《神奇动物在哪里》

    Directed by David Yates with a screenplay penned by J.K. Rowling, this film is a spinoff from the Harry Potter series.

    Eddie Redmayne makes an ideal Newt Scamander, who is sheepish* around humans but gifted with the nifflers*, bowtruckles*, erumpents* and so forth to whom the pic’s title refers.

    As he travels around the world collecting magical creatures, the wizard-scholar carries a leather suitcase that is far larger on the inside than the outside. In fact, its vast, barnlike interior seems to contain its own time-space portals*, allowing its inhabitants to enjoy whatever kind of habitat* — desert, the Arctic, cluttered set-designer’s attic — they want.

    The only thing the suitcase doesn’t have is a reliable* lid, and Newt has just arrived in New York City. The year is 1926. In the confusion, his case gets switched* for that of Jacob (Dan Fogler), a baker who knows nothing of magic. Soon, one of his animals runs away and steals shiny things inside a bank.

    But by the time Newt realizes he has the wrong luggage, he’s in the custody* of Tina (Katherine Waterston), a security officer with the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA). Tina tries to get Newt in trouble for attracting attention in the bank incident — No-maj (those who don’t believe in magic) groups like the Second Salem-ers are stirring up fear of witchcraft in the people, and American wizards keep themselves secret.

    She’s in trouble herself, and ends up helping Newt look for his suitcase. Once Jacob opens the thing and the escaped beasts leave a trail of mayhem* all over town.

    Tina brings the two men to her apartment for a rest, where they meet her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), a Jazz Age hottie who can read minds, takes a shine to* Jacob, and makes the most of her opportunities to charm the audience.

    As these four try to collect all the escapees from Newt’s zoo without letting all of Manhattan know the magic around them, a MACUSA operative named Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) follows them, pursuing some mysterious aims with the help of Credence (Ezra Miller), the adopted son of a witch-hater (Samantha Morton).(SD-Agencies)