David Pierdomenico
It seems that no franchise is safe anymore. The process began with George Lucas disappointing fans with his Star Wars prequel trilogy. It happened again after the great success of Lord of the Rings spawned an unnecessary Hobbit trilogy. And now it seems that Harry Potter is being given the same treatment. Back in 2016, Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them delighted the world as a fun and whimsical adventure that felt more like a one-time spin off. It introduced interesting and compelling characters, as well as a plot that felt grounded without world-ending stakes. Warner Brothers had already announced at the time they planned at least five films set in their new “Wizarding World”. And had each film been just an independent spinoff, things might have been interesting. But instead we were given this.
Try To Take Notes…
The film opens in New York City with Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) escaping while being transferred from the American Ministry of Magic over to the British Ministry. The first film referred to the American counterpart as the “Magical Congress”, but here it’s renamed for seemingly no reason. From there we jump to London where Newt (Eddie Redmayne) is trying to get his travel ban lifted. He’s then approached by a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), who asks him to go after Grindelwald.
Shortly after, we go to Paris where Grindelwald is hiding out, and Tina (Katherine Waterston) is looking for Credence (Ezra Miller), because everyone believes that he is the key to great power. And if any of this sounds confusing for the first act of a film, it very much is. Early on, this film establishes that it’s trying to do way too much, and it’s not really sure how to pull it all off. It wants to be a sequel to the original Fantastic Beasts, and continue the character drama and arcs for Newt, Jacob, Tina, and Queenie. It also wants to set up a conflict with Grindelwald that will last several films and be just as iconic as Voldemort. In addition, it also tries very hard to shoehorn as many references to the original Harry Potter series for fan service.
Is J.K. Rowling Turning Into George Lucas?
This is not a comparison to be made lightly, but here it feels justified. Just as Lucas couldn’t leave his beloved original trilogy alone (with all the added CGI and “Special Editions”), neither can Rowling with the universe she created. Even shortly after finishing the book series, Rowling was quick to add details about the story in interviews that weren’t ever really mentioned in the books themselves. The famous announcement about Dumbledore being gay has never actually come up in any book or film, nor has it had any bearing on his character development. It’s very mildly hinted at in this film, but it just seems like Rowling forced it to seem inclusive.
She also remains very active on social media, trying to add details to make some of the books’ more dated ideas seem more progressive. She simply can’t leave her work alone and let it speak for itself. And now that she herself is writing the screenplays for these films, it seems like she’s making references just for the sake of it. And it’s because of all this that Crimes of Grindelwald just feels like filler for the next film, which has already been given a release date of November 20, 2020. And as of now, there are still two more to come after that!
The Difficult Discussion of Depp
The controversy surrounding the casting of Johnny Depp goes way back to when it was first announced in 2016. This had very much to do with the recent allegations of emotional and physical abuse by his now ex-wife Amber Heard. With a self-proclaimed progressive author like J.K. Rowling, it just seemed strange for her to go through with it. And even if these allegations had not come forward at all, Depp was an odd choice. By 2016, his star power had seriously diminished. Fans were getting tired of him doing the same shtick in Tim Burton films, and he had released some serious flops with Mortdecai and The Lone Ranger.
Now Warner Brothers is facing a bit of a dilemma. Depp has been relatively quiet in terms of marketing the film, and even costar Ezra Miller was reluctant to discuss working with him. Is this awkwardness expected to last for the next three films Warner Brothers has planned? The role itself was partially played by Colin Farrell in the first Fantastic Beasts, and honestly, he seemed to play the character better than Depp. Perhaps they should have done a few reshoots to remove Depp entirely and continued on with Farrell in the role, but it’s too late for that now.
Exploring New Worlds
Despite many of the criticisms this film continues to receive, it does pull off one aspect exceptionally well. The first film showed fans the American world of magic, and this film showcases the French. One of the drawbacks to the original series is we only really ever get to see the British perspective. The only exposure to the outside world is when we meet the students from other schools in The Goblet of Fire. But this series has allowed fans to truly see a magical world and how they all interact with one another. And it’s a shame that this isn’t played up more.
Had this prequel/spinoff film series been just about exploring new worlds, it would have played out immensely better. Why not remove Grindelwald from the first film and just have it be about Newt rounding up his lost creatures? Then do a sports drama about a Quidditch player, or an origin story of the founders of Hogwarts, or a crime thriller about aurors catching a rogue dark wizard? The possibilities would have been endless! But instead the fans will be treated to this long and unnecessary series, reeking of “prequel-itus”, and which is made mostly of filler. Unfortunately, another beloved franchise bites the dust.
