Friday, November 16, 2018

Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

It is opening weekend for the much awaited and highly anticipated second installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise and I am here to review it after having been given the opportunity to catch the preview screening thanks to Carol. 😊



Synopsis: In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans of raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided world.
The film picks up six months after the first movie ended, and starts off with the handover of Gellert Grindelwald to the UK Ministry of Magic. Upon handover, the carriage starts its way back and very quickly escalates into a frenzied fight scene before cutting out to the opening credits.

The second movie in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald leaves much to be desired, for me at least. The film brings back the crew of the previous movie, but I felt that each of the characters were off doing things on their own, and the final attempt at tying everything together wasn’t executed very well. There were too many overlapping plots and even Eddie Redmayne’s and Jude Law’s wonderful performance couldn’t save the film.


Talking about these two characters, I really loved their performance and I felt Jude Law effortlessly and perfectly carried the young Albus Dumbledore persona. Eddie was his usual not-so-charming and eccentric self, and there was a poignant scene in the movie between his character and Tina Goldstein (played by Katherine Waterston) that touched my heart.

If you’re a Potterhead, there are some Easter eggs in there that will make your heart skip a beat, and bring you back to the Harry Potter days. Not only objects, but characters from the HP story will also make an appearance, so be sure to look out for them. The iconic Hogwarts castle made an appearance a few times, and you finally get to see Nagini, which those in the know would know that Nagini is a Maledictus, a witch born with a blood curse who will become more beast than human the older they get.


There are, of course, the whimsical animals that the movie is named after. You will catch glimpses of Newt’s cute Bowtruckle, and the furry baby Nifflers absolutely steals the show (no pun intended). Like in the first instalment where they had Frank the Thunderbird (which was the main reason Newt went to America in the first place), in this movie they had the Zouwu, a feline-like creature with a striped body, scraggly mane, four fangs that curl up out of its mouth, and long sharp claws. For more information on the many beasts you can find in the second film, you can refer here:

http://collider.com/fantastic-beasts-2-creatures-explained/

Out of all the beasts that were featured, this one caught my eye. Mostly because it’s feline-like, and its fascination for a feathery toy reminded me very much of my own kitties. However, their screentime is very much reduced compared to the first movie and left me wanting for more.


All in all, it’s not an entirely bad movie, as it tied up some loose ends from the first movie, and introduced new plots. As the movie progresses, backstories are revealed, and the big reveal at the end set the whole cinema abuzz, me included. This reveal sets the story up for the next installment of the movie, which will be part three of a five-part movie arc. 

If you discount the messy plot and lack of a proper storyline, the movie is actually quite breathtaking with the beasts and setting, so don't let me put you off going to watch it. 

Rating: 2.5/5 

Post credit scene: No.

Would you watch it? Let me know!

Til the next time, stay beautiful!

xoxo,
yin

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