by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
There’s a lot to be said for marred expectations. There’s also a lot to be said for riding the coattails of those who have succeeded before you. Both of these statements are relevant here.
Before I really get into it, let me answer the question that I’m sure most of you reading are probably thinking: is Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore better than the last one? Short answer: yes. However, it’s better by maybe three percent total.
I should also mention for reference that I’m as big of a Harry Potter fan as you can find, having been deep into the books, movies, and beyond since I can remember. So in terms of target audience, you’re looking at its personification. It also means that I went into this film with the very best of hopes and intentions. I really wanted to like, nay, love it. But ultimately, I just didn’t.
The film follows our team of unlikely heroes as they work to stop Grindelwald before he can rise to prominent power in the Wizarding World. And that’s the best description I can give, because, to be honest, the plot is incredibly thin, and this is the most thorough summary I could think of at all.
So, although “better” in the thinnest sense, this film still manages to disappoint on almost every level. It really causes one to wonder, why on earth was this the companion series that was green-lit in the first place? The whole exercise seems to be one in futility, chaos, and bad storytelling, where the pieces barely make up a whole. Instead it’s a clunky, disrespectful, insulting, and unimaginative look into the wider Wizarding World.
If this movie had just focused on the idea of Fantastic Beasts and our awkward Magizoologist, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), it could have been a whimsical and fun exploration of a lesser explored area of this franchise. If it had decided to focus on the big Dumbledore versus Grindelwald battle from the start, it could have been a mature exploration into the darker side of wizardry.
Instead, this series has tried to mash together themes, storylines, and characters that simply do not work together. Then, they try to repair the mess they’ve made by playing to the fans with anachronistic characters (read: an adult Minerva McGonagall in the 1930s, when, in-universe, she wasn’t born until 1935), emotionally manipulative uses of score, and infuriating callbacks to the earlier series through quotes (there’s one in particular that made my blood boil).
Sure, the visual effects are well done, but that’s not surprising as the filmmakers would have had the budget and past experience to do so. However, whenever a cool spell or magical item is used, you’re not sitting there engrossed in the otherworldliness of it all. Instead, you’re just trying to piece together the absolutely convoluted plot and badly staged action.
But I’ll try to not just be negative. I did mention that it was better than the previous film after all, and the reason for that is due to the small pockets of enjoyment present in small, yet fun character moments. Seeing Newt whimsically exhibit his magical beast knowledge, or seeing Jacob (Dan Fogler) crack a lazily-written, but well-delivered “muggle seeing magic” joke made my viewing experience lighten just that little bit that I needed to not result in my walking out.
Speaking of the performances, I will say that, to their credit, most everyone commits to their character. The standouts are definitely Mads Mikkelsen as the newly realized Grindelwald and Jessica Williams as American witch, Eulalie Hicks. Both brought their A-Game to this F-Grade film, and I am most thankful for it. Mikklesen’s chemistry with Jude Law’s Dumbledore is undeniable, making their relationship much more believable this time around, while Williams brought some levity, charisma, and outright character to an otherwise muddled, and cacophonous runtime.
To surmise, what Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has proven is that the creators behind this series are incapable of harnessing the ever-so-important spark that made the Harry Potter series great. Much like its title, this new entrant is bloated and uneven, and leaves the audience asking why they even bothered to spend their money in the first place.
As a long time Wizarding World fan, it pains me to say this, but it would have been better if this entire companion series had never been created, as it’s added nothing but pain, frustration, and anger into the hearts of those that have yearned to love it.
The question now remains, will they follow through with their plan, and continue to make two more of these, or will they just leave well enough alone? My vote is, let it go, let it sit, and just forget they ever existed.
Score: 4/10
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