'Secrets of Dumbledore' Doesn't Reveal All That Much
Starring Jude Law, Mads Mikkelsen, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Alison Sudol, Callum Turner, Richard Coyle, Dan Fogler, Jessica Williams
Rated PG-13
Fantasy, Adventure
Run time: 2 hr, 22 min
Directed by David Yates
In theaters April 15, 2022
I’m going to be honest and say that I don’t feel I have any authority to speak intelligently on JK Rowling’s truly upsetting and offensive views that she often feels the need to share on social media, but it is truly horrifying that a once beloved public figure has decided to use her platform to share ignorant and harmful views, and in no way does this review indicate support for her and her beliefs. I’m truly devastated that a fantastic fictional world that brought so much comfort to those figuring out their identity and feeling like they have been othered by our society has now turned into a place filled with hate. This franchise has also been plagued with issues - mostly abuse or assault related actions by its stars (first Johnny Depp, and now Ezra Miller) that can make it extremely difficult for audiences to lose themselves in this film, and it was definitely something that colored my view as well.
My biggest plot-related issue with this series was covered extensively in my review of the last Fantastic Beasts movie, which is that there is an utter lack of of beasts, both fantastic and otherwise. One of the props I have to give this third installment is that there is at least one pretty fantastic beast (and an irrationally cute one at that) at the center of this plot. That being said, I still think the creators of this part of the Harry Potter world shot themselves in the foot by insisting they all be “Fantastic Beasts: [Insert Title Here]” because after the first film, said variety of beasts are hardly the most important part of any of these movies. It also was originally pitched as a story surrounding Newt Scamander (Redmayne) but in this film, he seems like a secondary character at best.
One of the quests in this installment of Beasts is finding, and then preserving an animal called the Qilin (which is pronounced like “chillin” which threw me for a minute every time it was pronounced) that is an extremely rare - and extremely adorable - creature who is able to see your soul and know if you’re inherently good or bad. Apparently this dear-lizard-looking-hybrid was used to pick the leaders of the wizarding world, and of course, there is someone who wants to use this pure creature for nefarious reasons, and if you’ve read above that Mads Mikkelsen is in this movie, you already know it’s him. The team of good guys try to prove what has gone down and stop Grindelwald (Mikkelsen, replacing Depp) from taking over the reins of the wizarding world’s leadership. Oh, and there is a side plot of Credence (Miller) apparently being on death’s door and being tasked to kill Dumbledore (Law) - which feels very Draco Malfoy circa Half-Blood Prince.
While I definitely felt like this movie was far better than its predecessor, it unfortunately doesn’t say very much since I really did not enjoy that one. There is something lacking I just can’t put my finger on. This film simultaneously has too much going on and also not enough happening. So many of the plot points introduced in this movie end up being completely eliminated, feeling like we ended the movie not too far from where we started. While I did enjoy Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald, I could never fully lose myself in the story. This review is unfortunately a lot of me saying that I don’t know why or how, but it should have been better. A lot of the lead performances were solid, and I did get a handful more of the beasts I wished for, but it just felt thrown together.
One thing that bothered me more than I expected, which was violence towards these clearly CGI and extremely fantastical creatures. It’s not the equivalent of seeing harm done to a living, realistic human or animal, but it hit me harder than anticipated and unsettled me. My bigger issue is how this franchise treats the magic of this extremely developed fictional universe. We learn so many rules and practices about how magic is wielded in the original series, and this movie has fully thrown it to the side. There are maybe only three verbally cast and specifically used spells, and all the rest are people just waving their wands and….things happen. It’s way more about spectacle than the craft, and as I type that sentence it makes me realize - that is the best way to sum up all my issues of what this production has become.