Trailer Talk: 'Fantastic Beasts,' First Trailer

Welcome to a lengthy discussion of the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trailer. We did something similar with Alice Through the Looking Glass, but I have decided to keep the entire discussion in one large post. Get ready for a Floo powder trip into America's own Wizarding World:

"Lumos Maxima."

"Lumos Maxima"

And the magic begins, with a callback to the opening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, spreading the light of Lumos into tendrils. My only comment on that is that the animation for the Lumos magic resembles the Patronus spell of the Potter films, with the thin blue sort of smoke. In any case, the Patronus-esque Lumos spell creates the all too familiar WB logo.

This logo, for many Harry Potter fans, is like coming home again. I remember the last midnight premiere I attended - the logo got its own round of applause. I'm sure WB would be ecstatic to know that its logo has become a symbol of magic, fantastic creatures, and new worlds.

We first meet Porpentina (Katherine Waterston), with a medium suitcase into a large room resembling Britain's Wizengamot room from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The set looks gorgeous, and just as detailed as the Potter films.

As before, the room is gorgeous. In addition to Porpentina, we also see a figure at the head of the room. This could be the American Minister of Magic (or President?).

With either title, the costume is amazing. It's not the robes many Harry Potter fans have become accustomed to, but it's still ornate and refined. Portrayed by Carmen Ejogo, I love the ornate symbolism on her costume and on the tapestry & chair behind her.

Next, we see the Woolworth Building, the seat of the American magical government. Everyone here is appropriately costumed, and we see the vintage cars of the time. We don't see the magical way into the 'Ministry' just yet, but perhaps the next shot has a clue.

Here, we see the same briefcase Porpentina was holding in the American 'Wizengamot' room. In voice-over, the viewer hears that the creatures brought to the Ministry have escaped. In this shot, we see the briefcase and a woman waiting by an elevator - presumably the way into the Ministry.

Not sure if this is the apartment building we see next to the Woolworth, but it looks similar. Obviously, something big got out -or multiple powerful things - and we don't know exactly who's left standing there.

This moment solidified Redmayne as Scamander for me. He licks his lips, hesitant with this powerful magical object on his lap. It's probably similar to Mad-Eye Moody's chest in Goblet of Fire or Hermione's purse in Deathly Hallows.

He opens it, listening to various roars and screeches emanating from it, and then shuts it. He looks up at the door immediately. Also, notice the book on his nightstand. I haven't been able to zoom in enough for a clear title read, but I hope someone does soon. It's definitely important.

Porpentina, or Tina, is at the door. She says immediately, "It was open." Tina is a fascinating character already, characterized differently so far than expected. I'm excited to see how she develops for the next trailers and the film.

And the best, most character-defining line is uttered from Scamander's lips: "Just a smidge." From this moment on, he is Newt Scamander. From this moment, I am truly excited for this film.

We see more magic, the briefcase again, and Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski behind Scamander. Again, we don't know the exact spell happening here. It resembles the magic of the opening, and therefore Lumos, but, as I said, the Lumos Maxima at the beginning heavily resembled the Patronus charm. That's the only comment I have on this - the magic all looks the same. Maybe, by the time the film is more fleshed out, we'll be seeing more variety.

The title card gets a magical upgrade, with a close-up moving shot over many of the letters. The title design is spot-on, absolutely perfect and I'm really pleased with how this film is developing artistically.

I'm still on the fence about this film, in terms of character and story, but the aesthetic value of the film captures all of the wonder and splendor of the Potter films so completely. I am truly excited for this film after seeing the trailer and getting a better idea of what Rowling intends to do with a book that essentially wasn't intended to include any story. Comparison to the Potter films is going to be a persistent hurdle for this film, and I'm no exception, but I do think the contrast is necessary to create a different facet of an already familiar world.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them apparates into theaters November 18, 2016. Check out the trailer here.

Stay tuned for Star Wars tomorrow, more news, and a new Film of the Week. Be sure to vote on the poll!