Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was a hard movie to view objectively. I grew up on Harry Potter. Actually it might be accurate to say I grew up with Harry Potter. I was seven when Sorcerer’s Stone was released in 1997. For the next 14 years, there were only two years, 2006 & 2008, where there wasn’t a book and/or movie released. While I was a bit younger than the main trio when the first book came out, I matched up with Harry and the gang at 17 years old when Deathly Hallows was released in 2007. Suffice to say everything Harry Potter – be it the original books, the movies, or any future projects or publications – will always hold a special place in my heart.
So what does all that mean? Well, it makes it both harder and easier to rate these new Fantastic Beasts movies. I love Harry Potter so at times it may be easier to overlook certain shortcomings or plot holes. But at the same time, I might view some aspects through a more critical eye. I saw this movie on Tuesday night, and it’s taken the few days since to really wrap my head around my thoughts on the movie. And while there is certainly a lot to like here, there is still plenty of bad. But perhaps most worrisome, Crimes casts some serious doubts about the future of this franchise.
And it means this is going to be one long review. If you’re here for that, sit back and enjoy. If not, take a look at the quick review on the News From The Couch Instagram, and maybe that will suffice.
*Just to be on the safe side: review will not contain spoilers*
Let’s start with the good
JKR does world-building as well as anyone, and that is again on display throughout the film. The movie does a great job of pulling you into the world, making you feel a part of it. And in these fantasy-type movies, that fact alone can go a long way. A big part of that world-building is how visually stunning the movie is. It’s one of the best-looking movies of the year. The spells, the beasts, the set pieces, it’s all great.
The characters, even with too much time being spent on less significant ones, are mostly great and tons of fun. Eddie Redmayne does his best Newt Scamandering and is awkward and likable as ever. Dan Fogler is back as lovable No-Maj Jacob Kowalski. Though some of his charm has regrettably worn off a bit and he doesn’t provide quite as much comic relief this time around.
I especially liked what Johnny Depp did with Grindelwald. Grindelwald is a different type of villain than Voldemort. You take one look at Voldemort and you know he’s bad news. But Grindelwald? Well, okay, his appearance doesn’t do him any favors.
But his demeanor doesn’t scream evil. He’s a speaker. He can appeal to the base needs of his followers. And while different than the fear that emanated from Voldemort, it can still be equally as terrifying. He can rally people to his cause, convince others that his way is the right way. It will be interesting to see who he might be able to pull over to his side, either temporarily or permanently.
Moving on, how about my guy Jude Law? I thought he nailed young Albus. There’s not much else to say there. Law was great. It’s really that simple. I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of young Albus.
Then there’s the matter of Nagini. I thought JKR handled her character perfectly. She’s introduced, we learn her condition, and that’s about it. From there she functions as a confidante for Credence. They didn’t beat us over the head with the whole “she eventually becomes “that” Nagini later on” detail. The caveat here is that Nagini will continue to play a part in the rest of the series. As long as she becomes more involved in the remaining movies, then this will remain a great introduction. But if she continues to play such a bit part, then they might as well not have brought her in at all.
And that’s about it. It might seem light on the “good” considering the score of 77. And that’s fair; it’s the same complaint I had with the first Fantastic Beasts. There is no real depth to the good parts of the movie; it’s all surface. But when that surface resides in the Harry Potter universe, you earn yourself a bit of leeway.
As for what’s bad? Well that’s where I’ll really be able to dive in. I found four big problems that I’ll go over one by one.
The Plots
Yes, you read that right, plots. Plural. As in more than one. It makes the movie a narrative mess at times. It’s hard to keep straight what’s going on, who has what motivations for what reasons, and even just who certain characters are and why we’re supposed to care about them.
The result is a bunch of scenes that end up being nothing more than unnecessary filler. We have the Jacob and Queenie love story. We have the possible love connection of Newt and Tina. Each gets very little screen time, and deservedly so. But there is just enough to annoy you. Queenie especially had a rough turn. She is probably the one character who was complete whiff.
Then there’s Newt’s brother Theseus, who is engaged to Leta Lestrange, who Newt was in love with back in their Hogwarts days. Leta’s backstory and character arc in particular are some of the worst parts of the movie. And by worst, I mean stupidest. And also worst.
There are just too many characters who are given too much screen time. One of the worst parts about it, though, is that there is a lot of good potential here. But so little of the bigger story was covered in the first Fantastic Beasts, they have to play catch-up. And that fact is painfully obvious. The movie jumps from one character to the next, giving you little bits and pieces, but rarely anything of substance. I can only hope the remaining three movies are able to find more of a focus. There is no reason for them not to finish strong.
Newt And The Beasts
While the messy plots might be the biggest issue with this specific movie, I actually think Newt might be the biggest problem with the series as a whole. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Newt, he’s a very enjoyable character. But as the larger story progresses, it’s feeling like a story that is less and less Newt’s. Can Newt play an important role in the fight against Grindelwald? Sure, of course. But as the central protagonist? It seems like a stretch.
Think of the Fantastic Beasts series compared to the original Harry Potter series. Newt is essentially Harry’s counterpart. Harry’s role made sense. He had a direct connection to Voldemort, multiple connections in fact. He’s a fitting hero. Newt? No so much. It feels like Dumbledore’s story. Side note: It is. If they can’t find a way to rectify that discrepancy moving forward, the whole series could be in big trouble.
