Directed by David Yates
Written by JK Rowling and Steve Kloves
Starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Mads Mikkelson, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Jessica Williams and Callum Turner
David Yates returns with the quirky ‘Magizoologist’ Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in the third instalment of the ‘Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them’ franchise. Some time has passed, and some cast members have been recast (Johnny Depp), but the story continues not long from where we left off in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018).
We start the journey with Newt on an unknown island somewhere in Asia. Quickly we learn he is approaching a pregnant Qilin, a rare and gentle deer-like creature with the ability to identify a pure soul and whose blood is known to have life-prolonging and future predicting capabilities. These attributes make it a crime to kill them. While assisting the mother Qilin in the birth, Newt is interrupted by Credence (Ezra Miller) and Vinda (Poppy Corby-Tuech) who are clearly up to no good. They attack Newt and kill the mother beast, but their main goal seems to be the capture of the newborn Qilin. Disappointed, but alive, Newt returns to the dying mother only to discover that she had in fact birthed twins. He of course takes the baby in, introducing it to his magical briefcase.
The film quickly cuts to Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelson) in the fictional Austrian Nurmengard Castle, as Credence approaches him, Qilin in hand. The killing of this small animal allows us to witness the magical and futuristic properties of its blood, giving us a small insight into what Grindelwald will do next.
After undergoing a few ups and downs while in pre-production such as the scandal with Ezra Miller, the controversy around JK Rowling and the recasting of Johnny Depp, one of the biggest questions from fans towards this movie would have to be ‘Will Depp be missed?’ Now at first, the lack of Depp does kind of stick out, as Grindelwald has undergone a massive change. Mikkelson brings a less eccentric character, obviously with a totally different look, but also creates a deeper, more emotive character who I believe to be more accurate to the Grindelwald we briefly learn about in the Potter series.
Dumbledore (Jude Law) has a more important role in this film, as he teams up with Newt to stop Grindelwald from starting a war against mugglekind. While at first it felt hard to connect Laws Dumbledore with the character from Michael Gambons that we all know and love in the Harry Potter franchise, this film successfully portrays the powerful and gentle character that Gambon had laid foundation for. This leads to more of a connect between the two Dumbledores, past and present.
Sticking to the root of the Fantastic Beasts companion book, familiar faces from the previous films return such as Credence’s Phoenix, Pickett the bowtruckle, Teddy the Niffler, and new ones are also introduced. This of course leads to mischief, comedy and some wonderful scenes featuring Newt, Thesues (Callum Turner) and some Blast-Ended Screwts which are lobster like creatures that eat people. One of the most fun parts about the film are all the nods to the previous films and books that fans will be able to spot. These include things such as Grindelwald using the Elder Wand, the famous portrait of Ariana, another Professor McGonagall cameo, and of course the exciting return to Hogwarts.
The new ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ is better that its predecessor and manages to answer the questions that boiled up within that film. Rowling and Yates give fans more of an insight into the magic world, worldwide. We travel to countries far outside the original series we already, know such as China, Germany and Austria. After shocking fans with the cliff hanger that Credence was a Dumbledore, a lot of questions and disbelief was raised; it didn’t seem even remotely possible that he could be a part of the legendary family. Rowling and Yates manage to answer the question with brief explanation. While it does make sense, it does seem a bit cheap and lackluster.
With mixed reviews already, the new addition to the franchise is definitely aimed more towards fans. It is a fun, nostalgic must for any Potter enthusiast, and keeps you interested enough to wonder what might happen in the future two films. While the ending is a little confusing and contradicting, we must have faith that Rowling knows exactly how she’s going to wrap it up.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is in cinemas April 8th
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