Over the past 20 years, the Wizarding World franchise has established itself as one of today’s most profitable franchises. Through ten films to date, the series has earned over $9 billion at the box office, only surpassed by Marvel and Star Wars franchises. The blueprint for these long-running franchises that commenced in the 2000s with connective tissue spawned from the success of the Wizarding World.
Despite that success, the first two entries in their latest venture, Fantastic Beasts, failed to deliver on the Harry Potter films’ spell over cinephiles. After the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it felt like it was time for the series to end. However, it’s as if a Lumos Maxima spell was cast on the franchise. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore shines bright as the best entry in the Fantastic Beasts series thus far. A film that embraces its roots with the heart, comedy, and magic that’s made the Wizarding World a successful franchise for two decades.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore kicks off in the 1930s with the continued rise of Grindelwald. In his goal of eliminating the world’s muggle and mudblood population, he plots a way to take control of the wizarding world through the means of an election. With a blood oath between two former lovers, Grindelwald and Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster enlists the help of Newt Scamander to put together a group in their attempt to upheave Grindelwald’s ultimate goal.
Steve Kloves deserves applause for his work on the film’s screenplay. The Secrets of Dumbledore surpasses the previous entries with a focus on its characters, answering established questions, and most importantly, making this world feel magical. Throughout the film, connections to the Wizarding World are bestowed at our feet with much more care than in the past Beasts film, including diving into the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald and the cost that love has had on wizards, witches, and muggles. The film also works best when channeling its inner Ocean’s 11 with the most magical quasi-heist seen thus far in the series, including the purposeful use of Newt’s favorite beasts, which leads to one of the funniest moments the film.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’s ensemble shines throughout. Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne’s Newt continues to be the heart of the series. Redmayne’s charm is on display in this iteration of the character. In the film’s most subtle moments, Redmayne captures what these creatures genuinely mean to him with a simple request to relinquish his suitcase of fantastic beasts. Jessica Williams’ Eulalie Hicks exudes charisma, while Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski brings a needed heart to the series.
Yes, these performances are worth praise, but Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen are the MVPs of the film. Law is given much more to do this time around, which allows him to develop and flesh out his version of Dumbledore. In addition, Law blends the mannerisms and character traits of previous iterations of the character played by Michael Gambon and Richard Harris, respectively, bringing a central unity to all the portrayals thus far.
It’s been a running joke on social media since Law’s casting regarding Law’s appearance & expected resemblance to Gambon in such a short period as the scene in Half-Blood Prince where Dumbledore first meets Tom Riddle is only a few years after the transpiring events, and this film will ease on those quips.
When Johnny Depp was replaced as Grindelwald, I could not think of someone better than Mikkelsen. Not since Voldemort in Deathly Hallows Pt 2 has the central villain of the series shown such malice and evoked fear as Mads does in Secrets of Dumbledore. Not only is Mikkelsen menacing, but he is also able to capture a vulnerability when facing his relationship with Dumbledore. This one has made the franchise infinitely better in a world where recasting is usually frowned upon.
While this is a giant leap forward for the series, it’s still not a film without glaring flaws. The overall narrative does not justify the 2-hour plus run time. Some moments feel stuck in a loop with little to no moments justifying the scenes’ existence. Joining the bag of flaws is the lack of time spent with Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) and his family issues. While somewhat touched upon in sprinkles during the film, there was much to be desired regarding one of the series’ most essential characters thus far.
In a film that mostly shines, George Richmond’s cinematography is inconsistent. There are moments glaringly lacking a color pallet, which is ironic as cinephiles are treated to a world full of life and magic, yet there are too many moments where Richmond’s lens fails to capture the magic on screen. While the film’s tone is the darkest thus far, the film should not look as lifeless as it does.
Ultimately, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is a step in the right direction for a series whose existence is often questioned. Its humor, heart, and magic will offer escapism for cinephiles while creating stakes that will have you invested as the final two entries in the series loom.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore hits theaters on April 15th.
