Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a film which comes directed by David Yates who many will know as the director of many popular Harry Potter films such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The film comes written by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves. It stars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller and Mads Mikkelsen.
According to IMDB the film has the following synopsis “Albus Dumbledore assigns Newt and his allies with a mission related to the rising power of Grindelwald.”
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Review
I always get a little excited when it comes to movies in the Harry Potter universe. I grew up with the original films and always looked forward to them releasing each year or so. When Fantastic Beasts was announced as a series, I was excited for it and I loved getting a chance to get back into the Harry Potter universe all over again. The Secrets Of Dumbledore is now the third film in the new series and unfortunately, I’m sorry to say, but it’s just kind of average and not really that great.
For fans of the Harry Potter universe and lore, this movie is almost a must watch because you’ll want to see it to know what is going on there. That’s basically where I sit with this movie, I would watch it just to know what is going on, but that’s really all. The story is rather bland and there are not really any big surprises. The action sequences are nothing special, even with all the expensive visual effects.
As a viewer, I found the re-casting of Grindelwald who was originally played by Johnny Depp in previous films and then now replaced by Mad Mikkelsen a bit jarring. I understand there’s some controversy going on with Johnny Depp’s personal life and I’m not sure the whole story there, but was it necessary to replace him? I’m not sure. I got nothing against Mads Mikkelsen, he is just fine, but the performances are so different he might as well have just been a new character.
I know David Yates has done quite a bit of Harry Potter films, but this is honestly this is the worst one in the series. I’m not sure if it’s a problem that the script had or it’s the way it’s directed, but it’s probably a mix of both. There are multiple moments in the film where characters seem to stare at each other without saying anything. A character will be speaking to someone and then no response is given, just a stare. The film to me seemed like it was missing dialogue pieces in certain scenes, possibly they were cut out during editing. But it seemed not very well connected together to me.
The action sequences are also a disappointment. A lot of the special effects are simply things we’ve seen before. There are barely any beasts in the film as well. The final fight/confrontation at the end of the film is very lacklustre, nothing special really.
Overall I’d suggest only watching Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore at the cinema if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter universe and really want to see what’s happening with the franchise at the moment or to get a conclusion out of The Fantastic Beasts series. The film is nothing special, but at least it brings the three films to a conclusion. There are meant to be more films coming after this film in the series, but I think they can just end it here and go on with something new. It’s hard to say anything more about it and it’s tough to write this review because I love the Harry Potter universe, but Secrets Of Dumbledore is something I’d say most can wait to see it when it comes out for a home release.
The Review
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Review
Overall I'd suggest only watching Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore at the cinema if you're a fan of the Harry Potter universe and really want to see what's happening with the franchise at the moment or to get a conclusion out of The Fantastic Beasts series. The film is nothing special, but at least it brings the three films to a conclusion. There are meant to be more films coming after this film in the series, but I think they can just end it here and go on with something new. It's hard to say anything more and it's tough to write this review because I love the Harry Potter universe, but Secrets Of Dumbledore is something I'd say most can wait to see it when it comes out for a home release.
PROS
- Always nice watching a Harry Potter film at the cinema
CONS
- Re-casting Grindelwald is a disaster
- Action scenes are nothing special
- The film seems to lack dialogue with characters simply staring at each other at times