Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald may be lusterless, but the magic remains

The moment we’ve been waiting for is here, Newt Scamander and his case of Pokemon are back in a film that may not live up to the first, but at the same time completely surpasses it.

The next segment in the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling, is the equivalent to Thanksgiving dinner. A packed-full menu laid out on a table surrounded by family drama no one wants, but with food as delicious as last years. Layers upon layers of storytelling turn Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald into a never-ending chess game, and like a chess game it’s predictable, yet unforeseeable.

The film picks up right where Fantastic Beasts left off, as if there’s no gap between films. It grabs you by the hand and sets sail, throwing you in the middle of the story without warning. Not bothered to wait and see if the audience is keeping up. Grindelwald escapes from prison in the first ten minutes in a mind-blowing masterpiece of a scene. Probably the best use of visuals in all the Harry Potter films. That’s something Fantastic Beasts never slacks in. No matter what’s going on, the visuals are incredible!

The most controversial addition to this film, is arguably the best addition to this film. Johnny Depp blends utterly within the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, until you forget the pasty man on screen is A-lister Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp may be having a rough time in Hollywood, but you can’t deny he’s gifted in front of the camera. Bleached white from top to bottom, he’s an otherworldly being with one silver eye and punk rocker outfits, staring at the camera with unrelenting intensity. A worthy villain for the Potterverse strengthened by a captivating performance.

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Depp isn’t the only one who steals the spotlight. Ezra Miller’s puppy dog eyes returns with Credence Barebone. Where before, poor Credence was stumbling on the border of misery and anger, he’s now fallen completely onto the anger side. Neither the wizarding nor muggle world has been kind to him. All he wants is an identity, and no matter how angry he gets, it’s impossible to not feel for him. One look and you’ll want to force feed him hot chocolate and cookies.

Jude Law is of course fantastic, though criminally underused. Eddie Redmayne does such an incredible job as Newt Scamander that it’s hard to see him as anyone but Newt Scamander. You all saw the first Fantastic Beasts, you know what I’m talking about.

So, the films starts off quick then heads straight to Newt and the rest of the wizarding world. Turns out the Ministry of Magic is as paranoid about being overthrown as they always were. They’re convinced Newt is working for Dumbledore and are irritatingly obsessed with the idea. By the way, why is everyone in the Ministry so afraid of Dumbledore overthrowing them? He’s never shown any interest in becoming the Minister of Magic, at least from what I can tell.

We meet Newt’s brother, Theseus (Callum Turner) and Newt’s old girlfriend, Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) early on. Tension clearly resides within the two brothers, but it’s clear the older Scamander loves Newt. He sees his oddball little brother as someone who’s in need of guidance. Don’t worry, things clear up for them later. That brings us to Leta, who serves no real purpose in the story. She’s there to move along the plot, but doesn’t get much of anything else to do. Her presence is also used to redeem the Lestrange name, making her the only member of that family who isn’t an insane psychopath.

If you were hoping to see Newt, Jacob and the Goldstein sisters’ band together like before, you’re in for some bad news. The group spends most of the film separated. In fact, they’ve all been downgraded to supporting characters this time. Credence, even with only slightly more screentime than before, is the focus of the film. Everyone is scrambling around after him, either trying to save, recruit, or kill him.

The big question being asked is: Who is Credence? They hang this answer over you like dangling a steak over a dog. Almost every scene has someone mentioning Credence and his mysterious bloodline. It’s drawn out a bit longer than necessary, but when you get the answer…Jesus. I certainly wasn’t expecting that.

I’ll tell you if you want to know. Spoiler! He’s a Dumbledore! Whaaatttt?!

Credence doesn’t get much to do either. In fact, no one really does anything except run around town trying to find something or someone. The real star of the film is Grindelwald, who is Voldemort if he persuaded people with words instead of threats.

Grindelwald might even be more dangerous than Voldemort because he has the ability to appeal to people’s better natures. He’s got a silver tongue that poisons even the purest of hearts, speaking like a politician sharing his vision of a new world. When he talks, it’s impossible not to listen.

People flock to his side because they genuinely believe he’s the answer to a better life. Not all of his followers are power-hungry, most are good people who are afraid of government oppression. There are times when he even comes off as kind, loving, and understanding; until he murders a muggle baby because it’s an inconvenient presence. The Fantastic Beasts films are setting up Grindelwald’s rise to power and will end when Dumbledore famously defeats him, a deed that makes him famous in the Potterverse. Given this fact, the end to The Crimes of Grindelwald wasn’t surprising. The villain lives on to appear in the sequels and has an even larger number of followers now.

If Fantastic Beasts 2 fails anywhere, it’s the lack of plot and inability to explain what’s going on. If someone who wasn’t a Harry Potter fan walked into this movie, they wouldn’t know what the heck was going on. No one explains who is who or what is what. Instead David Yates and J.K. Rowling assume that you already know. Like watching an episode to an unknown show in the middle of the fourth season.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the introduction, and The Crimes of Grindelwald might as well be Part 2. It’s not a stand-alone film. From start to finish, all 134 minutes, the film serves only to set up the third movie. Too many plot threads are crammed in at once and quickly unraveled without any resolutions. I’m aware that this film is a mere bridge for the franchise to get to a certain point, but it spills too many things on your plate that you’re expected to eat without complaint.

Now, with all that said, this is still a magical movie. Fun with the right amount of mischief and magic, and easter eggs, to put Potterheads into a state of bliss. Some twists at the end cast a dark cloud over the characters, the wizarding world isn’t that much different from the muddle world. Everyone lives with their own personal demons.

What’s the verdict for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald? It’s fantastic. Simple as that. A little sloppy, don’t think too hard about it, but its enjoyable. A must for any Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts fan.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is now playing in theaters.