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J.K. Rowling takes a more firm hand with her franchise moving forward, both screenwriting and co-producing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The new movie takes place 70 years before the events of the other Harry Potter movies, centering around an odd-ball magician named Newt Scamander (Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne) and his misadventures in New York City, where several mischievous and magical creature escape from his briefcase and become scapegoats for an evil force creating great damage all over the city. At risk is the revelation to the non-magical world of the wizards in their midst — and it’s definitely a bad time to be outed as a wizard, unless you want burned at the stake.

The heart of the movie is the trio of friends Newt encounters in New York. The first is a muggle named Kowalski (Dan Fogler), who is just trying to get a bank loan to open a bakery when he gets caught up in Scamander’s serendipitous adventure. The two square off against Tina (Katherine Waterston), a sort of policer of magic who’s currently on the outs with her organization. She’s soon sympathetic to Newt’s desire to round up his creatures safely, bringing in her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) for backup. Sudol steals the show as the effortlessly sexy and charming Queenie. The burgeoning love between her and Kowalski is the glue that holds this movie together. You might even be surprised at the emotions these characters stir up in the final act. Colin Farrell and Ezra Miller make the most of supporting roles.

Rowling smartly weaves allegory through this tale, much more than in any of her previous on-screen adventures. You’ll see Trump, the Alt-Right White Supremacy movement, repression by religion, international espionage, and more. The streets look different and there may be magical creatures in the periphery, but Rowling is definitely keeping the art of allegory alive here. And kudos to her for doing so. Sometimes fantasy is the only way to get people to step outside their bubbles and take another look at the real world around them.

With John Voight and Ron Perlman, and a solid score from James Newton Howard. Directed by David Yates (the last four Harry Potter films).

Academy Award: Best Costume Design

Oscar Nomination: Best Production Design

Three cheers for Sudol’s Queenie.