The underwhelming magic of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Maybe J.K. Rowling should stick to orphans.

That was the first thought that popped into my head as I watched Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Fantastic Beasts has all the hallmarks of the earlier series. There's sumptuous direction from Potter stalwart David Yates. The screenplay was written by series creator J.K. Rowling herself and is based on a textbook that's part of Potter lore.

But slender hero Newt Scamander is no Harry Potter. Even at age 11, the battle-scarred Hogwarts student pulled us in with his drive and determination. Contrast that to themagizoologistof Fantastic Beasts,who steps off a steamer boat into the New York City of 1926.

• 10 things to know about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Eddie Redmayne plays this Doctor Doolittle of magicalcreatures, who wanders around Manhattanwith his suitcase of beasties, only to stumble into a crisis involving the Magical Congress of the United States of America.

Unfortunately, there isn't much to Scamander. Oscar-winner Redmayneis a technically skilled actor who commits himself bodily to a role, but here we only get a slender sketch: amop of red hair, a sense of earnestness and a perpetually stunned expression.

Straight away, Rowling throws us into a dense thicket of plot points. The wizard community is worriedabout persecution from the no-maj (non-magical Americans, a.k.a. muggles). Security officer Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) is pushing for amore aggressive stance.

Meanwhile, on the streets, a no-maj named Mary Lou Bareboneis organizingrallies and calling for a New Salem. She's even got her own group of young acolytes that look like extras from Children of the Corn including a particularly gothic-looking Ezra Miller.

Shortly after Scamander gets his first glimpse of the New Salem types, he bumps into Jacob Kowalski. The regular Joe, who is trying to open a bakery, just happens to be carrying the same (looking) suitcase as Scamander. Sooner than you can say "awfully convenient," the cases are switched and the magical menagerie of critters escapes.

Hackneyed? Yes, but it's also a blessing, because Dan Fogler's Kowalski is the first flesh and blood character we encounter. He's a stout-hearted New Yorker, who adapts to the world of wizards with surprising vigour.

Things really start to sparkle when the two men are forced tohide out in a boarding house and meet Queenie (AlisonSudol), a flapper-styledgal who sounds like Harley Quinn's ancestor. With a face that beams like Betty Boop, Queenie atelepath looks into Kowalski's mind and melts.

A supernatural scavenger hunt

Much has been made of the now-prescient themes of intolerance woven into this American tale. But, really,Fantastic Beastsdevotes much more time to the supernatural scavenger hunt,as Scamander and company try to round up a catalogue of computer-animated creations.

Because of this, Fantastic Beasts feels like a missedopportunity for Rowling. The grim setting of New York in the '20s, with the Great Depression looming, is an excellent start for a story about how differences divide us.

Given the chance for something richer, however, Rowling falls back on what she knows:remarkable beasts and a diverting treasure hunt.The darkness Yates was so adept at capturing in the earlier series is squandered in this filmfilled with evil clouds, gangster goblins and a coin-gobbling Niffler.

While there are flashes of wonder and whimsy, there seems little in these characters that would support an ambitious, five-part franchise.Surely,future instalments will explain the reason for the hauntedlook in Scamander's eyes.

Until then, I saykick him to the curb and give us The Further Adventures of Queenie and Jacob's Amazing Doughnuts.

RATING:3out of 5 stars