But Newt? It feels like he was chosen simply because his character had enough existing source material to start a new series. And he’s now being forced into events that already have a partially established cannon in the Harry Potter universe. It’s a delicate balancing act. It wasn’t much an issue in the first movie because the Grindelwald plot wasn’t in the foreground. But as he was one of the driving forces in this sequel, it become more apparent that Newt doesn’t quite fit.
In the same vein, the titular beasts, while mostly fun, detract from the movie this time around. In the first Fantastic Beasts, they had a specific part to play. But here they do not. Like Newt, it feels like they’re being force-fed into the movie. We have a scene early in the movie watching Newt take care of his creatures. And the point of the scene? Nothing. It’s there because the title of the movie contains the words “Fantastic Beasts.” While that’s the worst offender of the movie, there are a few more similar scenes.
I think the Newt problem will be easier to fix and work around. I hope JKR and the rest of the production team realizes the plot-killer the beasts present right now. They can have their place in the movies; magical creatures were used quite effectively in the original HP movies. But as long as the movies are presented as “Fantastic Beasts” movies, I fear this problem will continue to persist.
The Retconning
This wasn’t so bad for this one movie (except for the third big issue still to come), but it’s more of a problem as what it might signal for the remaining movies in the Fantastic Beasts series. While I’m sure there are more, there are specifically two that jumped out. And don’t worry, this doesn’t spoil anything.
The first is the fact that Dumbledore is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts instead of Transfiguration. It doesn’t take anything away from the movie in the slightest. I can see where JKR and Yates thought it might make more narrative sense this way. But still, the fact remains, according to (now former?) Potter cannon, Dumbledore never taught Defense Against the Dark Arts.
The second is the inclusion of fan favorite Professor McGonagall. The movie takes place in 1927 and we see that dear Minerva is already a Hogwarts professor. What’s the problem here? Well, according to her bio on Harry Potter Wikia, she wasn’t born until 1935. Though it’s worth noting the movie has some flexibility here. The character is listed on IMDB as Minerva McGonagall. But it could be a relative of the Minerva we all know from Harry Potter past. But I doubt it. There would really be no reason to include her if it wasn’t the same professor that was Harry’s Head of Gryffindor House.
These may seem like small, rather innocuous things. Why bother getting upset over them? It’s because of what it could mean for the future of the series, and the wider Potter cannon. If these details are going to be retconned, what’s preventing JKR from doing the same to other beloved characters? While neither of these fundamentally changes either Dumbledore nor McGonagall, the more we see of this, the more worried I’ll be that some major character or event or detail is going to undergo a massive change that underscores everything we had previously known (or thought we knew) about said character/event/detail.
The One I Can’t Talk About
If you’ve seen the movie, you know. If you haven’t seen it yet, go see it, you’ll know as soon as it happens. Now it’s only fair to say that this travesty may not hold true. If you look at the circumstances and the context, it could all be a ploy, an elaborate lie. But since we will have to wait for the third Fantastic Beasts (or even fourth or fifth) I can only go on what we have. And what we have right now is this aspect being revealed as a truth.
The major issue here, if it holds true, is that this would fundamentally change very important aspects about a certain character. It’s rewriting their history. And it will have been done in such a way that undermines what we knew about this character from the original Harry Potter series; at least some parts, that is, the full extent remains to be seen. We all know JKR loves to reveal little nuggets of information every now and then about different characters and their larger stories. But this would be a case of taking it too far.
Bonus: Magic CSI
This. Was. So. Bad. Talk about a dumb deus ex machina. It was ridiculous. I won’t say anything more in case you’re reading this before seeing the movie. But you’ll know what I’m talking about when it pops up. It’s softened a little bit by being a very cool visual sequence, but my goodness does this come in hot a convenient plot device. As well as something that we will likely never see again, despite how ridiculously useful it would be.
Oscar hopes: Certainly none of the major awards are in play here, but nominations for one or more of the technical categories are definitely within reach.
Oscar Watch
Best Picture
- First Man
- A Star is Born
- Eighth Grade
- A Quiet Place
- Avengers: Infinity War
- BlackKklansman
- The Hate U Give
- Black Panther
- Love, Simon
- Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Best Director
- Damien Chazelle – First Man
- Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
- George Tillman Jr – The Hate U Give
- Bo Burnham – Eighth Grade
- John Krasinski – A Quiet Place
Lead Actor
- Ryan Gosling – First Man
- Bradley Cooper – A Star is Born
- Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
- Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
- Nick Robinson – Love, Simon
Lead Actress
- Emily Blunt – A Quiet Place
- Lady Gaga – A Star is Born
- Amandla Stenberg – The Hate U Give
- Thomasin McKenzie – Leave No Trace
- Toni Collette – Hereditary
Supporting Actor
- Russell Hornsby – The Hate U Give
- Sam Elliott – A Star is Born
- Timothée Chalamet – Beautiful Boy
- Armie Hammer – Sorry to Bother You
- Adam Driver – BlackKklansman
Supporting Actress
- Claire Foy – First Man
- Jennifer Garner – Love, Simon
- Regina Hall – The Hate U Give
- Laura Harrier – BlackKklansman
- Tessa Thompson – Annihilation
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