Fantastic Beasts Delivers on Masterful Sequel

 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald brought Harry Potter fans back into J.K. Rowling’s magical world for another round. This movie was action packed and kept the audience engaged throughout the fight scenes, awkward romance moments and intense showdowns with magical creatures. 

     Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) familiar face and pure heart definitely brought in viewers, but there were other appearances and name drops that made fans leap with joy. Young Albus Dumbledore (Toby Regbo) as well as Minerva McGonagall (Fiona Glascott) gave hope to those familiar with the Harry Potter universe to see their favorite characters in action once again. Although McGonagall made only a slight appearance, Dumbledore played a huge role in this movie giving insight into how the old Headmaster of Hogwarts came to be. Other names from the Harry Potter franchise, such as LaStrange, gave history to some of the other characters. 

      Extreme J.K. Rowling fans may have enjoyed the easter eggs and references to the original Harry Potter films and books, but those who are not as well-versed in the Potterverse could be easily left behind while watching The Crimes of Grindelwald. Many references were obscure, so much of what happened in the film was lost to many. Many important connections made between the characters could only be understood if the viewer had watched the Harry Potter films before. 

     Despite the hard to follow references, Warner Brothers delivered on one promise — the fantastic beasts. Not only did the grubby nifflers and trusty bowtruckle stick bug make reappearances, but so did the thestrals, which were first seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). A couple of cat – like beasts and some scarier bird and water demons make appearances as well. Viewers definitely benefit from watching in 3D when it comes to the awe-striking details in these scenes.  

     Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald fell behind in ticket sales to its genesis, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), and the other eight Harry Potter movies, but that’s nothing to be worried about. This film seems to be a set up for the last three films in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, introducing many details that could yield some interesting revelations as the timeline moves closer to the time of the Harry Potter films.