Movie Review - Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I am not a Harry Potter fan, but I saw all of the films and found a couple of them entertaining. I had no interest in seeing the first Fantastic Beasts film, but the trailer for the second one made me curious.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a 2018 fantasy adventure film based on the Harry Potter franchise. It is rated PG-13 for mild violence and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Visuals. The film was visually beautiful, especially the scenes of the main character's animal sanctuary in his home and the circus in Paris.

Story. The story was solid if a little thin. It made sense and progressed fairly logically.

The Bad

Characters. The characters were not interesting, nor developed. I had a hard time feeling anything for them. I never felt invested in their story or fate.

Lack of Wonder and Fun. The Harry Potter films had a sense of wonder and fun. This film lacks the same fun with magic for most of the story.

Twist. There were a few twists in the story and "mystery", but none of them were shocking or surprising. I actually rolled my eyes at the last one surprised the filmmakers went for such an obvious connection.

Pacing. The pace of the film was very slow. The Harry Potter films had so much going on (until the last two) that they moved. This one didn't have enough story or action to fill the time, so everything was stretched out.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I with this film had more going on, more fun with magic, and more interesting characters.

Overall

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald lacks the fun and wonder of the Harry Potter films. The characters aren't as interesting, and I had a hard time caring about what happened to them. The film is visually beautiful to watch with a few interesting scenes, but most of the movie moves slowly and the story felt thin. The final battle at the end and the "big reveals" were small, obvious, and disappointing. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.