“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” Review: An Improvement on the Last Instalment
Do wizards suit the world of espionage?
It took some dodging of spells from Covid and some polyjuice potion for the cast list, but it’s here. The third Fantastic Beasts has finally landed. Thankfully, the wait wasn’t totally in vein; it steps up (maybe slightly) from the last film, Crimes of Grindelwald.
Set in the 1930s, we catch up with our younger Albus Dumbledore as he, Newt Scamander and a mishmash of trusted friends plot to take down Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny D-*COUGH*-Mads Mikkelsen) who is working to tighten his grip and influence on the Wizarding World.
It goes without saying from the off that Jude Law is a welcomed return. His younger take on Dumbledore is so interesting to watch. It’s nice to see the character in his prime again. We’d just say that he needs to keep an eye on that accent for the next instalment, that’s all I’ll say. Mikkelsen is of course taking over the reigns as the villain of the film series, and he does so seamlessly. He’s definitely a suitable replacement for Depp. The much more maniacal approach of the character in this film fits his repertoire too.
We can’t forget our other returning cast members of course, especially ones who have been around since the beginning. Redmayne is once again great as sweet, good hearted Newt. However, we can’t say that we’re seeing much development for this character here. He’s front and centre with Dumbledore, but it’s fair to say that he’s just…there. Same can be said for Callum Turner’s Theseus. Looks like any development from Leta Lestrange’s apparent death has been kept on hold.
Ezra Miller’s Credence is still around. We see how he’s changed completely from the previous two films and his progression seems organic. His plot thread also gets some interesting focus, but we’ll allude more to that later. There’s Dan Fogler and Ailson Sudol. They get different directions to head down in this film which is good to see. However the latter doesn’t get down her trajectory as much as we’d like. Then we have Victoria Years, back from her brief role in Crimes of Grindelwald. She actually gets a lot more to do and uses it to her advantage. I’d be surprised if she doesn’t get the same level of screentime next time.
We can’t miss out the mention of some new additions as well. Richard Coyle is brought in as Aberforth Dumbledore, with Jessica Williams taking up the role of Professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks after a cameo in the previous film. Aberforth is a fitting addition, and we’re given a younger version of the character that most of us probably built up in our heads. Hicks is fun to have around, but if she were to be cut from the next film it wouldn’t be a massive loss. It’s fair to say she doesn’t add all that much to the story really.
When it comes to the plot, we get quite a few interesting and unexpected threads. But, it’s good that they’re juggled around quite well. One of which slyly connects to our film’s title. Secrets of Dumbledore overall is built as a sort of espionage thriller with wizards. This does make for a fresh change from this world’s usual storytelling. It makes itself it’s own thing whilst also not forgetting to throw in some nice nods to Harry Potter lore, and more importantly making sure to fill in blanks that moviegoers who didn’t read the books might have missed. There is a whole scene that connects to important Dumbledore/Grindelwald details from Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows. Speaking of those two, the film does a good job of finally having these two in the same room and us getting to see their relationship up close and personal. A specific quick scene between the them is also sure to get you excited for the last two films. Well, if they do get made that is.
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One thing we can’t fault the Fantastic Beasts films for us the continued crossing between Dumbledore and Scamander as they swap roles more and more. It’s obvious that Newt will feature less with Albus featuring more as time goes on, which is no easy feat considering it’s Redmayne’s face that launched the film series. Hats off to how it’s been handled.
One thing we can blame this film for? Not giving some long-hanging plot threads the focus they deserve. they’re given attention, but their build ups deserved bigger pay offs. In a way this should have been called Crimes of Grindelwald 2 with where most of the focus is. Focus on Credence for instance should have been a much bigger central point. But hey ho. There’s also (and we know it’s a CGI-heavy film) the heaviness of the visual effects. Some moments have you tied up in being amazed by VFX that you miss important dialogue and information. Sometimes this stuff needs to be separated somehow. A bit of a less is more rule could come into play here.
David Yates is back once again to direct. After being apart of the overall franchise since Order of the Phoenix, it’s a given that this guy is trusted by all at this point. Whereas the earlier Potter films had so many changes in aesthetic because of the constant change in director, Yates has created a definitive look and feel for the Wizarding World which continues into this instalment. However, though it all started in the Potter side of things for him, that doesn’t mean we need certain nods to those films. The theme music pops up in places it doesn’t really belong. Don’t wear out that iconic theme by plastering it everywhere.
Though this film series hasn’t been as successful as Warner Bros. had probably hoped, it is worth saying that this entry does a good job of pushing things forward and has us excited for what another two films could bring. If Warner Bros. does pull the plug from here, luckily this film could actually work as the ending of a trilogy, but it would be a shame seeings as we’re getting a much deeper look into the character of Dumbledore.
All in all, the film improves on the last film, but is by no means measuring up to the stories of Harry Potter. It manages to juggle around a fair few plots and the overall ensemble works okay, but that’s mainly thanks to some characters being stronger than others and leading the way. It’s just unfortunate that at times it can rely too heavily on the fact it’s a Potter spin-off. This mixed with certain subplots and pay offs not being as big as they should be, and sometimes VFX being too much and taking your gaze away from what the actual purpose of the scene is, it does drag the film down a bit.
From us, we’re giving this one a 7.6/10.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is currently in cinemas.