Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
2018 · Directed by David Yates
Original language: English
- fantasy
- adventure
The story
Gellert Grindelwald has escaped imprisonment and has begun gathering followers to his cause—elevating wizards above all non-magical beings. The only one capable of putting a stop to him is the wizard he once called his closest friend, Albus Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore will need to seek help from the wizard who had thwarted Grindelwald once before, his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
What it’s like
Warm, burnished period color gives way to cooler, grainier tones as the story moves between a rain-soaked Paris and a bustling 1920s New York, with sepia-gold interiors, gaslit streets, and wide establishing shots of old European squares. The camera glides through crowded rooms and sweeping set pieces, and the magic arrives as bright, glossy bursts of light and CGI creatures rendered with a sense of play. James Newton Howard's orchestral score swells with a stately, wistful lilt, and quieter passages let dialogue and small, lingering glances breathe. The mood is sumptuous and bittersweet, with a steady undercurrent of unease rather than real dread, suited to a rainy weekend afternoon or a comfortable evening when you want a large, handsomely mounted fantasy to sink into. Pacing is brisk and sometimes busy, with frequent cuts between factions and locations. Violence is stylised and frequent: spell duels, explosions, and creature attacks, with some peril and a few tense moments, but no real gore. Emotionally it follows divided loyalties and old bonds straining under pressure. It is for viewers who enjoy lush, detailed worldbuilding, ornate costume and production design, and character drama wrapped in adventure.
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