It doesn't feel as though two years ago, I posted my blog post all about the first Fantastic Beasts film. I saw The Crimes of Grindelwald on its UK release date and it's safe to say I have some things to say. This post will be filled with spoilers for both of the movies so far, so if you haven't seen the movies, then I wouldn't recommend that you read this post.
Non-Spoiler Thoughts
Unlike the first Fantastic Beasts movie, I went in with very high expectations. The teaser trailers had been mind-blowing and so I was expecting a lot from this movie. However, once I had seen it, I have to admit I was a tad disappointed. A lot of the things that I loved about the first movie weren't in the sequel. That being said, I still enjoyed it and am very intrigued for the sequel. I plan on making a video all about my problems with this franchise as a few have cropped up since seeing the movie.
Poster Review
I have to say that I do love the branding for this movie. The Deathly Hallows imagery has been very clever, especially in this poster with the Eiffel Tower becoming the Elder Wand within the symbol. Something worth noting is that the "Fantastic Beasts" part of the title is much smaller than it was in the poster of the first movie. This hinted that they are moving away from the beasts aspects of the franchise.
Like last time, we also have to appreciate how beautiful the screenplay is. Designed by the incredibly talented MinaLima, it is even prettier than the first one.
Plot Overview
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans of raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
Taken from Google
At the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was captured in New York with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escapes custody and sets about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists Newt, his former Hogwarts student, who agrees to help once again, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
This second original screenplay from J.K. Rowling, illustrated with stunning line art from MinaLima, expands on earlier events that helped shaped the wizarding world, with some surprising nods to the Harry Potter stories that will delight fans of both the books and films.
Taken from Goodreads
Character Chat and Opinions
Main Characters
We have to start this section by talking about Newt. Newt is still my favourite character in the FB universe. I feel as though he has grown as a character between the two movies and this was something I was very happy to see. Since the publication of his book, he has become famous, but you can sense that he doesn't want that. Newt's relationship with Tina is adorable. I hope they get together in the next movie because the scene in the French Ministry of Magic was so cute. They're perfect for each other.
Speaking of Tina, I feel as though we didn't see that much of her in this movie and all the things I loved about her from the first movie had gone. That being said, the scene with her and Theseus in the French Ministry of Magic was incredible. Her reaction to Queenie joining Grindelwald was heartbreaking and I really hope they fix their relationship.
Jacob is another character I adore. As the only No-Maj of importance in the movie, I feel as though he is there in part to provide comedy. His character has developed since the first movie, but I can't help but feel he is the comedic release within the movie. His relationship with Queenie was so cute and I was heartbroken when they split up over Grindelwald. I'm not sure if they have a future together anymore, but I really hope they do.
Queenie as a character in this film was one I liked far less than the first movie. In places, she came across as selfish and unkind. These traits in her made it unsurprising that she joined Grindelwald by the end of the movie. I feel as though she doesn't want to kill all the muggles as Grindelwald does, but that she feels that it is the only way she can be with Jacob in a time when magical and non-magical people weren't allowed to be together.
Grindelwald was an interesting new addition to the main cast. I personally found him a much more convincing villain than Voldemort. There were far more layers to him and why he wanted to overtake the Muggles than I thought there would be. I am interested to see where his character goes over the course of the remaining movies. One of his key skills is how good a manipulator he is, as we see with Queenie, he can turn anyone to his side.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, was a character we saw very little of. I feel as though we are going to get to know this new version in the later movies. Jude Law did a fantastic performance as an already existing character. I feel as though we have learnt more about Dumbledore and that there are more layers to his character than before.
Credence was one hundred per cent the central character in this movie. He has developed well between the two movies and it was interesting seeing him as a much stronger individual. I have to say that I disliked his ending in the movie and I found it unbelievable. I will touch upon this later in my review.
Supporting Characters
With a new movie, comes new supporting characters and I have picked some of my favourites to discuss in this post.
