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Plot Summary: The second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" series set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World featuring the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander.

Director: David Yates

Writer: J.K. Rowling

Runtime: 2h 14min

Main Cast:

• Eddie Redmayne as News Scamander
• Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein
• Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein
• Johnny Depp as Grindelwald
• Erza Miller as Credence Barebone
• Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
• Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski

Review by: Mia

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald promised darkness and magic further than the first film had gone. We have been introduced to the villain, we have an understanding of what he wanted (his secret weapon, the Obscurus orphan named Credence), and we know that Grindelwald is a radical that has struck fear into the law of the Magic World with his beliefs and his charisma that has recruited Wizards of renown. Newt is one Wizard who happens to end up on the side of "good," thwarting the crimes of Grindelwald in New York in the first film and now he is being asked to do so again. The film begins with the escape of Grindelwald from prison. Authorities are desperate to locate him as well as his primary target, the Obscurus from New York, who is a fugitive on the hunt for his identity before he was orphaned. His own hunt for his heritage leads him to the people closest to Newt. It is possible that he is the brother of Newt's first love and future sister-in-law Leta Lestrange. The only way to be sure is for everyone to dive into the history of the Lestrange family all while still trying to track down Credence (the Obscurus), Grindelwald, and eventually Newt, who breaks the law to follow the instructions of Dumbledore and play a major role in the defeat of Grindelwald.

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Newt, however, is a simple man who does not want to be involved in the law or politics. He only wants to deal with magical creatures and his love interest Tina (whom we also met in the first movie). Unfortunately, Newt is banned from International Travel and has been stuck the past few months avoiding his brother Theseus and fiancee (Newt’s Hogwarts Sweetheart) Leta Lestrange. He is recruited by the Ministry, specifically the office of Auras that Theseus and Leta work for, to thwart Grindelwald’s current plot to expand his power and escape authorities yet again. Sure, Grindelwald was captured last movie, but one escape plot and two recruits later, and he is back on the streets in Europe, strategically setting up the means to launch his own radical plans for the rise of Wizards to power of the human world.

Since JK Rowling made the transition from novelist to screenwriter/film inspiration, I have been an avid follower of the Harry Potter World. I have still never read the series, but I am familiar with its characters from the stories of Harry Potter as well as from the first Fantastic Beasts film. While its been difficult to remain eager to follow this franchise, it hasn’t been because of the films themselves. Fantastic Beasts maintains the wonder and fantasy that JK Rowling consistently awes her fans with by building a magical world that overlays right on top of the world that we see everyday. Sure, JKR herself has been suffering from a bad case of troll-iculitis the past few years, constantly making fans question her works with her attempts to make her world and its characters progressive. It doesn’t help that the villain of the film, famed and talented Johnny Depp, has fallen from grace for his history of abuse in his long term relationship with another well-known Hollywood Actress. Still, one could go into the theater expecting greatness from a well-built fantasy world where we would already be familiar with the characters and would gain an even better idea of the world that led to Harry Potter’s Messiah-like destiny.

Personally, I looked forward to seeing more of Newt, Jacob, and Queenie. These were my favorite characters in the first Fantastic Beasts. Jacob was the most endearing character, the most accurate reflection of the feelings of the audience as we encountered the wonders that Newt seemed to search for in his daily life. Newt, the main character of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, is a quirky Wizard Irwin, complete with his gung ho approach to horrifying creatures and their dangers. In this sequel, I expected to see more of Newt’s interaction with the hidden magical creatures of the world of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I also expected a deeper dive into who Grindelwald was and how he came to power. Finally, I hoped to see more of Dumbledore in his youth to better understand how the world of Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter are the same. While both worlds show us Wizards and how they skirt past the daily lives of humans, it has been hard to see them as one and the same. In this film, I saw the opportunity to go from introducing the characters to introducing the story itself. I can’t help but see Fantastic Beasts as a prequel to Harry Potter that doesn’t directly precede the events of the first franchise, but still builds the world that allows for the rise of Voldemort and the training of students to go to war with a fascist Pureblood.

