Director: David Yates
Writer: JK Rowling
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Zoe Kravitz, and Johnny Depp
Newt Scamander finds himself embroiled in a manhunt once again. A troubled young man Credence whom he thought was dead is quite alive and being pursued by dark forces. The young man has the dark gift of turning into an Obscurial, a fearsome beast of wind and smoke. The power of the creature could be catastrophic in the wrong hands. Propelled into action by his former professor, Albus Dumbledore, Scamander sets off on yet another quest to get the Obscurial before it ends up in the hands of Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald, who hopes to use the troubled beast to further his desires for world domination.
This sequel takes place just months after the end of 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them”. With this film, we get to add yet another set of chapters to our ever growing library of JK Rowling’s fictional Wizarding World. The direction for this series is vastly different from the Harry Potter films in that the themes and ideas are much more mature. For instance, where a wizard may have simply been stunned or temporarily incapacitated in a Harry Potter film, the wizards in this franchise go straight for the kill shot. In addition to supplying an older audience their wizard fix, the Fantastic Beast branch of the Rowling enterprise is also set to fill in some of the gaps, in the history, of some of our favorite characters and provide a more detailed backstory for some of the lesser known characters. Harry Potter movie fans may not have realized that Grindelwald is mentioned throughout the last books in the series and shown briefly in the last film. He is the catalyst that brings about a great war, a former friend of Dumbledore and most likely the inspiration behind Lord Voldemort’s reign of terror. Depp is masterful as Grindelwald. He looks like the love child of the Mad Hatter and David Bowie. Though fearsome, there is also rock star quality to his swagger that inspires devotion among the wizards. Fans who have been waiting for this story will not be disappointed. He is every bit of the evil and charming devil we were expecting, and his story is a fascinating tale that entertains.
The story begins only a few short months since Grindelwald was captured. As expected he escapes capture deftly and easily with a little help from a well-placed friend. In addition to introducing Grindelwald, we get an update on the peculiar Newt Scamander who finally publishes his book but is confined to England as punishment for destroying half of the big apple. The adorably awkward Scamander gets called to action by Dumbledore and sets off on a course to save the entire wizarding world. Returning for this sequel are muggle Jacob Kowalski, wizard cop Tina Goldstein, and occasional Obscurial Credence Barebone. Fans will recall Credence was thought to have been killed by Aurors just before the Johnny Depp Grindelwald reveal. He survived, and did what all runaways did back in the 20’s; he joined the circus. While living his best big top life, he also seeks out his birth family which proves to be a wild goose chase that Grindelwald uses to lure him in.
It is a race against time as Scamander and Grindelwald try desperately to get to the troubled Credence and convince him to pick a side. The obscurial’s decision will shape the wizarding world for decades to come. At the center of all of this, as always, is Professor Albus Dumbledore. Jude Law wields the big wand as a young Albus, but don’t expect to see him in the scraggly white beard and billowy robes we’ve come to love. This Albus likes a tailored suit and keeps his lightly salted beard neat and trim. Dumbledore is as crafty as expected and orchestrates the plot to thwart Grindelwald. As usual, the professor is cagey and secretive forcing Scamander to uncover pieces to the puzzle on his own. In addition to Dumbledore, Potter-heads will no doubt get excited as the film takes a brief visit to Hogwarts campus where we get a brief glimpse of a young Minerva McGonagall and see Dumbledore as a teacher decades before his turn as headmaster. Another relic, Nicholas Flamel also appears in this film. Fans will recall Flamel as the Alchemist who created the sorcerer’s stone in the very first Potter film.
While the addition of more familiar characters will undoubtedly delight Potter fans, encyclopedic knowledge of the world created by JK Rowling is not required. This is a direct sequel to the 2016 film but not at all difficult to follow if you haven’t seen it. The movie is a fun fast paced thrill ride through a world where wizards, witches, and fantastic beasts reside. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens in theaters this Friday, November 16th.