By Seth Lukas Hynes
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen
Rated M
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is an exciting and frequently charming magical thriller with a saggy middle.
In the 1930s, a group of witches and wizards, led by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), must stop the tyrant Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) from becoming leader of the global magical community.
The previous Fantastic Beasts films had trouble integrating their titular beasts with the magical conflicts, but The Secrets of Dumbledore does a good job of balancing its magical animals with wizarding intrigue. Said animals provide some exciting set-pieces, including a tense but amusing prison escape, and the protection and delivery of a particular creature is an integral plot-thread.
However, Supreme Head Vogel (Oliver Masucci) stresses the importance of the magical community choosing their new leader, but having a magical animal pick the new leader contradicts this democratic message.
The cast still has fantastic chemistry, Mikkelsen gives the third and best portrayal of Grindelwald in the series, and Dan Fogler remains an endearing source of comic relief and pathos as Jake Kowalski. The plot subtly explores Jake’s estrangement from his lover Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Dumbledore’s conflicted bond with Grindelwald, and the third act is a compelling, beautiful culmination of whimsical cunning.
And yet the second act, while fun overall, feels meandering and disjointed. The explicit assertion that the plan is no plan feels like a sneaky cover for lazy writing, and the new insights into the redundant Credence’s (Ezra Miller) identity feel as halfhearted as last time.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which is playing at most Victorian cinemas, is engrossing, touching and funny, despite a flabby middle and confused views on democracy. 3.5/5
– Seth Lukas Hynes
