Movie Review: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”

Before I give my review, I should make it clear that I am not very familiar with the “Harry Potter” universe. I have not read any of the books, have only seen a few of the movies and I have not seen the first movie in this new franchise, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” I saw “Crimes of Grindelwald” with a friend who is obsessed with everything associated with the Wizarding World. He filled me in on the story from the first film and necessary background information on important characters and creatures. Still, I will keep in mind that this is a sequel to a movie I have not seen in a franchise I am not invested in.

With that out of the way, how’s the movie?

There are many fantastic things about “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” The sound design might be the best in any movie I’ve seen this year. The amplified noise of a button rolling on the floor is weirdly satisfying. Not to mention the roars and grumbles integral to making the fantastical creatures in the film feel alive.

The costume design, production design, cinematography and visual effects are all excellent as well. Bright colors and life are infused into the cheerful scenes, and grays, blacks and shadows are used in the more sinister ones.

The acting is serviceable from everyone with a few standouts. Johnny Depp gives his best performance in ages. Depp is an extremely gifted actor but he seemed to be on autopilot, showing up for a paycheck for years. As the villainous Grindelwald, he manages to humanize the inhuman and enhance what is on the page with a nuanced performance. It is certainly easy to see why so many characters in the film are attracted to joining his cause.

Almost everyone involved in making this movie did their jobs phenomenally. Unfortunately, all this hard work goes toward telling a lackluster, incomplete story.

I do not think J.K. Rowling, who wrote the script, deserves the blame for this. She is a fantasy world builder, just as talented as Tolkien and George R.R. Martin and her novel series entertained readers the world over. I do not believe she would write a story this empty, this messy if she were not under contract to stretch this whole thing out over five movies—this being the second—even though she does not have enough material to fill five movies.

I may not know much about “Harry Potter,” but I know how story structure works. I was a bit confused about things going on, but I caught on eventually. Most of the movie is spent on characters who serve absolutely no purpose other than to have fans say, “Oh, that’s who that is” or “Oh, he/she is related to some other character I know from the ‘Harry Potter’ series.” There are multiple flashbacks, which interrupt the flow of the film and really have no relevance to what is going on.

There were also many plot devices used to stretch the movie out to feature length. Characters who had already been introduced to each other in the previous film spend the first two acts getting back together, so these large chunks of the film basically do nothing. Only after this happens and everybody is in one place does the film become interesting. However, this interesting section lasts for about 10 minutes, and then the movie ends.

“Crimes of Grindelwald” was a frustrating viewing experience for me. I felt like my time had been wasted, and the producers made a 115-minute movie about absolutely nothing, made 10 or 15 minutes of interesting plot developments and expect me to still care enough in two years to pay to see what happens next.

I would not recommend that anyone unfamiliar with the Wizarding World go see “Crimes of Grindelwald,” at least not in theaters. If you are a fan, then you are probably going to see this no matter what I say. There is probably enough in here to entertain you, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

Drew Eckhart is a sophomore history and pre-law major from Edmond, OK. He has loved movies for as long as he can remember but thinks his passion really began when he watched “The Dark Knight” for the first time in theaters. His favorite type of movie blends comedy and drama seamlessly, and he loves great action films. In Drew’s free time, he enjoys reading and playing video games, as well as watching TV and movies. His favorite TV show is “BoJack Horseman” and his favorite movie is “Whiplash.”