Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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© 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved
Directed by: David Yates
Written by: J. K. Rowling, Steve Kloves
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Jessica Williams, Katherine Waterston, Mads Mikkelsen
Runtime: 142 min
Synopsis: Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?
© 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved
Editor's Note: Original review was written for Firstshowing. Full article can be found below.
REVIEW SUMMARY
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a significant improvement over its predecessors, proving that Steve Kloves really can work miracles - J.K. Rowling still has a lot to learn. By completely shifting the main focus of the franchise to the love relationship between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, as well as the exploration of the former's imperfections and the tragic, complex past of his family, it gains an emotionally powerful, genuinely fascinating narrative component. Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen's superb performances broadly contribute to this. Too bad the first half suffers from the constant tweaks to the saga, taking once-important characters through irrelevant side adventures and repairing plot points established in earlier installments, seriously undermining the previous films and negatively affecting the pacing of this one. The boat is no longer sinking, but the damage might be too much to continue sailing…
