Hey everyone
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today, I’ve got something a little bit different for you guys, and it’s not something that
I’ve done much of on the channel before- and that’s a REVIEW.
But it’s not just ANY review, it’s the review for the LATEST installment of the Fantastic
Beasts films, Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore.
This film has been a LONG time coming, almost 4 YEARS to be exact, as Crimes of Grindelwald,
the last film, was released in November of 2018.
But that isn’t even when we were first introduced to this story and these characters, as the
VERY first film came out in November of 2016.
NEARLY 6 YEARS AGO.
We’ve been waiting a LONG time for this story to continue.
I digress.
Today- I’m going to be giving you my HONEST review of the film.
Including but not limited to..
What I expected out of it, what there is to come, what was good, and what was bad.
This review WILL contain SPOILERS, and I’d hate to ruin it for anyone, so if you are
NOT okay with that then come back to this video once you’ve seen it.
BUT, if you have seen it, then stick around, and afterwards- be sure to leave a comment
with what YOU thought of it down below.
I’ll give a score at the end.
It’s 1AM now, and I went to the 715PM screening of the film in CANADA, where I live.
Tonight was the premiere.
If you didn’t know, I’m originally from the UK but have lived in Canada for a long
time now.
To kick things off I’d like to first state that YES I was excited for this film.
A lot of Harry Potter fans have been put off the franchise, namely through drama pertaining
to the casting of the films, and/or the negative impression that the first two installments
left on fans.
However, I have never been PARTICULARLY critical of the Fantastic Beasts films that have been
released so far, and I can say this with confidence because I’m always conscious of one thing:
they are NOT the Harry Potter films.
If you go in to Fantastic Beasts, any of them, thinking that you’re going to get Harry
Potter-PURE unadulterated Harry Potter- then you’re going to be bitterly disappointed,
and that mindset SHOULD be extended to this most recent installment.
This is the Harry Potter UNIVERSE- but not EXACTLY Harry Potter.
If you want Ron, Hermione and Voldemort, and you’re unable to move on that, then this
isn’t for you.
HOWEVER- I will say this.
The Fantastic Beasts films are slowly bridging that gap between the two film franchises,
and with each subsequent film we seem to be getting more and more parallels with the original,
BELOVED Harry Potter franchise, which is a nice touch.
And no, it’s not breaking canon, well-most of the time (show Mcgonagall photo), but it
is providing us with more and more information related to the backstories of some of our
favourite characters and creatures.
I particularly enjoy that it’s expanding on family trees, as this just makes the wizarding
world feel even bigger.
I think the additional connections can largely be attributed to the inclusion of Harry Potter
screenwriter Steve Kloves who joined for this film, and will likely join for the subsequent
films.
The opening scene of the film, which depicts an elegant setting in which Dumbledore and
Grindelwald are sitting across from each other, drinking tea, exudes class.
(I say this while I’m sat here eating my third jello cup.)
Despite the obvious tension between the two gentleman, the encounter appears to be quite
civil- surprisingly civil, even, particularly as we know what Grindelwald is capable of.
This is the first time in the Fantastic Beasts films that we’re actually seeing Grindelwald
and Dumbledore engaging face to face, and I must say that it’s a breath of fresh air.
I mean, the whole story is based around their relationship, and that’s because Grindelwald
is an unstoppable villain, and Dumbledore is the only ‘good-guy’ that’s able to
bring him down.
But what appears to be quite civil and light-hearted (including quips at how good muggles make
tea) very quickly turns rather sinister, when Grindelwald says to Dumbledore:
“With or without you, I’ll burn down their world”
This, straight away, gives us a sense of the world that we’re being introduced to, a
time of tension, a time of a potential wizarding uprising that would effectively ERADICATE
and/or e*nslave muggles.
The theme of r*acism and pure-blood elitism is thrown right in our faces before Albus
has had a chance to finish his cup of tea.
While r*acism and prejudice have ALWAYS been a central theme of the Harry Potter films,
Fantastic Beasts hasn’t been too direct about it yet, which makes Grindelwald’s
genuine and direct disdain come across as a bit of an homage to the original films.
Perhaps skirting around the topic and distracting us with sweet little creatures is now finally
a thing of the past.
