Hot Dumbledore Isn't Enough to Save 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'
Should I Actually Watch This? This is the question we all ask when the next big movie comes out. In this review, Cosmo will answer that question for you, without giving the whole thing away.
The Harry Potter fandom might end up torn apart by Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. While some Wizarding World fanatics will delight in the expanded universe of new characters, spells, and beasts to cuddle, others will wonder why this story even exists when it literally does nothing but give us way too much Johnny Depp. As for the non-Potter fans? Well, if you have yet to be sorted (or haven’t a clue what that means) this is *not* the film you want to start with.
Though it’s a vast improvement on the last Fantastic Beasts, it still feels like J.K Rowling has no clue what to do with her new batch of heroes Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston). Even die hard Potterheads might get a little lost deciphering who is who and what the heck is even going on. However, if you’re a looking for a wizarding fix of any kind, then Crimes of Grindelwald will do the trick.
Featuring a young Albus Dumbledore, Crimes of Grindelwald quickly tugs at any Potterhead’s heartstrings with one of its most treasured characters. Jude Law's Dumbledore is currently the Professor of the Dark Arts, as he has been for many years at that point.
And since Dumbledore doesn’t really leave the school for wizards, guess where the film takes us? Oh my beloved Hogwarts, how I have missed you! Getting to witness the school again felt like running into an old friend in a crowded amusement park, a lovely reconnection that is over way too quickly. The nostalgia was flowing as I was reminded of the good ol’ days of Quidditch and he-who-shall-not-be-named trying to kill Harry Potter. Ah, memories.
But do we get to see how Hot Dumbledore goes from professor to Headmaster? Not exactly. Though Law is wonderful (and you know, hot), he’s a bit too restrained to picture as the cunning, powerful headmaster we all know and love. Luckily, he has a few more films to find his footing, grow out that beard, and convince audiences he truly is the best wizard any Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and yes, Slytherin, could ask for.
Crimes of Grindelwald journeys through not one, not two, but four locations: New York, London, Paris, Hogwarts—though, save for Hogwarts, you really can’t tell the difference between any of the cities due to the overall bland color use throughout the film.
After a falling out between Newt and Tina that isn’t really explained, it's reveals by Queenie that she took a job overseas after a newspaper error claiming Newt was engaged to his childhood best friend, Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz). So off Newt and Jacob go to...well, it's unclear.
Anyway, it turns out Tina actually went in search of Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), the mysterious orphan from the first film with angry magic issues. Credence also happens to be sought after by the conniving Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), who has escaped from the wizard police that were escorting him to Nurmengard. The rest of the film is a race to who gets to Credence first.
Listen, I had big hopes for Grindelwald, despite JK Rowlings defense of Depp (ugh) and how people of color in her world are often treated like second class characters. In the case of Nagini (Claudia Kim), the witch is not only a stereotype, but enslaved—come on, how could no one at Warner Bros. see the optics here?
Grindelwald is not terrible, and there’s a story to be built upon somewhere, I just don’t think Rowling, or director David Yates, are the ones to find it. Redmayne is adorably dorky as Newt, who could be a great character—they just have to give him a lot more substance and a more beasts to play with.
Of course, there’s also the Johnny Depp problem. I am well aware that Depp is talented, but he is also an alleged domestic abuser. If I go see a film about magic, acceptance, and good conquering evil, seeing him on screen feels like a betrayal of everything Harry Potter stood for. Colin Farrell was a far better choice for Grindelwald (in disguise), and switching him back from Depp for future films could win back some good will.
Overall, Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald is a not-great-but-not-terrible film that only devout Potter fans will enjoy. For everyone else, allow me to introduce you to the best Potter film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, so you can see how magical this universe can be.
You Might Also Like
