The entertainment enchanter that is JK Rowling has come storming back to the world of magic and has created a shower of supernatural sparks with a glorious mix of fantasy romance. This adventure is dubiously entitled “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” and it takes place in the prohibition-era America that follows a diffident wizarding Brit named Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who causes chaos in the midst as his bagful of otherworldly creatures escape his clutches and flock through the confines of New York City.

Rowling is quick to pull back the curtain, as this is the first time she has written a screenplay, and let us delve deeper into the wizarding world we all fell in love with 15 years ago. There were many story narratives, and ideas you could pluck from the pages of Rowling’s most cherished books. And, like clockwork, Warner Bros has taken the cue and decided to invest in their old stomping ground. Thankfully, “Beasts” will not only satisfy those diehard “Harry Potter” fanatics, but can also serve as an induction for those that might have missed the initial bandwagon to begin with.

“Beasts” is a gorgeous movie to look at, as Rowling goes for the steampunk-industrialized look of the rural 1920s, where muggles (or as the Americans say “No-Maj”) and wizards are living in unison without even knowing it. Like an underground syndicate, there is a Ministry of Magic beneath the city that monitors any and all magical activity. Their priorities currently reside in finding a dark-arts wizard named Gellert Grindelwald, that has been relinquishing attacks all across the world. Those motives shift when Newt waltzes into town and inadvertently sets loose some wildly untamed beings, and get’s tangled up with a few unfamiliar faces along the way.  Like a no-maj himself who goes by Kowalski (Dan Fogler), a canned-factory worker that just wants a loan to open up his own bakery. Tina, (Katherine Waterston), who used to be an investigator for the Ministry but has recently been demoted to “wand-permit registration.” And Tina’s sister, Queenie (Alison Sudol) a flimsy, attractive, enchantress that can read the minds of all her suitors. The quartet makes up a bulk of the fun, and we, as the audience, are so fortunate enough we can embark on this journey with them.

Rowling’s screenplay also relishes in the opportunity to bring forth some subplots that tie into the Potter universe. Colin Farrell plays Graves, an officer of the court that seeks to find unmitigated magical power that anyone with a brain will know is dangerous. There is also a backstory that follows a group of salem-witch protesters that denounce any magic. A young, disillusioned boy named Credence Barebone (Erza Miller) is at the center of that story, who is manipulated and mangled beyond his control, and to reveal anymore would spoil the story that Rowling has envisioned for you all to enjoy.

“Harry Potter” verteren, David Yates, a man who knows the universe as good as anyone, is back in the director’s chair. He layers the film with enough of an emotional undertone that it almost becomes obsessed with how much we care about Newt and the four heroes which propel much of the central action forward. Not to mention, the intentional love-stories that (sort of) develop between Newt and Tina and Kowaliski and Queenie make it easier to connect. I also don’t need to mention how stunning the visual aesthetics are throughout the film, because if you’ve seen any sliver of a “Harry Potter” film, you know the bar, and this film matches that quota.

The actual “beasts” themselves are also immensely fascinating in how we are introduced to them. A scene early on in the film gives us, what has the appearance of a furry sloth, as he goes around stealing anything that looks shiny and storing it inside his belly pouch. The scene is quite humorous and should produced massive chuckles from those young Hogwarts inductees that are eager for their acceptance letter. The visual effects artists are kind enough to render the beasts in a way that draws many characteristics from other animals. So the young ones should have no problem picking them out.

Probably the coolest trick that Rowling invents, however, is when Newt invites us into his suitcase, which, you can go inside like a basement in your house. Once there it’s like a playground for training the animals and serves as a never ending landscape that distinctly reminds us why Rowling is one of the most prolific writers of our time. Another landscape shows us inside a magical-speakeasy that is the basic equivalent to the saloon scene in “Star Wars” only with house elves.

Not too worry though, there are many magical showdowns between Newt and the beasts in what could be argued as a live-action rendition of Pokemon Go. Thankfully, Redmayne is so vividly believable as Scamander you bleed for his success, and Fogler serves as the intentional comic relief that is hilarious without stepping over too many boundaries. Even if “Beasts” can’t match the levels of what “Potter” did for so long, and the subplots which filtered throughout take away from the main narrative at times, the fun is still there. Rest assured, you will feel that tingling sensation of nostalgia swoop in as soon as the opening title appears across the screen and the score swells in just the correct moment. Even if you’re going for that reason alone, “Beasts” will quench that craving, warts and all. B+