Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) by Joseph D — 16 Nov 2018

We have more from the Potterverse, it's a good thing!

FANTASTIC BEASTS 2.

At over 2 hours, you would think this anticipated sequel would drag in places, but honestly, it has a fairly steady flow. I could tell it was long, but it held my attention during the quiet moments.

The cast, both new & returning, did a great job! Newt & Jake are still one of the best 2-man teams of this era. Queenie & her sister both looked like they were going through some serious stuff throughout the film, & they did, but no spoilers. Jude Law played Dumbledore as someone who was happy, but still haunted by his past, I could see shades of the older man in much of the performance. Johnny Depp, for once, didn't feel like just another Jack Sparrow clone in his portrayal of Grindelwald. He was cold, detached, like he saw himself as the only human in a room full of dolls he could pose & arrange. I believed I was looking at a manipulative sociopath. He really outdid himself. Credence kinda took a back seat this time around, but when he was present, you could feel he was a walking powder keg, it was an effective performance. The side characters all did well. Newt's brother worked well, you could tell there was bad blood, but not enough to sever the family ties. There were the two love interests, Newt's first love, who got engaged to the brother (awkward), & Credence's girlfriend, who has her own problems (UNDERSTATEMENT), they both did fine. There were some government pukes who just screamed "ATF vs Waco cult", they were an obvious allegory. And then there was this cute maid character working for Newt, it was clear to me she had more of an interest in Newt, then Newt's profession, I do hope we see more of her. Nick Flamel was...there. He did play a part, but I think we'll see more of him in later films.

The effects were awesome! The fantastic beasts are still both fantastic, & believable. The wizarding world still looks amazing, like it could really exist in ours, IF...you know where to look. The film takes place at the tail end of the roaring '20s, & everything looks right outta that era. Serious props to the set & prop departments, they go above & beyond on a regular basis.

The music was more ominous, but with subtle shades of the classic Potterverse. It was nice.

Fantastic Beasts 2 is a setup movie. It gets the ball really rolling for things to come, but it has plenty of action, comedy, drama, suspense, & lots of character development. It sets the stage, all while providing a decent second act. It makes me really look forward to Fantastic Beasts 3. 4 stars outta 5.