Directed by:
David YatesScreenplay:
J. K. RowlingCinematography:
Philippe RousselotComposer:
James Newton HowardCast:
Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Claudia Kim, Carmen Ejogo, Jessica Williams (more)VOD (5)
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At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set 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 (Jude Law) 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. (Warner Bros. UK)
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Reviews (11)
The sequel to Fantastic Beasts is quite a stylish film. It looks very nice, and all those pre-war aesthetics and costumes spiced up with witch elements are pleasing to the eyes. But the drama is a bit lazy, Mlok and the animals don't play a major role, Grindelwald appears for only a few minutes... Somehow, it failed to add life to these refined images.
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The first film proved that audiences are still quite curious about this cinematic world and will gladly pay to return to it. So what do we do in the second one? What makes sense. We're gonna add in everything that we think people might like, to keep it wringing it out for a few years. This approach is fine, it's just what Hollywood does with big movies, but unfortunately the second Fantastic Beasts shows that it's not always for the best. For example, getting a film directed by the biggest routine artist Hollywood has at its disposal, or wanting to milk the studio so badly that it sets up a lot of plots, subplots, characters, heroes and creatures that there's no time at all for a plot that makes even rudimentary sense. The result is a bunch of mediocre, albeit good-looking action, a lot of twists and turns that would put the creators of Wild Angel to shame, and a cauldron of book and movie references that fans are likely to enjoy. That last thing makes The Crimes of Grindelwald rather good, and if you head to the cinema expecting someone to simply shove things you probably like and probably want to see under your nose, you'll enjoy it. As an attempt to kickstart a grand fantasy franchise, however, it brutally fails in practically every way. Boring movie, and perhaps even a little embarrassing at times.
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A fascist, anti-Nazi Depp in the blue continuation of the prequel to a magical saga… It's a little simplistic in places, but otherwise pleasant. A major drawback is that Grindewald’s crimes can’t stand alone. They are linked to so many storylines from the Harry Potter films as well as the previous Fantastic Beasts that it more or less manages to address the fundamental points in its quite limited runtime. Here, Rowling lacks the space that she has in her novels, where she can explain certain aspects. We don’t feel any connection with the new characters and they appear and disappear too quickly. Even Depp hardly appears in this movie. Law is all right, but lacks the space to shine. But even with all of these shortcomings, the narrative works. Yates should hand the directing over to someone with more skill. The action scenes are confusing and someone deserves be punched for the extreme close-ups at the beginning. The camera is often right in Redmayn’s freckly face. I don’t need to look at that. P.S. The Japanese snake woman is sexy beyond belief. I now understand Voldemort’s exaggerated affection towards her.
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I actually had a bit of a déjà vu. Within the Harry Potter universe, the story is a few decades older than the one that was current at the time with the final two-parter about the Battle of Hogwarts. It’s as if the authors travelled back in time to do an inconspicuous film preparation for the epic final battle. And we’ve already seen that once. So, at times the first half of the film was incredibly boring. The entire movie is shot in these strange, dark-bleak colors that you have to work pretty hard not to be lulled to sleep by. And since there is nothing going on in the plot and there is zero action, it’s not easy to fight the urge to sleep. Some animals are quite nice the same way as in the first movie, but that’s about it. There isn’t much humor and the only thing that I remember about the characters is that Eddie’s portrayal of the anti-social Newt is more than believable. There still are a few good moments here. For instance, casting Jude Law as young Dumbledore was a great choice. J. K. Rowling also provided a couple of interesting story twists that fans of Harry Potter will surely appreciate. It still feels like a weaker return not only to Hogwarts. But when the film is taking place in Hogwarts, it picks up considerably.
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The production is so well tailored to patient Potter fans that it's killing me, as it doesn't stand a chance of being heartfelt for anyone else. It has everything, but most of it in such trace amounts that anyone who isn't satisfied by the fact that it's mostly just a glimpse at historical parallels and genealogical research will be disappointed. Once again, the most introverted action hero of all time takes us through the world of both magic and non-magic, but for those who haven't spent the past two years exploring diverse fan theories, the moments when new species of animals want to enchant us again in a hundred and one ways are not enough. The world of the audience has understandably begun to forget, and it will be even worse in two years' time. Although Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald lends tension and anticipation to the story wonderfully, this time it isn't the usual closed dramatic arc that we are accustomed to from the wizarding world. It is explicitly assumed that the viewer remembers even the more fleeting emotional moments from the first installment and the third installment again leaves a very precarious foundation for an open ending, a narrative betrayal unknown to the Hogwarts saga. I understand the audience's confusion: it is not possible to turn to the books for hints and answers, which many of them still consider a betrayal by J.K. Rowling. I don't, because I am extremely grateful that this world can open up to us again and again, and I barely breathed during the touching nostalgia of the outlines of that most beautiful castle. The change of scenery is finally complete, the deceit is over.
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