Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - A fun entertaining sequel, but nothing more
By Heather Reynolds | Nov 21 2018
Director: David YatesStarring: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston and Zoë KravitzHeather Reynolds reviews the latest addition in the magical world.Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a typical franchise sequel. It is largely inoffensive, and carries on well from the original, expanding on the plot threads left hanging at the end of the first film which was released in 2016. It also adds enough new characters and threads that it does not feel like a rehash of what we have already seen. This integration of fresh aspects feels clumsy at the start, however by the end they are all either wrapped up, or left resolved enough that the promised three following features are necessary additions, without the feeling that there was more to be said.''Leta Lestrange, in particular, played beautifully by Zoe Kravitz, is an incredibly complex character with a heartbreaking story''
That being said, the multitude of plot elements meant that a lot of the storylines went unexplored. Leta Lestrange, in particular, played beautifully by Zoe Kravitz, is an incredibly complex character with a heartbreaking story. However, due to the lack of time dedicated to her tale, it loses a lot of its impact. This is a common thread in all of the storylines explored; they are all underwhelming due to the sheer volume of content the film holds. Every culmination felt like just another moment, as, particularly in the second half, every five minutes something large and impactful occurred. This also meant that plot twists within the film were not given the time needed to be foreshadowed correctly, making the majority of them easy to guess.''There was a multitude of laugh out loud moments that really did make the film a lot more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise, especially in the first half.''
However, there were a lot of strong aspects to the film. The visuals are beautiful, and the special effects were spectacular, when the screen was bright enough to make them out. Also, there was a great deal of strength in the film’s humour. There was a multitude of laugh out loud moments that really did make the film a lot more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise, especially in the first half. Overall, it was an average, if not over-complicated, second part of a five-part franchise. Definitely watchable, particularly if you enjoyed the first, however not very strong as a stand-alone piece.In a nutshell: A bright, entertaining film that like all sequels, could be better.