If you thought this story was going to be based around Newt, famed magizoologist, as
the previous two films MOSTLY were, then you’d be wrong, and the first clue is that Newt
doesn’t appear in the first scene.
Yes, he appears in scene #2, but clearly the films have made a substantial shift from Newt
to Albus.
This is a shift I’m fond of, and it’s not because I don’t like Newt, but there
certainly isn’t enough there to make multiple films.
Newt’s cutesy little adventures certainly warrant some screen-time, but the depth of
fan favourite Dumbledore will always continue to spark our curiosity.
He’s the most powerful wizard in the world, he’s exceptionally wise, his family is full
of drama, and he had a relationship with the most dangerous dark wizard of all time.
Newt’s got a case full of creatures, an awkward undefined relationship with his assistant
Bunty (who seems to be obsessed with him) and an even more confusing relationship with
Tina Goldstein who he can’t seem to just ask out.
Nevertheless, the film certainly does include Newt- and our first exposure to his character
comes in scene #2 when we see him in the jungle in Kweilin, China tending to some kind of
new, adorable, bambi-looking, never-before-seen magical creature called a ‘Chillin’.
Right after the film ended I googled the creatures name and discovered two things:
It’s pronounced ‘Chillen’ but it’s actually spelt with a Q - QILIN
This creature was actually inspired by Chinese mythology.
The Qilin is also known as a ‘chinese unicorn’ and symbolizes both good luck and prosperity.
Anyway- as it turns out, this creature is a major focal point of the story- perhaps
a little bit TOO MUCH of a focal point.
After being ambushed by Grindelwald’s acolytes Credence and Vinda Rosier, Newt is incapacitated,
and the Qilin is now in Grindelwald’s possession.
This brings us to Dumbledore, and his request of Newt to assemble a motley crew that will
be given the incredibly DAUNTING task of CONFUSING Grindelwald.
I say CONFUSING him, because Grindelwald, after slaughtering the innocent Qilin, was
able to harness its ability for precognition.
This makes Grindelwald even MORE difficult to deal with.
So, who better to take on the most dangerous dark wizard of all time than..
Newt’s brother Theseus, Newt’s assistant Bunty, Newt’s Muggle baker friend Jacob,
and the newly introduced Ilvermorny professor Eulalie Hicks (who is a welcome addition,
I might add).
Tina Goldstein, who played a significant role in the previous two films, is suddenly NOWHERE
to be seen, the explanation for which is that she has taken on a new role as head of the
auror department.
Tina does show up later on in the film, but barely, and I’m not sure there was even
much of a point.
I’m really not sure what could have possibly been more important than taking down the largest
imminent threat in the wizarding world, helping the man she loves, and oh, I don’t know-
saving her sister?
With the general theme of r*acism established (and intensified by the setting of 1930s Berlin),
our attention is quickly brought to what is (surprisingly) the MAIN focus of the film:
an election?
This was a bit of a let down.
The film was based in a time of unrest- because you see, an election was about to take place
that would instate a new president (or supreme mugwump) for the International Confederation
of Wizards.
The current president Anton Vogel was a secret supporter of Grindelwald, which led to him
exonerating Grindelwald from his alleged crimes.
This meant that Grindelwald could RUN for president, and this is a BIG problem because
of the power that the position holds.
Grindelwald wanted WAR on muggles, and this would give him every right to wage war on
behalf of the wizarding population.
After watching trailers for the film I thought it was going to go like this:
-Grindelwald would successfully become president -He’d rally witches and wizards under his
cause using his charisma & he’d continue to grow in power even as
the film came to an end, saving his defeat for later
I thought he’d have started a revolution.
I thought he’d have FORCIBLY taken the position of president.
But- as it turns out, Grindelwald played the politician game and in actual fact didn’t
have the enormous devout unwavering following that I expected him to have.
Instead of relying on his charm, charisma and immense power, he was instead relying
on the qilin.
When we arrived at the Kingdom of Butan, where the presidential elections are held, Grindelwald
had done just one thing to ensure his victory: bewitch the Qilin to choose him.
For you see, whoever the Qilin chooses becomes president.
Was this movie about rigging an election?
