Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) by Peter K — 16 Nov 2018

Completely lives up to the name. Truly fantastic. An adept second entry to this 5-part series of films. Obviously we've seen all the H.P. films at this point, and we know both Dumbledore and Grindlewald survive the present series.

So, we know at some point the bad guy's gonna slip his chains, etc., etc., but while this movie succeeds not only in completely surprising us (third-act reveal.. hint, hint) but also delivering the inevitable in a breathtaking, and totally fulfilling way.

In a sense, there are scenes where it departs from the wholesome feel of the other films in the H.P. Universe, but after 9 films it's welcome change! At times it even felt like a turn of the century espionage thriller/chase film, jet-setting from dungeons to safe-houses, from New York, to London, to Paris.

It departs from the H.P. format mainly in that all the main characters are adults, and therefore are more interconnected and complex. But there's also more creative freedom in a story of adult wizards that don't have to be at Potions Class at 9 am every Thursday.

Johnny Depp's Gellert Grindelwald is absolutely top tier. The visuals are overwhelmingly beautiful and terrifying. Most importantly... the magic is thriving in the Wizarding World.