next.

In my opinion, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was a massive let down, dull and boring. The movie lacked continuity, characters that I loved in the first movie became unlikeable and there was near to no action. For me, the greatest disappointment is the amount of screen time of the Fantastic Beasts. With an estimated budget of $200 million, the movie made around about $650 million worldwide, making it the lowest worldwide grossing Harry Potter movie of all time.  My biggest concern with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is that it might affect the production of movies that will come later on in the franchise.

Three more are planned with the next instalment scheduled for release in 2021. I want the Fantastic Beasts movies to succeed but so far, the franchise has been mixed – one great movie and one lacklustre movie. I am hopeful the third movie will be able to lift the franchise back to a high.

However, I am not sure the Fantastic Beasts movies will ever live up to the Harry Potter movies. Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Hogwarts students were children my own age and I could relate to them easier than I could Newt, Tina and Jacob. Harry Potter and his friends were such big role models in my life that I believe nobody can live up to these characters. 

This article first appeared in the Summer 2019 issue of Film Stories Junior.