A lot of people, like me, embrace and love the Fantastic Beast movies but there are often mixed reviews as with any movie.
In terms of my favourite from the Fantastic Beasts series so far, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them are tied at first place. The first film felt like the perfect introduction to a new adventure – the same magic but a different location. The Secrets of Dumbledore brought nostalgia with it and really connected the dots relating to the Harry Potter films.
The opening scene featured an exchange between Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). The audience is given answers which establish the nature of the relationship between the two. The relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald is something that sparked curiosity from readers/audiences of the Harry Potter films so I appreciated that this was explored in the film.
In my opinion, Mads Mikkelsen is great in his role as the main villain of this series. He appears to be composed and calculated, a sinister combination given his intentions. I think it is also particularly striking due to Dumbledore being portrayed as a character that is pure of heart.
There were only a couple of things which I didn’t appreciate about the movie, things that felt rushed or inconsistent. This included the blood pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. It was introduced as something that could be a serious obstacle but was undone by the end of the film quite suddenly.
Also, when the cruciatus curse was used on Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) he simply shrugged it off after and it was approached in a way that was light-hearted even though the spell has a notorious reputation to say the least. I think it was strange that Jacob was even involved in parts of the plan as he is a muggle and the main villain in the movie has a strong hatred towards muggles.
Ultimately, I think the film was great and it had my attention throughout. I think the return to Hogwarts evoked a strong sense of nostalgia, the familiar setting and the score itself. The main character Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is such a likeable character and what is more is that he is a true Hufflepuff representative – dedicated, patient and loyal. I think the Fantastic Beasts characters have been developed in a way that makes audiences more inclined to revisit the series.
Comments