After years of sold out conventions, movie theaters, and bookstores, one of the most influential fantasy series of all time has returned; this time in the form of a spin-off film. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hit theaters on Nov. 16, and the movie was met with massive excitement from fans of the popular Harry Potter series and others alike. The film takes place in 1920s New York City and follows the journey of Newt Scamander, a wizard recently expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for keeping illegal magical creatures.

While the movie is placed in the same world as the one Harry and his friends experienced their adventure in, Fantastic Beasts is starkly different than the original series. First, it takes place about 60 years before Harry is even born, pre-Voldemort and death eaters. It also is set in America, as opposed to the past books and movies which were always placed in England. Lastly, the characters and plot took a more playful approach to the storyline, most likely due to the fact that author of the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay.

As a huge fan of the series since childhood, I was hesitant at first about the film. While I was excited to be receiving more material from Rowling and information about the wizarding world, I also did not want the fond memories I had of the books to be degraded by something that may not have lived up to the same quality. However, after attending on opening night, I found that the film exceeded my expectations.

The characters were extremely well-developed for the time constraint of the movie. Rowling truly did an amazing job of introducing and having the audience feel close to this new group of protagonists. I can say that throughout the whole sitting I was intent on following their actions and emotions. The film also featured many difficult topics which are not usually incorporated into blockbuster films, including women in positions of power, government oppression, animal cruelty, and even physical and emotional abuse taking place within families. These topics were handled with class, and incorporated into the plot in a way that did not completely change the tone to a depressing one.

The film also had multiple strong actors which brought life to the screenplay. The protagonist Newt Scamander is played by Eddie Redmayne, an Oscar award-winning Hollywood personality. Redmayne does an amazing job of showing Newt in a whimsical light, interacting with other characters and magical creatures in an energetic way. However, he also plays the character with depth. Emotional and reminiscent scenes were met by the actor with convincing empathy, and the movie benefited from it greatly. The film also starred Katherine Waterston, the female lead and friend to Newt. She plays Tina, a female auror investigating the strange deaths happening upon New York’s wizarding community. She is intercepted by the magical creatures Newt brings to into the city, yet she is still extremely driven, and played with the depth necessary to understand the motivation of her character.

Amid all of this, there is one key aspect which shines through the drama and really makes the movie for me: the personal relationships built between the characters. Specifically, my favorite couple comes in Jacob and Queenie. Jacob is a robust no-maj baker who is trying to live up to his late grandmother’s expectations, and Queenie is the sister of Tina. Together, they make an unlikely couple, but the trust and genuine love they have for each other adds comfort to even the most intense scenes.

In all, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them lives up to its name. Through referencing back to its origins while still making something new of its own, I genuinely look forward to seeing the sequels of this series in the future. If this is the ultimate end of the Harry Potter series, fans can be satisfied with a quality story written by the woman who started it herself.