Rating: 8.5
I always love returning to the Wizarding World. Regardless of the quality of the film, I seem to always enjoy some aspects. I am someone who did enjoy the first two Fantastic Beasts, and while they never were as good as the Potter films I still really liked them. That being said; this is easily the best in the franchise. It fixes many (but not all) the issues of the previous installment and makes the most of the unfortunate recasting of Grindelwald (holy shit is Mads Mikkelsen ever amazing)! The Fantastic Beasts films finally find their groove and the right tone here, it works the best out of the current trilogy. There are still issues I have with it, and while many are fixed and I do still really like the film, I can’t help but think they still need to fine tune some things. It's not a perfect film on a technical level, and I didn’t expect it to be, so a lot of my critiques (as well as my rating) here will be in terms of Wizarding World films.
This movie made me want to revisit the Harry Potter books again, most notably The Deathly Hallows. This movie incorporated the lore so well, even some really obscure elements were shown in more detail here, such as the Supreme Mugwump and the election process associated with it. The coolest details to me, however, related to the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, as well as some of Dumbledore’s other secrets regarding Aberforth and Ariana (there was a monologue finally clarifying events Rita Skeeter wrote about in Deathly Hallows). As a Harry Potter fan, I loved seeing so many theories I had about Dumbledore and his past be confirmed, as well as all the other cool ways the lore played a part in the story. And we actually got answers for questions posed in the first Fantastic Beasts movies here too, it was incredibly satisfying as a fan of the material.
The script itself is much more focused than in the first two films, and I attribute that to Steve Kloves’ work on the script. My opinions about JK Rowling’s personal life aside, I think she’s good at coming up with a story and she knows the lore so well, but isn’t as good at writing for the screen. Steve Kloves really helped to clean a lot of it up and streamline the story. I thought he really helped to make this feel the closest too the Potter films, and while it does still bounce around a lot story-wise, it did serve as a good course-correct for this series. I also liked the political elements added in, especially the ones exploring how a malevolent force is able to take over. My one qualm is that while so many cool things happened, the film didn’t always do a great job of explaining what was going on and how. Lucky for me, I am a major Potter nerd so I was able to piece it together, but a casual viewer may not be able to.
The beasts were also (finally) well-utilized in the story; they felt like they were a necessary part to the plot, which also strengthened Newt’s character as well. While I don’t understand how they decided what characters to focus on here and which ones not too, I did like how it turned out. The Credence storyline is still a mess; we get our answers but the film doesn’t make him as important as it seemed like he was going to be. I did like what they did with his character though and how they resolved a lot of his conflict. It was also somewhat unfortunate the Fantastic Beasts characters like Newt, Jacob, Queenie and Tina got sidelined, (one’s barely in the movie) but I forgave it as the film really did need to focus on Dumbledore and Grindelwald. I still love Newt, he’s one of my favourite characters, and while he did seem to be on a “side-mission” for parts of the film, I think it all worked out nicely and they found the perfect way for him and Dumbledore to be co-protagonists. Jacob is still perfect comedic relief and gets a lot more to do here! But clearly the focus is on Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and I can’t complain about that!
I loved the Dumbledore and Grindelwald elements here. As much as I love the Fantastic Beasts stuff… this is really what I want to see. I think they found a good balance between the two plots, however this one had a lot more of my focus. I wouldn’t mind if it became the forefront of the story from here on out. I loved the dynamic between the characters and the explanation of their love, especially how that affects Dumbledore to this day and leaves him with a sense of longing. It was quite emotional to see Dumbledore feeling alone in life, seeing that he still had a speck of love for Grindelwald and ultimately just wanted to reconnect with him. And it led to such a cool wizard duel, a taste of what’s to come if we eventually get to see their famous 1945 duel. I just loved how while they are on conflicting sides, they still have some sort of emotional bond. There’s a scene where their eyes meet, and holy shit that moment just was phenomenal. It’s the one time the movie ascended off the pages of the script, letting Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen really sell the tension and emotions between the two characters all through their eyes. It just speaks to how amazing these two are in these roles; they’re just perfect! I love the chemistry they have, it's easily the strongest element of the film.
Jude Law is perfect as Dumbledore once again (no surprises there), but what I was so happy about was that Mads Mikkelsen is insanely good as Grindelwald. He is who I would’ve cast from the start, and while I love Depp, his version was more over-the-top and cartoony, I don’t think he could’ve sold certain scenes here as well. Mikkelsen, however, kills it. He makes Grindelwald so much more charming, and yet so much more sinister. You believe Dumbledore could have fallen in love with him, and that so many people could be convinced to follow him. He was truly perfect in this role, and one of my favourite parts of the film. I still love Eddie Redmayne as Newt and Dan Fogler as Jacob, but one surprise for me here was Jessica Williams as a new character, Professor Hicks. She was so much fun, had so much energy and such a wonderful dynamic with Jacob.
Now, to get into some of the more technical elements. I stand by the opinion I’ve had after every one of these films: David Yates should not be directing them. It’s not that he does a bad job, it's just that its become pretty standard and by-the-book. He doesn’t do anything fresh or new with it; doesn’t elevate the material off the page. Half the reason the Potter films felt so magical was because new directors kept coming in and offering fresh new perspectives on the material. Yates’ direction has grown tired, and somewhat bland. It’s workable, but nothing special anymore (which makes sense after directing 7 films in this world). His cinematography is okay, however the colour scheme is pretty grey, but the visual effects look nice for the most part at least! The wizard duels looked cool (especially Dumbledore v Grindelwald), but there were times where it was hard to comprehend what exactly was going on. And minor nitpick… but I miss when people used to say the spells as they cast them. I get these are adult wizards now but it helped us audience members follow it. The production design was pretty good, however I’m upset they didn’t use the actual Hogwarts sets that they still have built, instead opting for CGI environments. The music was a mess aside from the few John Williams cues (which worked so well), it felt like it was confused and ended up being a mash-up of themes.
Despite my complaining about some elements, I still really liked this movie! Its not Potter level yet, but still quite enjoyable and the best of the Fantastic Beasts films! So many elements, especially the Dumbledore and Grindelwald stuff (and their duel) left me just wanting more, so I really hope we get the 4th and 5th installments! I had lots of fun here, it satisfied me and made me excited for the future of the Wizarding World! I’m truly happy it was able to bounce back a bit after Crimes of Grindelwald, and I hope it just keeps getting better. If you love Potter, or even just the character of Dumbledore, this is a must see! Its not a perfect film, but it entertained me!
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IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%
RT Audience Score: 85%
Metacritic Score: 47
CinemaScore: B+
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Warner Bros
Directed by David Yates
Screenplay by JK Rowling & Steve Kloves
Based on a screenplay by JK Rowling
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Katherine Waterston
Runtime: 2hr 22min
Rating: PG
Adventure, Fantasy
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Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers.
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Fun Fact: Steve Kloves, original screenwriter of all the Harry Potter movies but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), makes his return to the writer's seat after ten years. He was brought on to help J.K. Rowling.
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