Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Review: Definitely A Fundamental Piece For The New Saga
Director: David Yates
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Jude Law, Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler, Callum Turner, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Jessica William, and Richard Coyle
Where To Watch: Theaters
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and half star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
It almost looked like this Fantastic Beasts were plagued by some magical curse. Between production problems, postponements and important casting changes, the third chapter of the saga created by JK Rowling also had the not easy task of putting its mythology in order after Crimes of Grindelwald. Has Fantastic Beasts: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore made it to dispel the perplexities of his predecessor? We have finally seen a preview and we can finally answer you: while continuing to arouse some perplexity regarding the narrative direction of the franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore convinced us a little more than the previous episode.
When Warner released Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016, it did so almost as an experiment, to take the pulse of that generation that had grown up with Harry Potter and see if they were still interested in delving into the magical world created by JK Rowling. As is known, the experiment was a success and perhaps that is where the first problem lies. As soon as this film starring Eddie Redmayne was released, Warner announced that Fantastic Beasts was not going to be a solo film, not even a trilogy, but a saga of five films.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: The Story
We find ourselves sometime after the shocking events of The Crimes of Grindelwald: the dark wizard wants to concretize his rise to power to wage war and eradicate the Muggle world, and the wizards and witches behind him wreak havoc far and wide. For his dream to come true, however, the villain needs to regain credibility in the face of the magical world, and to do so he needs the power of an ancient and noble creature. The same one on whose trail Newt Scamander is found, the most faithful and unpredictable soldier of an Albus Dumbledore increasingly determined to get his former friend and lover out of the way. The Pact of Blood, as it is known to those who know the literary saga thoroughly, nevertheless prevents the headmaster of Hogwarts from directly facing Grindelwald in combat, and that is why Dumbledore decides to put together the same team that a few months earlier he had tried. to stop the dark wizard.
There is also need, apparently inexplicably, of Jacob, who after overcoming the disappointment of Queenie’s betrayal embarks again on the crusade of his magical friends. With a Grindelwald gaining more and more acclaim around the world, the goal of this unlikely team of heroes is to prove to the wizarding community that their opponent has evil intentions., but their ambition will inevitably clash with the allies that Gellert has surrounded himself with. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the chapter of truth for Creedence, who will have to deal with his true origins, revealed to him by Grindelwald himself, but above all with his power.
Without anticipating anything concrete as regards the revelations that await you in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, we can tell you that part of some pending answers will surely be satisfied. However, the twists of this third installment may not appeal to all fans, especially as regards the links between some of the protagonists. We are certainly faced with an episode that tries to fill all those holes left by the previous film, and that all in all succeeds without flashes. The point is that Fantastic Beasts 3 is a rather long film (about 2 hours and 20 in duration) but afflicted by an all too staid pace, during which not all the narrative choices seemed to us to be completely in focus.
Starting from the management of the main characters, with a Newt still too far removed from the main narrative vein, reduced almost to an appearance, and with a focus of the plot entirely centered on the controversial and suffered link between Dumbledore and the beloved/hated Grindelwald. However, the writing remains more effective and less confusing than The Crimes of Grindelwald, with an ending that closes one story arc to open another. In any case, we are faced with another transitional film, who prefers to provide answers rather than build further puzzles. We wonder, however, at this point, where the next two episodes will want to go, since the war between the good Wizarding world and Grindelwald’s army seems to have reached an important turning point.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Review and Analysis
Although more convincing than the second chapter, in short, the screenplay of Fantastic Beasts 3 lends itself to various problems. From a visual point of view, however, we are quite satisfied. The direction of David Yates, Deus ex machina of the franchise since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is undoubtedly solid, but without great flickers or virtuosity. On the scenic side, the new Warner Bros film still manages to entertain and fascinate fans of the Wizarding World: thanks, above all, to the magical creatures, which in this episode return to be a little more protagonist, although not reaching the heights of the first Fantastic Beasts.
Also thanks to the artistic charm of a respectable production, balanced between novelty and nostalgia factor: in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore we return to Hogwarts, even if for a short time, and all the charisma of the school scenario alone is worth the price of the ticket. Very good, although not devoid of the usual small inconsistencies with literary mythology, the concrete look on the “Lore” of Harry Potter. Starting with the Dumbledore family, about which for the first time in the film franchise specific information is obtained, up to the controversial and enigmatic figure of Grindelwald himself. He was perhaps the most awaited face of the production, he who changed his face for the third time in as many films. Sure, the first “shift” of identity (from Colin Farrell to Johnny Depp) was justified by the narrative itself, but it was the second that aroused the most perplexity due to Depp’s dramatic departure from the Warner production.
Mads Mikkelsen is the new Grindelwald, a more composed and less eclectic villain than his predecessor, but equally charismatic and even functional to his characterization and the direction taken by the story. The comparison with Depp, who had given birth to an exquisitely dandy and over the top Gellert, persists anyway, but Mikkelsen’s talent and interpretative magnetism probably remain the great surplus value of a film that only partially forgives the stumbling blocks of the past iteration.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a fundamental piece for the new saga set in the magical world created by JK Rowling. A good film, which manages to recover from the numerous weaknesses of the previous one and brings to fruition many outstanding points, forever changing the balance between the forces of good and evil. The focus is undoubtedly on the Dumbledore family and on Albus’ stormy relationship with Grindelwald, an interesting perspective that continues to make the centrality of the scene lose a little to what should be the true protagonist of this saga. Newt and his fantastic beasts return to have an important role in the plot, but perhaps not as central as I would expect from the films of this saga.
We still have two parts and it is difficult to speculate how the story will continue from now on. However, interest remains high and my Potterian side does not allow me to give up watching the next films, but we hope that the wait is not so long anymore.
The Last Words
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore represents a slight step forward compared to The Crimes of Grindelwald, even if what is packaged in this new chapter is not enough to dispel some doubts about the direction of this franchise. The plot is undoubtedly more concrete, but perhaps also a little too bland and with an excessively stretched rhythm. More inspired than its predecessor from an artistic point of view, the new film by David Yates finally returns to put magical creatures at the center of the plot, while not repeating the glories of the first episode. In a film that emphasizes above all the controversial link between Albus and Grindelwald and again leaves the figure of Newt too much to one side, we are nevertheless happy with how Mads Mikkelsen has supported the role of the villain very well, while packing a very different and less over the top performance than Johnny Depp. The road we have taken begins to be vaguely the right one, and considering the strong perplexities of the eve, perhaps that’s okay.
