Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second installment in the new five-part magical adventure from the mind of J.K. Rowling, and while it seems a little all over the place, it’s carefully setting up what’s to follow, which is very exciting.
The sequel Crimes of Grindelwald begins with the deadly powerful wizard, Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), still incarcerated in New York at the MACUSA. When the British Ministry of Magic, however, comes to transport him back to London to face judgment for his crimes, Grindelwald stages an elaborate escape and flies off to Paris. He’s still intent on gathering like-minded witches and wizards to join his Order and rule over the Muggles of the world. Not to kill them, of course, just to dominate them.
Grindelwald is also eager to find Credence (Ezra Miller), the young wizard who can’t control his destructive Obscurus and who is now in Paris with a traveling magical circus. And Grindelwald isn’t the only one trying to find Credence. Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterson), now an Auror, is also hot on his trail to try and bring Credence in peacefully.
Depp turns in one of his most charismatic performances to date as Grindelwald. Never exactly menacing but also kind of terrifying, Depp as the evil wizard oozes in and out of scenes, all while convincingly painting a picture of a world where magic reigns supreme and you can be free to be who you are — and love anyone you want. This ultimately appeals to cute little New Yorker Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol), who has come to London so she can marry her beloved No-Maj, Jacob (Dan Fogler), even though it’s against the law. Jacob, whose memory of his magical adventure is restored, loves Queenie as well but doesn’t want her to jeopardize anything and won’t marry her. Feeling rejected, Queenie takes off for Paris to find her sister.
Finally, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is summoned to the Ministry of Magic in hopes he’ll join in on the hunt for Grindelwald. But the wizard wants nothing to do with the Ministry or being an Auror, which puts him at odds with his brother, Theseus (Callum Turner), who heads up the Auror division. What’s even more awkward is Theseus is engaged to Newt’s former crush, Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz).
Instead, Newt is recruited by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to find Credence before Grindelwald can get his hands on him. Dumbledore has a personal connection to Grindelwald and cannot go after him himself, so Newt accepts and eventually reunites with Tina in Paris, along with Jacob who is searching for Queenie. They all come together for the ultimate confrontation with a few surprising twists you might not see coming.
Along with the standout performance by Depp, all the cast do a great job deepening their characters, especially Redmayne’s Newt and Sudol’s Queenie. Venturing away from the whimsical feel of the first movie, this Newt is a little more sure of himself and more in his element, while Queenie has a major shift in her outlook. But of course it’s Law’s portrayal as the younger Dumbledore that will have tongues wagging. The British actor has matured like a fine wine, and to see him add his own twinkle to the beloved character makes you adore Dumbledore even more.
Yet, I realize in writing out – or trying to write out – the synopsis of Crimes of Grindelwald, there is a lot that goes on in this movie, maybe to a fault. But delving in as a true Harry Potter fan, it doesn’t take away from the experience. Like many, I felt a hollow place when the Harry Potter series came to its conclusion. Rowling’s wizardry world was so immersive, I never wanted it to go away, not completely, so when she came up with the first Fantastic Beasts, it was an all-in situation because it gave a fresh perspective on the wizarding world. Plus, setting it in the past, we are able to see some of those characters we love, like Dumbledore, show up in a younger form. It’s sort of brilliant.
So maybe Rowling is having too much fun revisiting this world she created in a brand new way, and she has trouble cutting out some things in the script, but under the guidance of long-standing Harry Potter director David Yates, who (along with producer David Heyman) is the only other person who has as much a handle on the material as Rowling herself, Crimes of Grindelwald works. The fact we go back to Hogwarts alone is enough to thrill the hell out of a Potter fan, but there is plenty of eye-popping action and beautiful magical moments to keep you completely entertained.
And the twists – did I mention the twists? Like the one about Nagini, Voldemort’s trusted and deadly righthand snake. In Crimes of Grindelwald, she is a beautiful and mysterious witch (Claudia Kim) who has a blood curse that will eventually doom her to permanently become the feared serpent. Oh boy, can’t wait for more installments.
For some, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald may be considered a problem child in the series because of all the information it throws at you, but the film is definitely for those Harry Potter aficionados who are ready for more.