Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, Zoe Kravitz, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Katherine Waterson
Director: David Yates
Release date: 16th November 2018
Spoiler Warning
New York, 1927 and deep inside the American Ministry of Magic, Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is being held prisoner. An incredibly dangerous wizard, he’s been held there for the past 6 months, and is now due to be transferred to a more secure facility. Unfortunately during transport, he manages to escape and the wizarding world is thrown into turmoil. Three months later, in London, and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is trying to get his travel ban lifted. His brother, Theseus is working for the Ministry and tells him to keep out of trouble. Grindelwald is holed up in Paris and back in London, Newt meets with Dumbledore (Jude Law), his old teacher in Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells Newt that he is the only one who can stop Grindelwald but Newt is pretty sure that he’s not the one for the job. Grindelwald is incredibly dangerous and the fate of the world is at stake all the while he is free.
The second in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series of the Harry Potter movies, this instalment follows the continuing adventures of Newt Scamander in the wizarding world. A Magizoologist, he studies magical creatures and writes about them, and is an expert in his field.
As with the previous ‘Harry Potter’ movies, ‘The Crimes of Grindelwald’ has been eagerly awaited ever since the first movie release of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them’ back in 2016. It introduced us to Newt Scamander and his talents with mythical animals, whilst also keeping the Harry Potter world alive in movie form. Not long after the first movie was released, the author, J.K. Rowling revealed that there would in fact be 5 movies in the Fantastic Beasts series, which re-ignited the love of all things Potter.
A rollercoaster of a movie from the get go, there’s the characters you loved from the first movie, plus now there’s a whole new array of others. ‘New’ characters adding more substance to this next instalment of the story, including a young Dumbledore, played by the very talented Jude Law, and the ‘acting chameleon’, Johnny Depp as the dark and diabolical Gellert Grindelwald. Little is really known about Grindelwald, though we will probably see a lot more of his back story in the future movies.
If you are a fan of all things ‘Harry Potter’, then you will love this movie. It probably won’t answer any difficult questions about the Potter-verse but it will keep you entertained from start to finish, guaranteed. If you’re just looking for a bit of escapism, then give this one a watch. Be prepared to fall in love with the wizarding world all over again.
Overall: 9/10
