WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, in theaters now.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them presented an exciting look at some of the strangest and most beautiful aspects of the Wizarding World made famous in the Harry Potter universe. The creatures throughout were the draw, as were the adventures of Newt Scamander as he tried to protect the magical animals from people who all too often would shoot first and ask questions later.
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And that’s the biggest problem with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald. So much of the film is dedicated to the politics and machinations of the Wizarding World, that it takes away from the inherent appeal of the series in the first place. There just aren’t enough fantastic beasts in Fantastic Beasts 2.
Care Of Magical Creatures
A consistent criticism of The Crimes of Grindelwald is the general lack of exploration. Even though audiences get their first real look at the magical version of Paris, there’s not much that makes it stand out from the rest of the Wizarding World. If anything, it just feels like Diagon Alley with a fresh coat of French paint.
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By far, the most compelling location in the film is Newt's home and personal nature enclosure. The room feels like the kind of magical touch that helped define the world of Harry Potter so vividly for fans in the first place. The different habitats offer homes to the various creatures, including an impressive looking Kelpie made of seaweed and the adorable Nifflers scrounging around for treasure.
When the movie actually embraces the fantastic beasts of the title, it shines. Newt works as a character because of his undying love for the various animals he comes across. His easy attitude makes him a quick friend to the Zouwu, the massive Chinese lion creature that he coaxes into his enchanted suitcase.
Whenever the film actually takes the time to show Newt with the animals, whether it’s unbinding trapped creatures, caring for the Nifflers or just generally loving the strange beasts that populate the Wizarding World, the movie really works.
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Eddie Redmayne gives Newt an awkward disposition, except when he’s dealing with creatures and becomes casually cool, confident and kind. It’s an adorable portrayal, and works incredibly well with his performance – especially when he does his best not to compare Tina’s eyes to a salamander, but that’s all he can think of to describe true beauty.
Whenever the film explores that side of the world, it’s a sweet tale within the Harry Potter universe. The problem is the rest of the movie.
Next Page: The Worst Crime of Crimes of Grindelwald
The Worst Crime of Crimes of Grindelwald
Most of The Crimes of Grindelwald is committed to setting the table for the inevitable confrontation between the Ministry of Magic and the magical supremacy that Grindelwald preaches. While there are some interesting story ideas at the core of his argument (most notably his insistence that "freedom" would allow people like Queenie and even himself to be with the ones they love), it’s all just set-up. The film acts like an extended teaser for the events of the next three movies, and doesn't even have a proper climax.
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As a result, the fantastic beasts take a backseat in the film’s narrative to allow more room for the hidden family bonds, prophecies hidden as poetry, and inconsistent characterization that often derails the film instead of keeping the pace going. The film doesn’t have the time or focus to give the characters room to breathe, let alone for the creatures to stand out.
The Fantastic Beasts stop feeling so fantastic as a result. Instead, they come across as a means to an end. The Nifflers gain new abilities as the film requires, eventually using them to steal an important artifact (that is used to set up the next film). The Zouwu is by far the most distinctive part of the movie, but it really only features in two scenes before providing a handy teleport and spending the rest of the film inside Newt’s enchanted bag.
One of the very first scenes of the film sees Grindlewald casually discarding the creature he just used to escape custody. It’s meant to showcase his callous attitude towards things that he feels are below him. However, it ends up being a pretty apt description of the movie that follows: a visually interesting and wholly unique magical creature fulfills its purpose before getting tossed aside to make way for the actual focus of the film: Johnny Depp with a goofy looking white hairdo glaring at the camera.
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For a film supposedly about the fantastic beasts of the Harry Potter universe, there just aren't enough magical creatures throughout the movie to make it as enjoyable as it could have been. All they needed to do was live up to the title. Instead, we get an extended prologue for the Wizarding World that no one was particularly asking for. This movie needed way less Grindlewald, and way more Zouwu.
In theaters now, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is directed by David Yates from a script by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Rowling. The film stars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Fiona Glascott and Callum Turner.