23. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (2016)
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a bit of a half-blood creature, barreling through both its ’20s period setting and fantasy adventure plot with equal intensity. Colleen Atwood’s touches to make this version of Prohibition New York more magical in nature aren’t as disruptive or attention-calling as any of the creatures that Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) lets loose in the subway system. But the costume design is as much about what the characters get wrong as what they get right. There’s a palpable awkwardness to Newt that comes as much from the size and skew of his bowtie as it does from Redmayne’s performance. “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them” is a case of the costumes matching the eccentricity of the film’s protagonist without revealing too much of the mystery about him or any of the other characters. It’s only just a little bit off from our expectations. —SS