Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
2016
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Nov 16, 2018 · Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has glimmers of the magic familiar to Harry Potter fans, but the story's spell isn't as strong as earlier installments. Read Critics Reviews
The film begins with the dreaded dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (a frosty Johnny Depp, returning from the end of the previous installment) staging a daring prison escape while being transferred from the United States to England on a dark and stormy night.
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By David Griffin
Updated: Apr 21, 2020 3:10 am
Posted: Nov 15, 2018 10:41 pm
J.K. Rowling’s whimsical Wizarding World series becomes a bit larger and more fleshed out in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. This richly layered story is brimming with colorful new creatures, stunning visual effects, and enough intriguing storylines to fuel the final three entries.
Rowling’s screenwriting success here is bolstered by her continued collaboration with David Yates - director of six Potterverse films - whose skill behind the camera brings her words to life with a distinct visual flair.
Set in the late 1920s, shortly after the events of the previous film, The Crimes of Grindelwald gets off to roaring start with a thrilling rain-soaked aerial chase through the New York City skyline. The action-packed scene is heightened by a foreboding thunderstorm and creepy Thestrals soaring through the air.
Johnny Depp is instantly captivating as the titular villain and damn creepy, too, complete with sunken cheeks, a ghostly complexion, and haunting mismatched eyes. It’s no easy task being the new villain on the Harry Potter block, especially after Ralph Fiennes so memorably nailed his role as Lord Voldemort. But instead of going for the familiar, over-the-top Jack Sparrow-theatrics, the thrice Oscar-nominated actor gives a subdued performance that, in many ways, outshines any role he’s had in recent memory. Sure, he’s the quintessential bad guy here, but Rowling smartly gives him some much-needed moral ambiguity which makes Grindelwald a fascinating character to follow.
Johnny Depp is instantly captivating as the titular villain and damn creepy, too...
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His emotional depth is enhanced by complementary performances from some welcomed new additions to the cast – most notably Jude Law as a slightly less gray-haired Albus Dumbledore. The powerful wizards share a bond that helps humanize Grindelwald’s hostile disposition, and the fact that Dumbledore had some affection for him in the past helps to prevent Depp’s character from becoming another mustache-twirling magical psychopath.
In typical Jude Law fashion, his performance is full of charm and even a nice bit of humor whenever he’s having a chat with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). However, as charismatic as Law is, he doesn’t add anything unique to the legendary wizard’s legacy we hadn’t seen from the late Richard Harris and Michael Gambon’s portrayals in the Harry Potter movies. At the same time, perhaps due to in part to our familiarity with the actor, it never feels like he’s embodying that established Dumbledore persona. Especially when Depp is able to impressively disappear into his portrayal of Grindelwald while being as big a movie star as they come, it’s quite a contrast.
The Crimes of Grindelwald also sees the return of New York City’s magical saviors: Newt, Tina (Katherine Waterston), Jacob (Dan Fogler), and Queenie (Alison Sudol). Jacob and Queenie’s romantic antics offer a nice comedic respite from Grindelwald's dastardly deeds, while Tina and Newt’s awkward “will they/won’t they” flirtations are delightful.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is another strong entry in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World saga. Rowling has improved upon the first Fantastic Beasts film by fleshing out her characters in a way that’s engaging, though not everybody receives as much attention. Both Johnny Depp and Eddie Redmayne are - forgive the pun - fantastic in their...
Review scoring
great
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald delivers a strong follow-up with great performances from its leading cast.
David Griffin
Nov 8, 2018 · In ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,' J.K. Rowling adds some Harry Potter luster to her magical-creature franchise, starring Eddie Redmayne and Johnny Depp as dueling...
The arch-criminal wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is being tortured in 'Trump Tower', but manages to escape and flees to Paris in pursuit of a mysterious circus performer called Credence (Ezra Miller) and his bewitched companion Nagini (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) played fetchingly by Claudia Kim.
Nov 8, 2018 · Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald review – Jude Law's Dumbledore shines. JK Rowling’s creative imagination is as fertile as ever, but the second film in the series is bogged down by ...
