I went and saw Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald last night. How was it you ask? Well...
It was pretty good. It was a lot different than I expected. The main plot line that was focused on wasn’t really in any of the trailers. I’d have to see it again before I make any final judgements, but right now, I’m thinking I liked the first film better.
Not to say that this one was horrible or anything, because it wasn’t, but I just thought it was a little less charming and a little more... I don’t want to say sloppy, but it just had more flaws in the story.
There was a lot of exposition and hurried backstories told through dialogue which drives me crazy. There was a lot of stuff crammed in in an effort to set up other larger things for future movie(s). It sort of lacked the usual charm, wit, and charisma that most of JK Rowling’s other works have and was more focused on being dramatic and mysterious. Not to say it didn’t have some elements of that stuff, but it was sort of shoved to the sidelines. (In fact, one of my favorite running gags was with Newt trying to figure out what he was going to say to Tina when he saw her again.)
Now that I’ve bashed it a bit, I will say it was still quite enjoyable and there were a lot of great things about it too. For me, I’d say the strongest point was the actors’s performances. I adore Eddie Redmayne as Newt. He does such a good job portraying the awkward, but endearing animal lover. Hufflepuffs for the win!
Another standout performance was Jude Law as Dumbledore. When I first heard he was cast I was like “oh cool. I like Jude Law... but can he play Albus Dumbledore?” Yes he can. He captures Dumbledore’s essence-- his mysteriousness, the way he avoids questions, his... I guess you could call it manipulativeness (but with the best of intentions), his genuine care for goodness, etc. And he does it with a little more openness than in the Harry Potter movies because he’s younger and less experienced, but still powerful and wise. I just loved the portrayal!
All the other characters were equally good. Johnny Depp was just as Johnny Depp-ish as ever. Characters from the first film return and are going through new developments. It was all very interesting. However, there is a slight flaw there too. I thought there was a slight abundance of characters and it was difficult to keep track of everyone and everything. The first one kept it simple with four main characters who got most of the development, then a couple side characters who got less development but helped move the plot along. This film tried to give individual stories to so many characters and did so by explaining their backstories through rushed dialogue and flashbacks. It was a little confusing and made the movie feel too full. The story should have focused on the four main leads and developing them further while throwing in one maybe two new characters to start developing.
Something else that I really liked was the moral dilemma(s) presented by Grindelwald. He actually makes some very convincing arguments and you can see why he has so many followers despite him committing so many heinous crimes. He is such a smooth talker, that he manages to twist everything and make himself the victim. It’s so fascinating. He’s like the wizard Hitler.
Then, the special effects were absolutely stellar! Hats off to that team. The new creatures were amazing, the spell effects were amazing, and everything about the film was just awesome!
I also appreciated all the references, shoutouts, and easter eggs to the Harry Potter series (and there were a lot). If you haven’t read or seen Harry Potter, there’s a lot in this film that won’t make sense or be as significant to you.
In the end, I do think I’d have to see the film again before making any final judgements. However, as a lover of really good, coherent plots, my rating gets dragged down a bit because of the slightly-cliched story, over-stuffed plot, and massive amount of exposition. For now I’d have to give the movie a 7/10. But like I said, I need to see it again.
