Defending Fantastic Beasts…
… Is something that I cannot do. I just cannot simply find any good reasons to justify the direction Fantastic Beasts is going to.
And it does not help the justifications I have encountered do not make any sense. Some are even outright stupid.
The seemingly most reasonable defence is the expansion of the worldbuilding. Taking Rowling’s poor and insufferable worldbuilding skill aside, it does sound like a compelling argument.
But, here’s the thing: Rowling could have written stories about anything; as long as they are set within the HP universe, they still would have continued the worldbuilding. She could have written a short story about a Slytherin incel who spends his time masturbating in Knockturn Alley or a witch who fell from grace after exposing her own transphobia and it would still do the exact same job.
And the defences are going downhill even further.
One defence claims the second film is more exciting than the first one because it is less dialogue-driven and more action-packed. For god’s sake, when will people realise our inability to appreciate something is not an evidence of its lack of merit? By the way, many of the films considered as among the greatest in history are actually dialogue-driven. Just sayin’.
While I am still reluctant to diminish the importance of action scenes, I should remind you that characters communicate with each other through dialogues. Not taking experimental/avant-garde films into account, dialogues are crucial to narratives.
Well, fucking duh.
Oh, and how pathetically short is your attention span that you find the first film too boring despite the abundance of actions and special effects? I don’t see anything wrong about enjoying action films. But, for fuck’s sake, expand your horizon a little bit. Don’t be proud of your intellectual limitations.
And I still haven’t talked about the most idiotic defence yet.
Some believe the the series’ change of direction is a good thing. Why? Because they think the story of Newt Scamander, a kind-hearted and soft-spoken male magizoologist whose quest is to study and protect every single magical beast he encounters, is not compelling, One person I encountered even compared this to Pokemon Go.
A non-stereotypical male character as the leading hero. A departure from the usual good vs evil theme in fantasy adventures stories. The tale of Newt Scamander easily stands out in pop culture! How is this not compelling?
The fact that they don’t find a refreshing story compelling indicates their reactionary inclinations. They don’t want creativity, they just want the same thing repeated over and over again. For them, the upholding of the status quo is worth the deceitful title.
I am not saying every new thing is good. But, dismissing them simply because they are unconventional exposes close-mindedness on your part.
Oh, and Pokemon Fucking Go? Seriously?
A Pokemon trainer is someone who captures creatures called Pokemon, train them to fight and send them to battle other trainers’ Pokemon; the more battles you win, the higher your social status will be.
Newt Scamander, on the other hand, is someone who not only studies the creatures but also protect them from human threats.
The former? An exploitative social climber. The latter? A scholar and a protector.
A slight tangent:
An admin (or a former admin) of this Harry Potter fan group had an argument with me about the merit of Fantastic Beasts.
Actually, calling it an argument is too generous. She said I was being disrespectful NOT because I was calling her name, but simply because I kept challenging her views! So, she suspended me, prohibiting me to post anything for a few days.
Oh, did I tell you she was the one who made that Pokemon comparison?
Her sense of entitlement already showed me how limited her intellectual capability was. So, when she said she didn’t see any differences between a wildlife exploiter and a wildlife protector, I shouldn’t be surprised.
But, I still was, anyway.
For some reasons, there is a part of me who is still naive enough to believe people who are dumber than me don’t exist.
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