Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) by Semyon M — 29 Nov 2018

World Building: The Movie.

This movie seriously lacks characters. There is too much cardboard plot devices and too little care for them. No one feels interesting, or developed. Also, movie, like the first one lacks conflict for the most part. It's feels like reading a paper - something happened, but you don't really care. You constantly confused about who wants what, goes where and why. Part of that because this movie written backwards for some reason, hiding it's logic and motivation for the end reveal and part of that because characters and their motivations isn't really developed. Backward writing is really strange, because it's not mystery, or detective movie and you don't really care. Characters act on their own logic, which doesn't translates to the audience engagement. Newt as protagonist doesn't help to connect audience either, since he plays only marginal role in the plot.

Don't take it like I didn't understood whats happened with who and why, it just was really boring and hard to keep track of because of constant jumps between dozen characters and lack of establishing scenes (which I can understand, given runtime and amount of stuff to establish).

This series really should be divided into two: Cartoon adventures of Newt and serious story about Grindelwald. Since it's too late to do that I'm glad they at least seriously cut on Cartoon adventures.

Things I liked:

- Carefully crafted unique HP movie world design is still amazing in both of design and craft departments. Really high class work.

- Visuals are good. It's hard to impress people with CGI anymore, but there was few cool moments and I appreciate CG action direction, it wasn't over the top, except for unnecessary and boring flame birds battle at the end, it's just continues point about lack of characters and conflict. If you cannot create believable tension and conflict between characters with only sticks and words no amount and size of drawn explosions will save you.

- Last 30 minutes and Grindelwald speech. I really didn't liked Depp in this role and portrayal of Grindelwald. It was some funny looking dude hanging out in some apartment. Not particularly frightening. But after this speech I got it and got the point. It's not like he is personally menacing, but it's his ideas. It's really more dangerous, than Voldemort and his intimidation tactics. This villain and conflict can make much more mature and deep story. In this sense movies move in the right direction out of kid's BOO DARK LORD territory.

- Tone was good. Not too serious, but surprisingly adult, compared even to much darker fantasy movies. Suitable for good drama, which wasn't delivered. Adult fantasy is very rare nowadays.

- Dumbledore. At first I was disappointed, that he wasn't too strange, or interesting, but then I remembered, that in books and in that time he was very manipulative man with ambitions, and only yet to develop his familiar personality of slightly crazy old man (which was acted, as far as I know).

- Acting was good, I guess.

- Overall story was interesting, it's only failed with it's flat backwards delivery. On it's own it makes sense.

- Most of all I was surprised with the care put in this move. I didn't expected much out of second episode of spinoff series, but with all it's failures they still feels, like unfortunate misses, than just plain lazyness, mindlessness, greed, and pandering to audience, that you can feel out of almost any movie nowadays with reboots of reboots of reboots, when not a single person cares, except for executives. It feels genuine attempt of creating something.

Just out of this one fact I will look forward to watch next movies in this franchise and score this move whole star more. I hope, that someone will give JKR "Screenwriting 101" book and flat plot delivery will be improved next time.