*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
In 2016, David Yates' Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them received both critical and box office success. It served as a welcome return to the Wizarding World that J.K. Rowling had created. While the film received a lot of praise for the acting (particularly Eddie Redmayne as the protagonist, Newt Scamander), its story and special effects, many doubted its ability to work as a franchise, with Rowling announcing that there will be a total of five films. The follow-up, titled The Crimes Of Grindelwald, has been released two years later, however, does it capture the magical quality that featured in Fantastic Beasts and the Harry Potter films?
At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MCUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student, Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
While The Crimes Of Grindelwald is the weakest entry in the franchise so far, it's not a bad film. Unlike previous instalments, it doesn't work as a stand alone film. Those watching without having seen Fantastic Beasts will be very confused as the story picks up where the previous film ended, with Grindelwald escaping the MCUSA. Rowling, once again, writes the screenplay and it is very impressive that she has created a magical world, filled with interesting ideas. Many thought that, after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 2011, it was the last they would see of the Wizarding World, however, Rowling admitted to not being able to part ways with the magical world that she'd created, which lead to her writing her first screenplay, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. The story introduced us to a new set of characters, including Redmayne's introverted Newt Scamander, Dan Fogler's 'No-Maj' (American for Muggle) Jacob Kowalski, ex-Auror Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) and her sister, Queenie (Alison Sudol). The four worked very well together and return in The Crimes Of Grindelwald, however, the characters are seperated for most of the film.
There are new additions to the cast, including Depp's evil Grindelwald. As the main villain, Depp is perfect for the role. As of late, Depp’s casting has come under fire due to rumours surrounding his relationship with actress, Amber Heard, and rumours of domestic abuse. It’s been two years since this story broke out and since Depp and Heard ended their marriage. In my opinion, I don’t think Depp is a bad actor and I have no idea what happened in their relationship. Nobody does, apart from the former couple themselves. I don’t think it’s any of our business speaking about what did or didn’t happen during their relationship and I’m sure Depp and Heard wants to leave it in the past and move on and, in my opinion, that’s what we should do. Back to my previous point, Depp makes for a great villain as he’s easy to dislike and comes across as very creepy. Another newcomer includes Law as a young Dumbledore and, at first, I was unsure about his casting, however, I was quite impressed. While his performance doesn’t match that of Richard Harris (who portrayed the character in the first two Harry Potter films before his death) and Michael Gambon, he still gives a solid performance. Due to the story focusing more on other characters, he doesn’t get much screen time, however, we’ll see more of him in the future sequels. Zoe Kravitz and Callum Turner feature as Newt's friend, Leta Lestrange, and Newt's older brother, Theseus. Because there are a lot of characters that feature within the story, it is hard to keep up at times as the film frequently cuts to one group of characters to another. The editing is one of the aspects of the film that could be improved on.
While Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them was thoroughly entertaining, The Crimes Of Grindelwald has a more darker tone, similar to that of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. While Grindelwald isn't as memorable as Ralph Fiennes' Voldemort (who was the main antagonist in the Harry Potter films), he still comes across as truly evil and unpredictable. Throughout the film, we're unsure of what his next move is which makes him an unsettling character. While Dumbledore has been described as one of the most powerful wizards, he confesses to Newt that he can't move against Grindelwald to a blood pact they made when they were friends. This leads to Newt, Tina, Queenie, Leta and Theseus working together to try and stop Grindelwald at one of his rallies. Unfortunately, this leads to an intense climax, with characters choosing to side with Grindelwald and others being killed. During the release of Fantastic Beasts, Rowling announced that there is going to be a total of five films in the franchise, with the final film building up to the duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. While Fantastic Beasts was lighthearted at times and was entertaining to watch, I do like the serious direction the series is being taken in. It's similar to the Harry Potter films as the stories got darker as the films went on.
In The Crimes of Grindelwald, we see a different side to Newt as he learns about the seriousness of the situation involving Grindelwald's escape. We learn of his relationship with his brother, Theseus, which is tentatively warm relationship, slightly marred by the fact that the two can't quite understand each other. Previously, Newt and Tina were seen as friends, however, it's revealed that Newt has developed feelings for her and he spends the first half of the film looking for her. In my opinion, while romantic relationships aren't a bad thing, I just feel like it's unnecessary and that Newt and Tina should remain friends. In Fantastic Beasts, Queenie was seen as flirtatious, however, we see another side to her that I wasn't expecting and I really liked. I was surprised that there wasn't any scenes involving her and Tina considering they're sisters.
What was most successful about Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them was that it worked as an introductory to the Wizarding World. There were small nods to the Harry Potter films that die-hard fans would have noticed and, with The Crimes Of Grindelwald, the connections between the two franchises is bigger. The story takes viewers to Hogwarts, which is the school of witchcraft and wizardry, and John Williams' iconic Hedwig's Theme is heard during this scene, making many fans feel very nostalgic. They will also recognise many of the classrooms, including the one where a young Newt, as a student, practises his Riddikulus spell on a boggart. I wouldn't be surprised if fans discovered more Easter Eggs, which are inside jokes, hidden messages or images, located within the film. One of the Easter Eggs that fans noticed in Fantastic Beasts was a necklace that has the Deathly Hallows symbol on it. In The Crimes Of Grindelwald, there is a nod to the first Harry Potter film, The Philosopher's Stone, as Jacob meets Nicolas Flamel, who, as fans will know, discovered the titular stone. This is why I admire Rowling as a writer because she has created a world that has infinite potential. At this stage, it's hard to say whether Rowling will write more stories set in the Wizarding World, however, I would like to see a prequel focusing on Dumbledore, his relationship with his brother, Aberforth, and the tragedy they experienced, involving their younger sister, Ariana.
One of the highlights of Fantastic Beasts was the magical creatures that escaped from Newt's briefcase when he arrives in New York. The most memorable were the Niffler and the Bowtruckle, both of which make small appearances. The creatures that feature in The Crimes of Grindelwald prove that there's no limit to Rowling's imagination, including the intimidating Zouwu, a massive, multicolored cat-like beast of Chinese origin and the Kelpie, a type of water horse from Scottish mythology. They're considered dangerous given their tendency to lure travelers to a watery grave, but Newt of course has a way with them.
While The Crimes Of Grindelwald isn't without its flaws and is the weakest entry in the franchise, it's not bad as it continues the story.
7/10
