Ten years ago, it was impossible to predict that J.K. Rowling’s field guide Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them would become Hollywood’s way of milking the Harry Potter franchise. Now, two films into a five-part spin-off saga, it’s abundantly clear that these new characters and concepts can’t possibly recapture the magic of the original series. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop them from trying.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is as unfocused as it is sloppy, and the crammed-in elements working against it are countless. The plot builds toward an answer to a question we don’t care about, a reveal that is more of a head-scratcher than the question itself. Grindelwald is largely absent from this quest; instead, he lurks, sending his stalwarts to drop breadcrumbs for the character around whom the mystery swirls. The film inadvertently becomes less about the eponymous villain and more about selling characters and concepts that muddy Rowling’s mythos. It’s an unmitigated mess made worse by the fact that none of it makes a lick of sense.
Infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) has escaped. His only true adversary, Albus Dumbledore ( Law), remains unable to fight him for spoiler-y reasons, leaving the dirty work to Newt Scamander (Redmayne) and company. Grindelwald himself is unconcerned with Scamander and his band of misfits; what he wants is bigger, more consequential. With a growing army of followers backing him, Grindelwald quests for a power that will give him control over wizards and Muggles alike. Sound familiar?
The characters that made the first film such a treat (namely Tina and Jacob) reluctantly step back; it’s clear they want more to do but the film’s insistence that there’s more going on prevents greater involvement. Depp is great (though criminally underused), and Law delivers a convincing Dumbledore, but the lack of depth in the main cast is woefully evident. Longtime Potter director David Yates takes the reins again, but this time his direction, coupled with Rowling’s cluttered script, feels contrived and hurried.
The Crimes of Grindelwald doesn’t work because it’s too busy trying to impress fans who have been enamoured with Rowling’s world for years. It needlessly takes risks that do nothing but cause confusion and frustration for people who didn’t want canon-altering twists. The film does audiences a disservice because it tries to out-fan them.
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