Film Review: ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Goes Deeper into Harry Potter World

Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 16, 2018 - 1:48pm

CHICAGO – “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is like the “Joey” of film franchises, a spinoff which only exists because of its tangential connections to a better (and more beloved) property. But since this is our only current filmed connection to the “wizarding world of Harry Potter,” it’ll have to do.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Taking place in the years before Harry Potter, the first film in the planned series – “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – was content to noodle around a 1920’s New York City with noted creature enthusiast Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). This second outing has much more narrative heavy lifting to do. It begins with Grindelwald, revealed at the end of the first film as portrayed by Johnny Depp, escaping from custody and taking up residence in Paris. He’s out to lead a master race of pureblood wizards to grasp absolute power and world domination.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” opens everywhere in on November 16th, in IMAX and regular screenings. See local listings for IMAX theaters and show times. Featuring Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Jude Law and Johnny Depp. Written by J.K. Rowling. Directed by David Yates. Rated “PG-13”