REVIEW: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Is Not as Magical As It Could Be
It’s always a joy to return to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald isn’t quite sure where it fits in. The film is enjoyable but certainly not on the same level as the previous nine films in the franchise.
David Yates returns to direct the second installment in the five film series and the story was written entirely by J.K. Rowling. Newt Scamander, our favorite magizoologist, is back and headed to Paris on Albus Dumbledores’ orders to find Credence Barebone. The newly escaped Gellert Grindelwald is also on the hunt for Credence as he believes him to be the key to his take over of the wizarding world. Newt reunites with his friends, Jacob a muggle, Tina an auror, and Tina’s sister Queenie as he learns the time to choose sides is now and Credence’s true heritage might just be the one thing that could put an end to the impending war.
There is a ton of information shared in the two plus hours and if you’re not paying attention for even one moment it can be hard comprehend it all. The film is filled with so many secondary characters, Easter eggs, and plot details it feels as though the audience is constantly apparating from one scene to another. Information needed to drive the story forward is rushed out in order to include scenes that would have been better left on the cutting room floor.
J.K. Rowling, who penned the screen play for the film, pieces together a story-line that feels as though she threw it together last minute in hopes of connecting it to her previously well constructed world. Slightly spoiler alert, there is one twist at the end that if true will cause many fans to revolt. My hope is the twist is a red herring meant to deter the audience because if what plays out is actually true then the world she has spent so long building might begin to crumble.
That’s not to say that all things about this film are terrible. Eddie Redmayne is a joy once again to watch as magizoologist Newt Scamander while Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski brings the comedic relief needed in some of the tougher scenes. Jude Law as Professor Albus Dumbledore is simply wonderful and Zoe Kravitz as Leta Lestrange is not seen much but great in her scenes. Katherine Waterston (Tina) and Alison Sudol (Queenie) aren’t around as much as they were in the first film which is a shame because there are certain actions they take that could have been built up a bit more.
The addition of so many new characters and so much new information takes away time from the core four established in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Some of the additions are welcome (Kravitz and Callum Turner) while others aren’t (Johnny Depp as Grindelwald was a huge miss for me). As a follow up film, the new additions are understandable but my hope is going forward the focus returns in the original characters to see how their stories develop.
This film will definitely have some fans wishing for the a memory charm, but for others it will be a nice welcome back to the world they fell in love with years ago. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens today in theaters everywhere.
Grade: B-