Review of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) by Healingtoolbox — 24 Apr 2022

Literary--in the best way. Film as literature, a movie which plays like a skillfully-written, uplifting, traditional text novel. It's VERY LITERATE. Probably David Yates and J.K. Rowling are probably incapable of making anything but a very literate movie. If this does not bother you, give it a try. If the literary plot of #2 distracted you from enjoying the film craft here, best skip this one too. The best of the Harry Potter movies were NOT so literary; they played like blockbusters. Did I mention this plays like a novel?

Kids AND CRITICS who never read many healthy, classic novels are less likely to enjoy it. Negative pro critics seem to want only plots at the level of simplified, exaggerated, comic book heroes and villains. Nuance, subtlety and tenderness apparently do not interest them. I believe for many movie critics, successful comic book plots have replaced well-written novels as their criteria for "good." Too bad for film criticism.

Some pro critics claim this has less magic. Not so. The second scene, before teh credits, the birth of the Chillin and its aftermath, expresses collosal cinematic magic. The magic of the rest of the story is more about human magic, magic in the sphere of positive human intentions and behaviors, the magic of purity of purpose, the magic of a few committed individuals succeeding against evil. If wholesome human magic bores you, skip this film. The film even has a sub-text, the outer mastery and inner self-mastery of Jude Law's Dumbledore. As often happens in real life and stories, of the magic, of a few committed individuals, succeeding against evil, they succeed by first failing, appearing to fail. It's a story of how positive human intention, held by even a small group, can prompt the universe to respond in your favor; towards, the highest good for all concerned.