My review of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is spoiler-free!
What do I, a fan of the Harry Potter series think about the Fantastic Beasts films thus far? Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has a broad narrative whose focus is divided between a continuation of the predominantly stand-alone first Fantastic Beasts film (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) and a Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald prequel that is reliant on the Harry Potter saga (as the Harry Potter saga fascinatingly is reliant on the subsequently released Crimes of Grindelwald). Though the scene transitions don't always flow (the connective tissue from one scene to the next sometimes feels like it's missing, though the film is never confusing), the movie nevertheless features a masterclass of writing, performances, and music. While Where to Find Them is a wondrous adventure whose touch of deep melancholy is countered by resilient optimism (qualities that make it feel like it could be a Christmas film, despite its events taking place outside of Christmas Day and Eve), Crimes of Grindelwald is a steadfastly tragic tale about discrimination, trauma, rhetorical warfare, and how propaganda that scapegoats can manipulate even wise and empathic souls. Where to Find Them is predominantly whimsical and consistently beautiful in its telling. It is ultimately uplifting like a steaming cup of apple cider, despite it compelling our hearts to break, at times, for someone who commits horrifying acts, by showing us their perspective on what led them there, without excusing their heinous crimes. Crimes of Grindelwald is a tale of two narratives, though the film is more thematically complex. Both movies have a through-line of empathy; it is filtered through optimism in Where to Find Them, while it is filtered through grief in Crimes of Grindelwald. I adore both films. By the way, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore releases in two weeks! ★ Alternate Movie Review Title ★ Before Dumbledore's Secrets Were Revealed, We Found Fantastic Beasts and Grindelwald Committed Crimes
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