The following is a movie review “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” by Marc Primo.
Release date: 16 November 2018 (United States)
Director: David Yates
Language: English
Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films
Producers: David Heyman, J. K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram
For non-Potterheads who might be scratching their heads, The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second instalment in J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts film series, and the tenth overall in the Wizarding World franchise, which began with the Harry Potter films.
Having helmed the final four films in the Harry Potter series, English veteran David Yates once again assumes directorial duties with no less than Johnny Depp taking on the role of Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, who is on a mission to raise pure-blood wizards to rule non-magical beings.
Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter universe is the only wizard who can thwart Grindelwald’s nefarious plan, as the wise mentor recruits former student Newt Scamander to help keep peace and order in the wizarding world.
While there’s enough here for die hard Rowling fans and genre aficionados, my key takeaway from this latest entry is that it doesn’t offer much more than its predecessor Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The film’s editing and pacing felt as though anybody with an appreciation for Rowling’s work could have written the script. Moreover, the overall premise of Grindelwald felt like nothing more than an extended intro for the three film adaptations already in the pipeline.
In closing, its redeeming qualities lie in Rowling’s signature humor and charm, which Yates and Depp manage to pull off with enough finesse to save it from becoming a crime against filmmaking, although nowhere near fantastic entertainment, IMHO.
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