When Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them came out in 2016 with Hedwig's Theme to tease all Potterheads, the Harry Potter universe breathed once again. This may sound like an exaggeration, but the Harry Potter universe is like a mafia, once you get in deep, there is no way out, as Daniel Radcliffe himself states.
The movie was everything a fantasy-buff would have wished and expected. The thrill of seeing the beasts we only knew from the books by Rowling, the introverted mad genius with his suitcase filled with magical beasts and the unfolding of Grindelwald's life completes the movie perfectly. Now some might not agree with me on this, but FBAWTFT is one of the best movies from Harry Potter and its extended universe.
The success of the first installment set precedence for the movies that would follow. However, the wizarding world failed to deliver. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was a disappointment and it won't be wrong to say that it was one of the worst ones from the franchise. While most things went wrong for the movie, I'll be talking about 3 things that make Crimes of Grindelwald a criminal watch.
Sorry, who is the protagonist?
If you've read the books, you know who Grindelwald is, and the first movie provides a decent prelude for the villain. The reason why the Harry Potter universe was extended was to portray the historical battle between the two power giants, Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Potterheads who've read books know how Dumbledore felt about power and what it did to him. This extended franchise aims to encapsulate the rise of Grindelwald, the failure of wizarding communities to stop him, and the eventual battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. This makes both these wizards the protagonist and antagonist, with Credence in the middle. So then why was Newt Scamander sharing screentime equally with the others?
The point of Newt Scamander being the lead in the first film is understood, he unravels the true identity of Graves. In the second installment, he remains central to the plot still. His storyline with Tina, his brother Theseus, Leta(his brother's fiance and school friend), hogs most of the film.
It was made clear at the beginning of the second film that Credence was alive and important to the story. The Ministry of Magic, MACUSA, Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Leta Lestrange, and another French man, in short, 99% of the cast were looking for Credence. So then why did Credence have to fight for screentime with Newt?
This story, as understood by fans all over, revolves around Credence, Dumbledore, and Grindelwald. The lack of focus on them, keeping up Newt and his beasts, and introducing way too many characters creates confusion and derails the plot of the franchise.
Pick a tone already
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a simple movie, with a complete plot, good performances, and a good prelude to what the franchise holds for the future. Crimes of Grindelwald, on the other hand, seems to be all over the place. All characters have different plots, some are central to the story, and others are exaggerated for no reason.
The aim is simple, Credence is central to the plot and must be found, yet everyone seems to be finding him for different reasons. Some think he is their long lost brother, some want to save him, some want to use him, and Credence himself is looking for his sense of self. In France, he and his partner/love interest are looking for his mother. FYI, his partner is Nagini. Yes. Voldemort's Nagini.
The disinterested attitude of Newt towards the ongoings in the Magical world was well received in the first movie, but it becomes rather boresome and predictable in the second installment. His itch to save beasts, mixed with babies being thrown in the water, girl turning into snake, salamander eyes, and black goo breaking and attacking things became too much to digest in one sitting.
The different parallels running together made chaos, and there was nothing interesting about this chaos. It seemed overlapping as if the filmmakers were trying hard to make things make sense.
Grindelwald and his not-so-impressive fanatics
Mass slaughter for the greater good has been Grindelwald's motto since the very beginning. Grindelwald, as portrayed in the Harry Potter books, had a mass appeal and was known for turning people to the dark side. Yet, in the Fantastic Beasts story, he just wasn't strong enough. Johnny Depp, having very few minutes on the screen seemed too pretentious and predictable.
As compared to the last film, Queenie had a bigger, substantial role. This is where the director had an opening to create something worthwhile, yet he failed. Since the beginning, Quennie is shown controlling her no-maj love interest, Jacob. She used magic to convince him to get engaged and get married in Paris. Her willingness to go beyond the magical traditions of her kind is the kind of streak Grindlewald is attracted to. However, Queenie turning to the dark side seemed rather obtuse. The storyline held a lot of potential, yet it was poorly executed. Had the angle been explored well, the result would have been one of the best tenets of the film.
As compared to the last film, Queenie had a bigger, substantial role. This is where the director had an opening to create something worthwhile, yet he failed. Since the beginning, Quennie is shown controlling her no-maj love interest, Jacob. She used magic to convince him to get engaged and get married in Paris. Her willingness to go beyond the magical traditions of her kind is the kind of streak Grindlewald is attracted to. However, Queenie turning to the dark side seemed rather obtuse. The storyline held a lot of potential, yet it was poorly executed. Had the angle been explored well, the result would have been one of the best tenets of the film.
Besides Quennie, Grindelwald was not the fascist he was portrayed as. The Hitler image around which his character was framed did not match. Instead of bringing people on his side, he was killing wizards left, right, and center. He did not seem much interested in building a force for global dominance or to bring back the wizards from hiding, he seemed like every other villain. His enemy was Dumbledore,and his obsession and will to end him was clear.
What Fantastic Beasts Promised And Did Not Deliver: Final Words
The different parallels, lack of focus on the main characters, rather, confusion about the main characters has a clusterfuck, for lack of a better word. The studded star cast did their best in a poorly written, badly executed script that was forced to make sense. Let's hope the third installment answers a few questions, instead of adding more to the ever-growing list.
The lack of fantasy Bollywood movies has made movie buffs like me to rely solely upon fantasy movies from the West. The hardship is real when even the West forgets how to make good fantasy films.
About the Author
Sharon is a full-time writer and part-time coffee tester and dog petter. She is often found reading fiction and obsessing over dogs. Sharon currently works as the content head at Binge Mad, a TV, Movies, and Books blog.
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