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Plot Summary: Albus Dumbledore assigns Newt and his allies with a mission related to the rising power of Grindelwald.

Director: David Yates

Writers: J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves

Runtime: 2 hours 22 mins

Main Cast:

• Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore
• Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald
• Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander
• Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein
• Erza Miller as Credence Garebone
• Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski
• Jessica Williams as Eulalie "Lally" Hicks

Review by: Small Couch Reviews

Admittedly, every visit to this magical world is a captivating experience. Ever since “The Sorcerer’s Stone” I have had a fun time seeing these wizards and witches live their ordinary lives doing things we would consider extraordinary. Fantastic Beasts is no exception. Something as simple as a dinner party is livened up by floating glassware that serves the guests and musical instruments that play themselves.

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What I Liked:

The major draw for this film though has to be the performance of (some) characters. First and foremost, Mads Mikkelsen stepping into the role of Gellert Grindelwald is a very welcome upgrade I do not think I’ve seen the man give a bad performance in anything I’ve seen him in (side note- if you haven’t watched “Hannibal” CHANGE THAT). He’s the third actor to step into the role and it’s no coincidence that this third movie is the best of the bunch he oozes charisma, swag, and a reserved cruelty that makes him the perfect villain you love to hate.

Next, we have Professor Hicks (played by Jessica Williams), a school teacher who joins Newt and Albus in the fight against Grindelwald. From the moment she is introduced, you love her. She is funny and lighthearted, yet at the same time extremely confident and reliable. I wouldn’t say she’s a “scene-stealer” but just one notch below. Her quick-witted comments are a delight in every scene and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of it was improvised; and, as a master of Defense Against the Dark Arts she whoops a whole lot of tail. Look out for her.

And finally, THE scene-stealer, Jacob Kowalski (played by Dan Fogler). He has been the best character in this franchise since the first movie and he is the heart of this story. The one non-wizard captures your interest both because he’s the most relatable and because he’s just a good guy. He’s fun, funny, full of heart, and shows tremendous courage. He is the most vulnerable in the fight against Grindelwald but still stands his ground because he knows it’s the right thing to do. His character arc is the one I will be paying most attention to for the final set of films.

What I Didn’t Like:

Notice how I did not mention the “main” character Newt Scamander in things I liked. It is because he is no longer a viable main protagonist. He and his Fantastic Beasts are not the draw here and definitely fall short of even remotely interesting. Newt is not charismatic, he has no edge, he isn’t funny, yet is he isn’t annoying either- he just…fine. And that basically describes this film. It’s just fine, and you won’t be talking about it next week because it is so forgettable.

We are three movies in and the only character with any real arc has been Mr. Kowalski (which is why he’s my favorite). Even Grindelwald – who’s changed his face three times- still hasn’t actually DONE anything yet. We know he wants to incite a wizard/non-wizard war, but he’s been spouting that since the first film. We are now three films in and this war is still oncoming. When this film was announced we were excited to get back into the world of Harry Potter AND to see the famed prizefight between Dumbledore are Grindelwald – so far both aspects have been pushed to the background for a far less exciting and forgettable narrative.

Speaking of forgettable, remember Ezra Miller’s Credence? The major character of the first film and basically the entire focal point of the second film?  To call him a waste in this film is an understatement. In fact, he is so underutilized and underdeveloped, it makes me believe these movies are being written as they go rather than having been plotted out previously. Because, after the big reveal of Credence’s lineage in the last film, you’d expect him to step up as a major force. Instead, he whimpers and whines throughout the movie until he is relegated to obscurity- a true shame for the actor and character.

For a movie titled “Secrets of Dumbledore,” I have spent very little time speaking about Dumbledore- this is not lost on me. Again, this is a Grindelwald film at its core with some Dumbledore sprinkled throughout. Jude Law’s Dumbledore does fine with what he’s given but you don’t really feel his presence- he doesn’t carry the weight we thought he would in this prequel. The plot in this film involved a wizard election that Grindelwald plans to sabotage so it’s up to Dumbledore and Newt to stop him. That could be a cool narrative, but because so much of the magic (literally and figuratively) is left off-screen, we are left with a film that feels disjointed. It’s like they couldn’t decide whether Grindelwald or Dumbledore is the main character (it’s Grindelwald), so they tried to split the script between them which doesn’t translate well to a 2-hour film.

This story might have actually worked better as a mini- series than a movie. Then we could get more of Grindelwald’s schemes- which the movie clearly cares about- and also see Dumbledore, Newt and team make/execute their plan to hopefully stop him. This would allow us to see the parts of Grindelwald’s plan that happened off-screen during the movie and also give the protagonists more shine so we could better appreciate the convoluted plan they ultimately executed. Instead we are left with underdevelopment on both sides that leads to a plot that is….you guessed it, forgettable.