Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) by Alan W — 01 Dec 2018

Never read the books but I have seen all the films, once, so I'm a casual Harry Potter fan at best but I have never been disappointed by the franchise, until now. I can't quite explain why but I ultimately find this disengaging and rather ponderous.

It could be that I've simply had enough of Eddie Redmayne's grating Danish Girl/Princess Diana take on Newt Scamander but he's not in it much as it's more of an ensemble piece now.

Or perhaps the characters and their behaviour are less convincing this time round; when even Jacob and Queenie whom I enjoyed watching last time have lost their charm. Or it's because the film lacks a proper story and coherence and feels more like a series of revelations in between a few disappointingly pedestrian action set pieces.

Grindelwald's escape is too dark and confusing to have any real tension while the one in the finale is just a mess of CG blue flames. The only time the film comes alive is when it is having fun with the many imaginatively rendered beasts and the few scenes with Jude Law as a young Dumbledore; and while the production designs are as lush and visually stunning as ever, there's simply not enough substance behind those reassuringly stylish costumes and glorious sets.

Rowling's script is crowded yet shallow at the same time, with sensationalistic twists and turns that feel contrived and laboured. This is a film sustained purely on hints and allusions that future instalments will excitingly pivot into the Dumbledore prequel we want and tie in to real events that beget WWII; but as promising and alluring as they may be, in terms of this film, I can't wait for it to end so that we can just get on with it.