Grindelwald put way too much faith in this strategy.
Instead of utilizing his existing resources, like the support of the EXISTING president,
he relied on something that could and eventually DID fail.
Why?
Well- the Motley Crue assembled by Newt came through in the nick of time- delivering the
Qilin’s twin which was very much UNBEWITCHED.
The healthy Qilin then chose candidate Vicencia Santos as the new president (after first choosing
Dumbledore, foreshadowing there), and effectively exposed Grindelwald’s deceit.
Losing his patience with Credence, who was the first to publicly point his finger at
him, Grindelwald fired what appeared to be a killing blow at Credence, which was then
blocked by Dumbledore.
This incited a duel between the two men, and I found this to be particularly interesting
as it answered the question of which man is more powerful.
Despite Grindelwald being in possession of the Elder Wand, Dumbledore was able to get
the better of him, but did also seemingly allow him to run off and disappear just minutes
before promising Theseus that he’d “find him”.
Shortly after Grindelwald’s escape the film shifts focus to the closing scene: the wedding
of Jacob and Queenie, who finally, after all they had endured, were able to get married.
That’s how the film ends.
Given the films 2 hour and 23 minute runtime, I would have liked to have seen development
beyond the election.
I dunno if this is just me, but I was hoping that the election would be a smaller segment
of the film, and not the primary focus.
I wanted Grindelwald to brutally enforce his power and sway the masses.
I wanted a dark and powerful takeover of the wizarding world, and I wanted to see what
would happen AFTER Grindelwald’s takeover.
Grindelwald was only in power for a few minutes, so we never really got a chance to experience
how things would have changed.
But I suppose there’s still room for that in the films to come.
I also would have liked to have seen more emphasis placed on some of the other characters
who had little development in this one- characters like Eulalie Hicks, Yusuf Kama, and Theseus
to name a few.
Even Credence, despite getting some screen time and a massive identity unveiling, played
a considerably smaller role than in the previous films.
My main negative takeaway is that I wish that more happened.
However, I do have PLENTY of good things to say about the film- here are just a few:
First, it felt a lot more like Harry Potter.
I know I mentioned earlier that the Fantastic Beasts films are bridging the gap to Harry
Potter, but this film certainly did the best job so far.
It didn’t feel like a different universe anymore, and that’s a BIG win for me.
Second, the film may not have included everything I wanted, but it did leave the door WIDE OPEN
for more films, which we’re supposed to get 2 more of.
I did hear rumours that it was all going to be over and done with after this one, so I
was really glad to leave the theatre knowing that there’s going to be more on the way.
Third, the film had some epic fight sequences.
We saw Albus Dumbledore duel not one, but TWO powerful wizards, and dominate both of
them.
This only adds to the allure of Dumbledore’s enigmatic character.
Fourth, we have a NEW family member to add to the Dumbledore family tree.
The Dumbledore’s are as enigmatic as they come, and the addition of Credence certainly
livens things up.
Who’s his mother?
Fifth, Mads Mikkelsen was an EXCELLENT Gellert Grindelwald.
Whatever your stance may be on the Johnny Depp situation, Mads crushed it.
Sixth, we’re really starting to escape the ‘cutesy’ feel of the previous Fantastic
Beasts films.
I love magical creatures, and the films may be named after these creatures, but I need
more beyond the novelty of a cute quirky creature, and we’re certainly heading in the right
direction.
Overall I enjoyed the film and I would venture to say that this was an improvement over the
previous two films, which I also enjoyed.
Currently, Secrets of Dumbledore is scoring 6.6 on IMDB, 51% on Rotten Tomatoes and a
BRUTAL 47 on Metacritic.
These are all lower than the score I’m going to give it, which is a 7.25.
However, I think that the story is set up beautifully to have two follow-ups which absolutely
smash it, and it’s encouraging to see that the films are only getting better.
From its reinvigoration of magic, to its beautiful sets and costume design, for a casual observer
I think this film delivered.
But for us die-hards?
We still need just a little bit more.
Should you go watch it?
Absolutely.
Leave a comment down below with what YOU thought, and if you have any questions about the film
then leave those in the comments too.
Until next time
Remember
Do what is right, not what is easy