Only two short years ago we were introduced to the wizarding world of New York in the 1920s. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was something that was new to everyone and didn’t even give book lovers the chance to bicker about which parts they were mad about the movie leaving out. That prequel laid the early foundation for the events that would eventually happen in the Harry Potter series and it did an arguably good job at introducing new characters that could be beloved.
Which brings us to the sequel – The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) continues to travel the globe in search of fantastic beasts, yet the Ministry of Magic is eagerly seeking to bring him into the fold. The wizarding world still fears the unpredictability of a destructive wizard named Creedence (Ezra Miller). Meanwhile, the infamous Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) has escaped from captivity and seeks to unite his followers and seeks to rid the world of the Nomaj (Non-magic people….obviously).
Along his new perilous travels, Newt reunites with Tina (Katherine Waterston), Queenie (Allison Sudol) and Jacob (Dan Fogler) from the previous movie. This movie also introduces new characters with whom Newt shares a history with, including Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz), his brother Theseus (Callum Turner), and Albus Dumbeldore (Jude Law).
The first cinematic crime of Grindelwald that kills this movie is that there are far too many characters and too many subplots to the point where no story is actually fleshed out. Granted, this is the second of a planned five-part series and has a lot of expositional ground to cover, but it makes for a better TV episode than a film experience. It’s actually difficult to decipher what the movie is about until the final third. The villainous Grindelwald is barely given more than a few throwaway lines to describe what his intentions are. Thus, very little urgency is felt in the protagonist’s journey.
The second cinematic crime of Grindelwald is that the editing is horrendous. In the opening scene, there’s an apparently thrilling showdown in a prison carriage. Yet, there are so many cuts and a poor focus that it seems that director David Yates was inspired by the seizure-inducing car chases of the Bourne series. This continues through every action scene in the movie. Though, even in its quieter moments there’s no sense of geography or tension as scenes jump from place to place without context. A character may be giving a significant monologue in one scene and be found running for their lives in the next. I believe that a good movie may have been filmed, but it was destroyed on the cutting room floor possibly to fit into 2 hours 14 minutes.
The third and definitely not last crime of Grindelwald is the writing. If the final product is what JK Rowling intended, then she should fade away from the universe she created with her billions of dollars. While I enjoyed the setup she established on the first Fantastic Beasts, everything we’re getting now (including Cursed Child) feels like fan fiction. She shoehorns easter eggs in to makes the die-hard Potter fans happy, but she has no focus, nor does she have that magic anymore. This series is clearly meant for an older audience and is actually worse for it. When harrowing things happen on screen, it’s just to remind you that the bad guys are bad, but it all comes off as hollow…. or hallow (sorry). Mostly, she cannot focus on a single character long enough to give them a proper plot to follow. Even Newt feels like a tertiary character.
Now, it’s not all bad. The title Fantastic Beasts is as true as ever. The CG for the beasts and how real they feel in the world is actually incredible. There is a lion-ish beast that looks and feels almost practical. I wish there was a better mix of these monsters in the movie, as they add necessary levity. The acting isn’t too shabby either. It’s a shame that they didn’t have better scripts, because many of these actors are giving it their all. Even Depp, who should have remained being Colin Farrell, is able to chew the scenery and is actually giving a solid effort.
Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald isn’t a crime against humanity, but it certainly harms the direction of the franchise and is easily the worst of any movie in the wizarding world. It makes me sad as I felt the first Fantastic Beasts was a great spinoff that could also be a stand-alone and made me excited about the future of the series. At this point I must say Avada Kedavra to my hope if the same crew works on the next installment. D+
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