What I Liked:

Much like the first film, The Crimes of Grindelwald does an amazing job at world building. We get to see hints of many different magical cultures and vastly different magical creatures, all of which Newt is an expert in. You get to see Newt in his youth with Leta Lestrange. You see Newt interact with his mentor Albus Dumbledore and understand better how Dumbledore has remained an influencer in the fight against “evil” (Grindelwald) even as the Ministry distrusts both Newt and Dumbledore’s actions. As anticipated, Jacob and Queenie are back again with their forbidden romance and are the catalysts for Newt’s involvement in the fight against Grindelwald. Newt is painted as a character with no lust for power or violence. He is only involved for what he believes is right. Dumbledore admires this moral compass in him and keeps him in the fight against Grindelwald.

I appreciate the relationships built between new and existing characters. Even the more evil characters are made to feel human and righteous in a way that allows us to debate the ideologies on equal standing. Grindelwald is really painted to be a persuasive and strategic mastermind, moving behind the scenes to influence the way that multiple players are viewed not only by one another but by the public. You begin to believe that he is a righteous player, hoping only to create a better world. This is clearly not the case. When he is not being the loving savior he portrays to the public eye, he is killing coldly and calculating how deaths can benefit his plots further. Still, we get the sense that there was once some good in him, especially with the hint of an intimate relationship between him and Dumbledore in their Hogwarts years.

The story develops, Newt becomes vital in getting to the bottom of a series of investigations that all point back to Credence, Grindelwald, Dumbledore, and the risks growing to the human and Wizard worlds. The pacing of the film is mostly fluid and the special effects are evolving right along with this fantasy world. My favorite part of this franchise remains how well the effects present the Wizard world and how adventurous stuttering and shy Newt becomes the second a giant beast is what he stands up against. Leta’s family heritage becomes the backbone of the plot, building anticipation and suspense about what Grindelwald is plotting and how the individuals that we are rooting for must overcome to prevail and thwart Grindelwald’s recruiting attempts.

What I Didn’t Like:

Despite being a complex film full of world building and character background, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald falls short in its attempts to become a full story with a rational plot. The script is the weakest link in this film. As aspects of the plot develop, it is hard to understand how we have gotten here. How does Grindelwald manage to have all the information that he does that allows him to be so persuasive and strategic? What are these tools that he uses to predict the future, track the Obscurus, recruit Wizards, and kill his enemies? How does Tina get to Paris? How does no one know that she’s been on her own mission this entire time? What motivates Queenie on her path to acceptance and eventually leads her to Grindelwald? You end up having to speculate for most of the major plot connections. I must assume that this happened and now the story is at this point in front of me. This is made all the worse by the fact that I have not read the books and lore that predate this film. You can tell that the film is riddled with Easter Eggs that reward readers, but only leave new fans bewildered and curious. Sure, we could deep dive into the lore after seeing the film. I actually suggest that, if you like books, see any film adaptation first and then upgrade to the book experience after. Still, the fact that this film cannot stand alone without the films is ultimately underwhelming.

Further, so much of this film is built on the story of the Lestrange family. Spoiler alert: this is a bait and switch. We get so much interesting information from following the Lestrange family drama only to find out that none of it really matters except to place Credence in proximity to Grindelwald twenty years later. This was quite literally anticlimactic. Scenes throughout the film begin to feel like they further some isolated and self-satisfying development, but are useless towards the main plot. Grindelwald is persuasive, but we only get to see one real instance of his craft at work. Newt is an amazing Wizard and creature wrangler, but we still see his best work handled by his Niffler, and any other instances of his times with magical creatures are either very short or very superficial. I wanted more taxonomy, more educational deep dives into the lives and the magic that we encounter. There is so much intrigue and little to no fulfillment.

Images Courtesy of IMDB