Theseus was a character that I ended up liking. From the trailers, I thought I wouldn't like him, but he's another interesting character. His relationship with Newt progressed really nicely throughout the course of the film. You can see that, even though they are polar opposites, they still care for each other and Theseus will do anything for his little brother.
Leta was a character I was interested to learn about, but I'm so sad about what happened to her. She was a really well-developed character and her death caught me off guard. Her last line could have been to either Theseus or Newt, but I believe it was to both as they are the only people who really loved her.
Leta's half-brother Kama was another interesting character. Overall, I wasn't sure how I felt about him as he seemed hell-bent on revenge, but he was ultimately a good guy. I feel as though he was there in part for a lot of back story and didn't really have his own fleshed out character.
Nagini was a character we knew was going to be involved from the trailers. I think it would have been more effective if they hadn't shown her in the trailers. I personally felt that she was very underused and very much a supporting character. In future movies, I would love to get to know more about her.
Before going to see CoG, I rewatched Fantastic Beasts and Abernathy just seemed like an ordinary wizard. I didn't expect him to join Grindelwald, but it made for some interesting moments in the film.
A lot of people were very excited to see Nicholas Flamel in the film and so was I. I loved that he was this frail old man, but still a very powerful wizard. Hopefully, we'll get to see him some more in future movies.
The Wizarding World
The setting of Paris was by far my favourite setting in the Wizarding World. Personally, I love Paris in general so seeing it in the 1920's and in the magical community was incredible. It was everything I imagined it would be.
Something else I loved was seeing the Ministry of Magic again. It was still familiar from the Harry Potter films, but it had new touches. I loved the bits with the House Elves cleaning the windows as it reminded you of why Newt is trying to change wizard's attitudes towards beasts.
Newt's expanded case was another great addition to this world. The baby Niffler's were incredible. I read an interview with Eddie Redmayne saying that he believed Newt didn't sleep in his house but in the expansion of Newt's case.
Production and Plot
Ultimately, I found this film enjoyable but felt that the plot was woolly in places. This was definitely setting up for later action in the series and as a film, it suffered from the second instalment slump in my opinion. I also feel as though my excitement was so high that in the end I couldn't help but be let down. A few people have pointed out that half the scenes we saw in various teaser trailers never made it into the movie and therefore moments fans were looking out for, never showed up.
In truth, it was the ending of the film that really swayed me. I feel as though it has gone completely against what JK Rowling has been telling us for the past twenty-one years. The revelation that Credence is a Dumbledore undermines the original Potter stories and I am interested to see how it is fixed in the later movies. I personally do not believe he is Dumbledore's brother as it is impossible for him to be his brother due to Dumbledore's parents being dead many years before Credence was even born.
Another issue that I had was that the timelines between the Potter films and these films has been totally medelled with. It is impossible for McGonagall to be a teacher at Hogwarts in 1927 as she isn't born until the late 1930s. Many have suggested that it is her mother, but this is something I don't believe. I think it was a nice attempt at a nod to the Harry Potter series, but it ultimately failed.
Something I adored about this film was the beautiful cinematography. As we have established in my last Fantastic Beasts review, I am not a specialist in this field and am terrible at explaining how good it is. The quality is beautiful and it makes me very happy to see these movies improving each time they are released.
Another thing that was great was the special effects. Even though the beasts are not real, as a member of the audience you are convinced that they are 100% real because the CGI is that good. The Nifflers and Picket stole the show and are still my favourite beasts.
The level of detail that the behinds the scenes team put into these films is jaw-dropping. As someone who eventually wants to work in the creative industry as either a script-writer or director, this is something I appreciate immensely. You as a member of the audience are never forced to imagine anything because it is right there in front of you. I would love to wander around these sets and look at every little thing because it truly unbelievable of how detailed they are.
To conclude, I loved this film but I can't deny that it doesn't have it's issues. I feel as though with the last Fantastic Beasts, I went in with no expectations and loved it. With this one, I went in with very high expectations and sadly they weren't met. I think this series is going to continue to get darker and I am interested in seeing how it moves forwards.
