Written by: Stephen Wallen
The Wizarding World becomes even more thorough in J.K. Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” In this 10th cinematic adaption of the Harry Potter franchise (second in the Fantastic Beasts series), seasoned director David Yates brings to life a Gatsby-esque magical 1920s world that begs its viewers to take a closer look. However, at two hours and fourteen minutes in length, “The Crimes of Grindelwald” requests that its audience “hurry up and wait,” in between the action.
Once again, we follow Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as he forages the world amidst a national crisis, capturing magical creatures in need. Like last time, he is accompanied by no-mag pal Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) who somehow remembers his friends in the wizarding world despite having his memory being erased at the end of the last movie. Luckily, this convenient defect in memory-wiping magic allows Jacob and his magical partner, Queenie (Allison Sudol), to continue to pursue a strictly forbidden relationship. When Newt realizes that he is in love with the underdeveloped, CIA agent-witch, Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), he easily breaks a ban on his international travel to go search for her. When he finally tracks her down, Tina is back to searching for the troubled obscurus boy, Credence (Ezra Miller) who somehow survived his imminent demise in the last film. At the same time, resident baddie Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) has managed to escape his capture in a Michael Myers-like fashion, breaking out of his transport caravan. Add in a devilishly handsome Dumbledore (Jude Law), loveable snake-lady Nagini (Claudia Kim), troubled ex-Hogwarts student Leta Lestrange (Zoë Kravitz) along with a peculiarly unbelievable big brother, Theseus Scamander, and “The Crimes of Grindelwald” becomes a three-way fight for Credence’s loyalty that has more plot lines than Pennsylvania roads have potholes.
With an extremely brief reintroduction of characters from the first movie and insufficient introductions of new characters, casual Potter fans are left to flounder in their seats as they attempt to grasp at some form of a coherent plot understanding. That being said, potterheads are rewarded for their dedication to the series. From confusing family trees to brand new pieces of wizardly information, “The Crimes of Grindelwald” provides truehearted fans with hours of speculative material. By introducing new characters from already known bloodlines, such as Leta Lestrange and Nagini, J.K. Rowling does an effective job of further developing her already complex magical universe. Moreover, Rowling drags the audience through familiar places with familiar faces nearly 70 years before we see them in the original films. For instance, we travel to Hogwarts to see handsome Dumbledore thriving as a professor and a much younger professor McGonagal chasing children around. Later on, we even get a look at the infamous Nicholas Flamel and his sorcerer’s stone. It was at moments like these that I could not help but smile as I filled with nostalgia. However, while these complex world-building techniques do add a layer of nostalgia and complexity that long-time fans can appreciate, they also prevent newcomers from being able to fully enjoy the cinematic piece.
Despite its confusing nature, the second installment of “Fantastic Beasts” does provide fans with some beautifully crafted scenes. A few that come to mind are the 10-15-minute action-packed escape of Jack Sparrow Grindelwald to start the movie, yet another Credence temper tantrum and of course, Newt’s wrangling of a Chinese dragon kitty that he later bestrides. Throughout the film, it is evident that Yates once again excelled at bringing Rowling’s imagination to reality. Truly, this movie is one of the most impressive CGI masterpieces I have seen in a while. The downright impressive attention to minuscule details rivals that of Star Wars, a franchise renowned for its impressive use of complex, computer-generated scenes. Truly, Fantastic Beasts has proven to be a transformative piece for the Harry Potter franchise in terms of artistic details.
In conclusion, while “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is a film meant more for diehard fans as opposed to the general public, it still provides the common eye with lively, action-packed scenes that hold interest well enough to make it through the movie. However, when comparing it to other Harry Potter movies, the second “Fantastic Beasts” falls near the bottom of the list. All in all, the film accomplishes its job of being a transitional, set-up piece for the rest of the “Fantastic Beasts” series. Yet, until the next film comes out, fans are left to sit and ponder the many unanswered questions that “Crimes of Grindelwald” left them.
