Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) by Xain R — 19 Nov 2018

I went with almost no expectations after lukewarm first movie, but J. K. Rowling along with David Yates still manage to disappoint me. Grindlewald starts off with a brilliant sequence but within that you could see that the director does not have that grip and lacks the crunch. A promise which is thrown soon after.

Rowling needs to understand that writing a movie is different than writing a novel. You can't keep it that slow and almost no character development is offered in the movie that's why. Much like it's ancestor series, Grindlewald hardly did not lose any of the character from the first movie even though strict criticism over the talentless cast.

Here is what is wrong with the movie.

1. Baggage of the first movie.

As said earlier, fans failed to identify with almost all of the lead characters from the first movie. It was needed to drop some of the characters (Jacob atleast) but next movie kept them on even though Tine, Queenie and Jacob play no role in story. Even new characters don't help much. Dumbledore, Theseus and Nagini are merely decorative items. Someone should tell the producers that the beasts are not as interesting as they think and presenting them. Neither are they cute not funny and no one wants to see them. People want the darker tone and a better goal (not credence again).

2. Who to follow.

Although movie is flooded with the characters but there is a confusion who is real protagonist. Series started with Newt, but his role and contribution has diminished to only avoiding direct eye contact. Dumbledore was expected to have a strong role but he has only an extended guest appearance.

3. Marvel's Formula.

Harry Potter has always casted diverse actors but here it was diverse too much. Much of the cast was unnecessarily ethnic. Smaller roles to only bring some interest or color in the story were played by international actors. Also this single movie has more special effects then all of the 8 Harry potter movies combined. Many of the actors are in 20's or 30's. It can't be swallowed that there is not mature aurar on the team. Everyone is just out of school and holding a high rank and important position in ministry. On the other hand, they were too old for kids to connect with.

4. Weak writing.

Screenplay is vague and even by the end one is not sure what's Gindlewald's real motive. May be it was explained in the novels but not in the movie which audience came to watch. Last movie ended with Gindlewald's capture and this started with his escape, that was too quick to digest. He was shown to be very strong and powerful from the start of the movie which should have been a work in progress. A slow escape and gradual raise to the power involving obtaining of a special object to cast a citywide curse which would kill that many aurars. Instead they kept Ginglewald doing nothing after escape and in climax (which was hard to identify) Gindlewald casts a spell so massive to kill a lot of powerful wizards.

5. Waste.

Like Harry Potter, we don't have "Cream of British Film Industry" but we do have "Johnny Depp" an actor known for his vast versatility and what a waste. He never was given a chance to show his true colors (especially with all white makeup). Series' fans were against his casting but producers could have benefited from Depp's following which they totally lost as he does nothing out of the box except wearing weird lenses.

Still I liked the movie better than the first one as it had a better second half.

Here is what is good with this movie.

1. Jude Law and Zoe Kravitz.

Only two actors stood out of the mediocre performance. Jude looked like he studied Michael Gambon very well and transformed his personal accordingly. With all his movement, one can see Michael Gambon's Dumbledore. Zoe had only one chance to shine in the series and she sure did not miss it. She brought much needed depth to her character with mysterious air and elegance.

2. Magical effects.

For fans, it would be satisfying to see there are a lot of magical sequence.

When you are directing a movie after a fan favorite series, a lot of things could go wrong, and in case of Grindlewald, everyone involved in the movie made sure that they all do go wrong.