Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald movie review

MOVIE TITLE: FANTASTIC BEASTS

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 134 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some French is spoken, sometimes with subtitles, but sometimes without.
Young children will probably not catch on, but there are several scenes and lines that allude to a homosexual relationship between Dumbledore and another man when they were younger.
Some scenes and discussions that talk about human barbarity and arrogance that occurred during WWII.
Topless bronze statues
Some magical violence.
Talk of a woman being seduced.
Lots of destruction.
Some bullying and name-calling.
Some women’s cleavage. It seems like very few women in the movie actually wear a bra. A friend of mine pointed out that bras were not mass-produced until the 1930s, so I guess the costume design for this film is pretty accurate, eh?

IN A NUTSHELL:

First, let me say that I’m a fan of this franchise and all things Harry Potter. I spent two days at the Harry Potter Wizarding World in Florida last Spring and loved it, although the castle ride made me EXTREMELY dizzy! Not only are the beasts fantastic, so are the special effects. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchises are truly fantastic at world building. They’re so magical. Unfortunately, this sequel’s story was a bit clunky. I’m such a fan of any movies based on J.K. Rowling’s characters, but this movie was disappointing for me. I really loved the first one and was expecting and hoping to be blown away this time too. It kind of felt like an overstuffed filler before the next movie comes out to finish the franchise. There are 3 in total, right? More, if the studio makes a ton of money, I’m sure.

THEMES:

“Everyone is scared of something.” – Dumbledore (Jude Law)
Power vs. popularity vs doing what’s right
We all want to be loved and understood.
It’s never too late to unburden yourself from regret or bad mistakes.
Talk of personal freedom to live as you see fit.

THINGS I LIKED:

- - FANTASTIC casting! Theseus Scamander (Newt’s brother) looks like he really could be Eddie Redmayne’s brother. Theseus was played by Callum Turner. The young Newt was played well by Joshua Shea.
  - Jude Law did a great job as the young Dumbledore and is certainly more stylish than the older Dumbledore.
  - Really nice set pieces and CGI.
  - I thought the whole discussion about the family tree was fascinating, especially the concept of portraying the women as flowers on the tree. I recently published a new edition of my popular book Ancestry: How to Research Your Family History and Climb Your Family Tree: Genealogy tips, Honor Your Heritage, Celebrate Family (Ancestor Research, Family Tree) In fact, the whole plot of the movie revolves around the genealogy of several characters. Climbing a family tree can be tricky, but following the confusing pedigree chart in this movie was….shall I use the word “clunky” again? That’s the only word that comes to my mind. What’s NOT clunky is my new book. (Shameless plug) You’ll learn how to discover your roots and read some really inspiring stories of other people who had really cool experiences while researching their own family tree. Check it out!
- FANTASTIC production and set pieces.
- It really is better in 3D.
- Magic and action from the very first scene.
- Every moment in slow motion is awesome.
- I thought the lizard creature in the beginning was fun and I would have loved to see more of it. Doggone that mean Grindelwald…
- You get to see the White Cliffs of Dover in England. Before I saw them in person, I thought they were just made up. ha ha They’re real.
- I thought the romantic line about the “salamander eyes” was hilarious and I even found a song about it. Check out Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald / Salamander Eyes

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:
- - Lots of flashbacks. While that’s helpful to recollect what happened before, it made certain scenes drag. There is a lot of backstory that builds character development; however, some people say it’s at the expense of the action they wanted.
  - The story line is a bit complicated and jumbled. Young children won’t be able to follow it easily. Even the movie poster is too busy. The whole movie felt like that.
  - There are a lot of expository scenes where they TELL you what’s going on, rather than SHOW you. So many parts of the storyline require explanation, because it’s so complicated.
  - Some of the action scenes are almost dull.
  - Some of the characters do things that seem out of character to me. For example, the strangest storyline is that Queenie puts a love spell on Jacob. Why???? Jacob was already in love with her from the first movie. Newt was very shy in the last movie, but is now totally in love with Tina.
  - There is a snake, because….why? What was its purpose?
- FUNNY LINES:
  * “I can’t tell if you’re making a joke or you’re just French.” – Queenie (Alison Sudol) INTERESTING LINES:
  - “It’s never too late to free yourself.” – Dumbledore
  - “Newt, you never met a monster you couldn’t love.” – Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz)
  - “I see Muggles not as worthless, but ‘other’.” – Grindelwald (Johnny Depp)
  - “An obscuris grows in the absence of love.” – Dumbledore
  If you haven’t seen the original, get it online now! It’s really great!
  
  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them