"Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” brings Harry Potter fans the magic they have come to love over the past 20 years, but fails to live up to the excitement.
As a fan of everything Harry Potter, I was excited about this movie, but the overall execution let me down. I felt that the film should have had more climax, but instead it felt like it was setting up too much without any resolution.
Synopsis
Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald intimately and the power he holds to take over the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he trusts a team gathered by Newt Scamander of bold witches and wizards. Will they be able to stop Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers before it's too late?
The film stars Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore, Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander and Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald.
What I loved
Newt Scamander and his creatures were an amazing part of this film. One of my favorite things about the fantastic beast movies is the creatures themselves, and this movie didn't disappoint. We see beloved creatures from the previous movies, but also new amazing creatures that are astonishing to look at. I also really loved how they incorporated the creatures into this movie and gave them roles as active characters, and not just an addition to the film (to sit and look pretty).
Furthermore, the magic once again hits the nail on the head. I think one thing we can always expect from a wizarding world movie is great magic, and this film is no exception. There are intense spells being cast that make magic appear in front of our eyes, from simply traveling through walls to fighting inside of magic portals. The magic is pleasing to the eyes and draws you in, making the movie special.
What I didn't love
This movie felt more information-driven than action-driven. The film should've felt like a climax after the previous one, but it lacked the energy it needed to thrive, making it feel somewhat like a first of a series.
One of the first scenes consists of a dinner where two characters are talking for ten minutes straight. When a movie doesn't show you something visually intriguing to begin with, it often loses you.
Overall, I just feel like this was the film version of a book that unfolded before my eyes and I would have rather just read the novel to receive all of the information.
Verdict
If you’re a fan of the other "Fantastic Beast" movie, you should see this film; if not though, I wouldn't rush to finish the previous ones to see this one in theaters. While some parts of this movie were super interesting, the slow information-driven pace and overall lack of action brings this movie down for me.
I give "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" a 3.5 out of 5
