Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Review

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is yet another fun exciting addition to the Wizarding World.  This movie is about Newt Scamander as he must race against time to find a boy, Creedence, before Grindelwald gets to him. Eddie Redmayne gives a great performance.  He is not the typical protagonist, but he remains lovable and compelling. Dan Fogler remains delightful as the main source of comedic relief. Alison Sudol and Katherine Waterson give really good performances. However, their characters are given much less to do this time around. Ezra Miller gives a unique performance. He is forced to convey numerous emotions at once, but he does it well. Claudia Kim gives an okay performance, but the inclusion of her character is pure fan service. Callum Turner gives a great performance in a smaller supporting role and I am excited to see where they take his character. Zoe Kravitz gives a really good performance though her character is mainly used for exposition dumps. Jude Law gives a fantastic performance playing young Dumbledore. He steals every single scene he is in. Johnny Depp gives a great performance as our villain. He plays the role very subtly and becomes infinitely more menacing because of it. David Yates continues to be an excellent director for this series. He is a pro at directing the magical action sequences by this point. J.K. Rowling's script is great, albeit, a bit overstuffed. There are plenty of likable characters with great development and plenty of great plot reveals. However, due to the sheer amount of information given here, I do highly recommend rewatching the first film as this movie jumps right in. The visual effects are all fantastic and really help transport you into this magical world. The costume and set design are stunning. The cinematography is also incredible. This is a visual feast for the eyes in all aspects. As for flaws, the movie starts off rough and it takes about 15 minutes to get going. At 134 minutes the pacing moves at a good pace, though slower than the first film. However, the movie ends on a strong note with one of the best third acts of the franchise. Overall, I had an absolute blast with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and recommend it to all fans of the Wizarding World.

8/10