In December 2015, as I was sitting for the Star Wars Episode VII pre-premiere showing, the cinema was bursting with geeks and packed with nerds who gave standing ovations for the Lucasfilm logo. However, naught but an eerie feeling could be experienced at the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them pre-premiere showing at Crossgates Mall. There were eleven people present; the Harry Potter fans seemed to have held back.

Luckily, this was an anomaly. Fantastic Beasts grossed at over $75 million during the first weekend, and while this is hardly record-shattering, people did turn up all over the country to see the movie. The Colonie Center theatre reportedly hosted many more people than Crossgates did, possibly due to a recent shooting at the latter.

But how was the movie? “It was really good,” said Fiona Streznewski, a sophomore at Albany High School. The general consensus of other students at AHS is similar, with everyone who reported seeing it describing it favorably. Rave reviews dotted the Internet and most media outlets agreed, with positive opinions among the most stringent sites.

Indeed, it was visually, viscerally, and intellectually stunning. Offering a mystery from the very beginning, along with stunning CGI, the movie throws the viewer into the world of Newt Scamander, a British magician who immigrates to America to release a payload, a highly illegal one, creating foreseeable mayhem but some humorous chaos. However, a twist occurs, as a loose magical creature begins savaging the town, under the direction of a renegade wizard.

Harry Potter fans will gasp in awe at the wonders of the American Ministry of Magic and revel in the minutiae there is to be picked up on, including what a niffler really looks like, how the International Confederation of Wizards looks in full assembly, and just how awesome the Undetectable Extension Charm really is.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has surprising depth for a purported action/fantasy flick, and can be seen as a commentary on racial prejudice as well as a reflection on the human nature. These underlying themes, a great story, and astounding camerawork render the movie well worth seeing even to an outsider of the Harry Potter franchise.

Just to be clear, this movie is not directly related to J.K. Rowling’s other Harry Potter movies. An outsider can watch it, albeit not understanding it as much as the diehard fanatic, and glean an acclamatory viewing. The aforementioned diehard fanatic will, as I can attest, be awed by the phantasms and concepts building on top of their already established wizarding schemata and revel in the new details presented in this semi-prequel.

The only disappointments in the movie are probably the quality of CGI of some of the magical creatures and some inconsistencies in the plot that only an experienced hand can spot. Furthermore, any Rowling fans going in with the expectation of a Harry Potter movie will be disappointed, but don’t let this deter you from an otherwise splendid film.

Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean will be delighted by the Johnny Depp cameo, though many Potter fans have expressed displeasure at his casting choice. In any case, his appearance as a certain character known from the original series provided the perfect twist ending to an almost perfect movie.

So is this worth seeing? I would definitely recommend it, but my views are definitely biased in this matter. It’s up to you…