Mark Reviews Movies: FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

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Review by Mark Dujsik | November 16, 2018

The books and movies featuring boy wizard Harry Potter took their time establishing the wider world of witches and wizards, magic and legend, and politics and history. It's difficult to tell if these new movies taking place in the self-proclaimed "Wizarding World" of author-turned-screenwriter J.K. Rowling are in too much of a rush or drawing out things, in order to keep this story going as long as possible.

There were seven books in Rowling's original series (and eight movie adaptations), and that number was pretty much set in stone by the structure of the hero's wizarding education. By the end of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, one could imagine this series of stories ending with the next installment or going on for an indeterminate number of sequels. A lot happens in this movie, but it's the kind of stuff that doesn't really mean much to the central tale of zoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and his ragtag group of magical acquaintances, one non-magical pal, and a menagerie of strange creatures.

Newt wasn't the most interesting character in the previous film of this new series, which possessed a sometimes jarring mesh of two tonally opposite plots, but his side of that tale was fun. Rowling and director David Yates (returning for his fifth outing with this extended franchise and apparently losing interest) have decided to skip the fun part this time, giving us a dark and dreary story about the eventual start of the rise of an evil wizard and a young, tormented wizard's search for the truth of his unknown origins.

Newt and his friends are here, too, although they are now mostly passive entities. They spend the story merely going along for the bleak ride, until they're transported into the middle of an abundance of exposition and a climax that's primarily establishing the setup for the sequel. Newt may not have been the best character of his previous adventure, but to completely dismiss him, as well as the sense of wonder for which he stands, seems like an unnecessary, drastic step in changing the course of this series.

As one might expect from the title, the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is back to doing evil things. After escaping from custody (in a chaotic, mostly unintelligible sequence that sets the low standard for the rest of action), Grindelwald establishes a hideout in Paris, as he begins looking for the not-dead Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), the anguished wizard who caused so much trouble in the first movie.

There's something about some old prophecy, which may or may not have to do with Credence, who may or may not be part of some esteemed wizarding bloodline. For the record, we get the answer to half of that mystery in the movie's final minute. Considering how much time is spent on the conjecture about his true identity, it means little to nothing—until the inevitable sequel, of course.

The rest of the plot is a lot of wheel-spinning in regards to everyone speculating about Credence and his origins. Newt is summoned by his old teacher Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to go to Paris to find and possibly fight Grindelwald. Along for the trip is Jacob (Dan Fogler), Newt's Muggle friend who has recovered from a memory-wipe of his previous adventures. In Paris already are Tina (Katherine Waterston), the Auror who has captured Newt's affections, and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), the mind-reader who desperately wants to marry the hesitant Jacob.

A bunch of other characters, whose allegiances and motives are kept a mystery until the climax, are present, too. For the most part, they add little more than additional pieces in the guessing game of the plot. Leta Lestrange (Zoë Kravitz) was a classmate of Newt's at Hogwarts, and even though there's something still between the two, she is currently engaged to Newt's brother Theseus (Callum Turner). There's at least some attempt to bring the story back to Newt with this subplot and a lengthy flashback, although, ultimately, the character is just another part of the elaborate back story to the enigmatic Credence.

There's little actual conflict here, but there is the constant promise of some eventual conflict (The climax, which takes place at a rally Grindelwald holds for his followers, adds some political bite, although it's odd that the evil, bigoted wizard serves as a voice of reason). The movie doesn't really have characters so much as it has familiar faces, recognizable names, and a slew of mouthpieces for exposition. What's missing most from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, though, is that old sense of wonder. Being a wizard in these movies used to be fun. Here, it's just a lot of waiting for something to happen.

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