Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
*ing: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Katherine Waterston
Rated: 7/10
Rowling’s fantastic beast out of the Potter frame have been engaging in their moulds but the second film on them, despite the gravitas of incorrigible screen eccentrics Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne, falls flat in netherland. Never mind the groovy French and English locales, the giddying aerial swoops on razor pointed castles and the magical views of Hogwarts where a young and dashing Dumbledore is at work with mid air suspension of candles and training young wizards to discipline their wands.
The film is interesting in parts, very small and few parts actually. But the Rowlings touch both in writing and as producer gives the film expectations which sadly fall short of moments in the war between villain wizard Grindelwald and the rest of the magical world.
The film start from where it left off in the previous edition, with Grindelwald making a stunning aerial escape from a prison facility and then rocking the world with his desire to rule the roost.
The cataract eyed and silvr haired albino like Johnny Depp does lend weight to a character who is otherwise not given much of a role to play in this wizard story mostly bereft of magic. But yes he does look demonic and mean and perfect foil to a young and dashing Dumbledore played to the hilt by Jude Law. The two sign a blood pact to never fight each other and the faint hint of a gay relationship looks rather inapropriate in a film for young adults.
Redmayne, best remembered as the Danish girl, does what he did in the previous one, a bit mechanically with familiarity of beasts like a tree walker and the feline sky-streaker.
Despite all the beasts, the film lacks the beauty of a sustainable storyline. How could Rowling allow that?