Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Mads Mikkelsen
Screenplay: J.K Rowling, Steve Kloves
Director: David Yates
I have to start this review with a disclaimer – I’m not a Potterhead (is that the official term?). I’ve obviously been exposed to the world of Harry Potter, I’ve maybe read the first book when I was younger, and have seen a few of the films – but the world has never captivated me. So the most I knew about this film before watching it is that Dumbledore is the principal of Hogwarts.
The film starts with what can only be described as a semi-romantic scene between a younger Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). And I am completely thrown. Has Dumbledore always been gay? Is this a film about magic, spells and wizards, or is it the Brokeback Mountain of the Wizarding World (is this the secret of Dumbledore that the title refers to?). The film then quickly changes track with the semi-romantic scene turning semi-sinister, with Grindelwald wanting to destroy the Muggle world – something Dumbledore apparently agreed to in his youth.
Dumbledore calls on Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to save the day with his motley crew of Avengers (or maybe it is more like the crew out of Sense8, considering they seem to be from around the world) – despite his immense powers, Dumbledore is in some sort of blood pact so can’t fight Grindelwald.
The movie then moves to Germany, where a court acquits Grindelwald of any wrongdoing, which in turn allows him to run in an election for the head of the International Confederation of Wizards, which allows the film to focus on……………………….politics and vote rigging. Yes, really.
Director David Yates is extremely experienced in this world, having directed four Harry Potter movies, and the previous two Fantastic Beasts movies. I haven’t seen those, but this film feels……….disjointed. It doesn’t work particularly well as a standalone film, and as someone with little experience in the franchise, I felt that I needed to have seen the previous parts to have really understood what was going on in this one. It also doesn’t help that there is a LOT going on in this movie.
It almost seems as though this series is attempting to extend the Harry Potter universe, with the film moving between various characters and various countries. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but the charm of the Harry Potter series was the characters, and how they were developing throughout their time at Hogwarts. Here, things are spread thin, which in turn means that a lot of the characters come off as being half-baked.
Technically, the film is of a high standard – the cinematography and VFX are of the level you expect them to be. Despite competent performances from Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen and Eddie Redmayne, the screenplay doesn’t help in keeping you engaged, which ultimately leads to the downfall of the film.
I guess this may appeal to hardcore J.K Rowling/Harry Potter fans, but as a standalone film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore didn’t really work for me.
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