Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – Film Review

The Harry Potter franchise is evolving beyond the main source material. With JK being at the helm of the script this film proves that she needs some assistance in screenwriting to help her grow as a writer. Though she is excellent at world building and creating the magic happen on screen for the production designers to execute. It feels as though she’s biting off more than she can chew in order to keep a simple straightforward story. There are too many characters that don’t get enough development and some scenes that feel as though they would read better than they would be scenes in a film.

Though the film does get a fair few things right. The special effects and creatures are well realized and the costume design continues to shine in this franchise. For the main four characters, they felt a bit underdeveloped this time. Newt felt like he grew a little more as a character and Tina didn’t have much to do in this entry. I wish Credence and Nagini had more to do than appear infrequently throughout the film as practically cameos. They do something interesting with Credence and I hope that pays off. The beasts they introduce were just enough to be memorable and very well realized. I liked their creature design and I did find them fascinating.

You’re too good, Newt. You never met a monster you couldn’t love.

Johnny Depp as Grindelwald was the major highlight of the film. His performance really sells the Hilter-esque role he is trying to play it. The character is trying to appeal to everyones weaknesses. I hope his character has more development with Jude Law’s Dumbledore. They didn’t have enough screentime to have an impact going forward to the big battle between the two. It was only teased of why and how they would battle. The emotional stakes need to be better developed. I did like the development they gave Zoe Kravitz’s Leta Lestrange. She was a complex character that had an interesting dynamic with Newt and his brother who she engaged to in the film.

I hope that the film simplifies the storyline and number of characters to follow, it has become too complicated. If JK gets a good screenwriter to work with her to make a better story. I would continue this story just work on making it more unique to itself and not hold onto Harry Potter as strong so that this world can go beyond the source material. Worth seeing to be in the know if you’re a Harry Potter fan.

7/10