Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), is back in the second installment of the
Fantastic Beasts series. The film opens with Grinderlwald (Johnny Depp),
conducting an elaborate escape from custody which in turn starts off a
search to find him and bring him to justice.
After a few months of fruitless searching; the Ministry of Magic offers
Newt a chance to have his travel ban lifted if he will locate and
eliminate Grindelwald. Newt refuses especially since he would have to
join his brother’s division as an Orator and instead opts to travel to
Paris to help Jacob and Queeenie find Tina. Newt still has strong
feelings for Tina and is eager to resolve a misunderstanding which has
arisen.
At the same time, Grindelwald as well as forces from the Ministry are
eagerly trying to find Credence (Ezra Miller), who has become obsessed
with finding his mother.
To say there is a lot going on would be an understatement as I have not
even touched upon Dumbledore (Jude Law) and his conflicts with the
Ministry over his unwillingness to fight Grindlelwald and you can get a
sense of just how busy and at times convoluted the plot can be.
There are plenty of nice visuals and the cast works well with one another
but the film has a darker tone than the previous one and there are aspects
of the film which will appeal to the hardcore fans but will be lost by
newer or more casual fans.
The entire films plays more as a setup to the next chapter in the series
so aside from a few moments, there is little real resolution as most of
the film is simply setting up what is to be the focus of the remaining
films.
While it does entertain; it does seem to be better suited to the hardcore
versus the casual fan who might need more than the magical splendor it
offers.
3 stars out of 5
Second Review by Joshua AJA
After being held in the American Ministry of Magic sinister wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) escapes while in route to Europe to stand trial for his crimes. He now is in search of the one young man, Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), who he believes will allow him and his followers to rule the world of wizards and the human world. The British Ministry of Magic attempts to enlist collector of fantastic beasts Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to track down Credence before Grindelwald can. Newt refuses because he knows that ministry wants Credence destroyed. Credence is in Paris searching for the truth of who he is after spending the majority of his youth in an American orphanage. Despite his initial reluctance to go to Paris he is persuaded by his friend Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to go. It did hurt that he found out that Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) is also in Paris. He and Tina helped the American Ministry capture Grindelwald before, can they do it again before he gets to Credence.
This is this is the sequel to 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them written by and based on characters of J.K Rowling. The story is really well done and sets the series up for at least one more film. Director David Yates (The Legend of Tarzan, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1) does a great job of blending a dramatic story and the astonishing visual effects of the magical world. The cast does well and the performances fit the genre. The visuals are really well done. They really set the mode of the scenes and help tell the story. Whether it is bright colors or dark and ominous the visuals are so important to this story and they are so well done and fit so well.
I have to admit that I have not seen very many Harry Potter films, maybe two, and have not read any of the books. So as far as how the story fits into this world I may not be the best judge. But the two Fantastic Beast films I have seen and think they fit well together. The story flows really well between both films and keeps the audience guessing. It has a serious tone at times and could be a little heavy for younger audiences. The visuals are enough to be worth the ticket price at the theater.
4 out of 5
