This past weekend, I had the great of experience of seeing Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. As an avid Harry Potter nerd, I have been counting down the days to this movie since it was first announced that the Fantastic Beast series would consists of five movies. Of course, I was even more excited after the revelation at the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that Percival Graves was actually Gellert Grindelwald, one of the most infamous dark wizards of all time–next to he who shall not be named!
Overall, The Crimes of Grindelwald contains the same magic (pun intended) that every movie within the Harry Potter franchise does. The movie captures the audience and takes them to another world. In fact, The Crimes of Grindelwald improves upon Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by providing more scenes within the Wizarding World itself, as opposed to the No-Maj/Muggle World. There are several scenes that take place within the British and French Ministries of Magic. There are even scenes at Hogwarts itself, where we get to see a young Albus Dumbledore teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Speaking of young Albus Dumbledore, Jude Law shines, as he plays one of the greatest wizards of all time. Though he may lack the famous long white hair and beard, Jude Law is Dumbledore in every other sense. From the mannerisms he takes on, to the caring speeches he gives to witches and wizards in distress, he is Dumbledore. Despite the fact that he was not always on the screen, Jude Law’s performance as Dumbledore left the audience wanting more.
Parallel to Jude Law’s performance as Dumbledore was Johnny Depp’s performance as Grindelwald. Johnny Depp’s casting stirred much controversy, but his performance was phenomenal nevertheless. Depp’s portrayal as Grindelwald was captivating, cunning, and gave fans multiple dimensions to a character previously seen as one-dimensional. It cannot be argued that Grindelwald is not evil, but throughout the movie, you start to see why people are siding with him. It is something different from the portrayal of Voldemort.
Though The Crimes of Grindelwald contain superb acting, great CGI (which is hard to come by these days), and a more in-depth look at the Wizarding World, it was not without its flaws. Before the movie was even released, it spurred many controversies. For starters, though the movie is tagged as being a part of the Fantastic Beasts lineup, the plot has little to do with mythical creatures. The beginning of the movie focuses on Newt and his consequences after the previous movie. Newt now has a travel ban because of the chaos that occured in America due to his creatures and must somehow get around that, for Dumbledore needs him to go to France. However, most of the movie strays from Newt (the protagonist) and focuses instead on Credence and Grindelwald. It is evident that the next 3 movies are likely to stray even farther from Newt and his creatures, and though I am happy to see more of Grindelwald, I fear that Newt will become a supporting character in movies where he is supposed to be the protagonist.
The Crimes of Grindelwald also fell short in exploring the relationship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. In 2007, J.K Rowling revealed to fans that Dumbledore was gay and had been in love with Grindelwald. She announced this after the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, and didn’t expand upon it much further. When fans found out Grindelwald would be in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movies, it is no surprise questions arose about the relationship between him and Dumbledore. However, very soon after the second movie was announced, it was also stated that Dumbledore would not be “explicitly gay” in The Crimes of Grindelwald. This was more or less true throughout the movie. The most obvious allusion to Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s relationship was when Dumbledore claimed they were “closer than brothers.” It seems as though J.K Rowling is simply queerbaiting, rather than actually expanding upon her 2007 statements.
The Crimes of Grindelwald was by no means a perfect movie, but it was a good one. The film is supported by an outstanding cast and it does not lose the magic that existed in the previous film or any of the films within the Harry Potter franchise. The film also offers a look at a time only briefly touched upon within the Harry Potter series: a time that features different relationships between wizards and muggles, as well as between wizards from different regions of the world. Most importantly, the film acts as a set up for the next three movies. It will undoubtedly shape the world which allowed Tom Riddle to become Lord Voldemort in the first place.
Overall, the film is worth watching. It is necessary to watch in order to get a sense of what’s to come in the rest of the series. But, the shocking twist at the end will will shape the way fans read/watch the Harry Potter series forever.